Return to practice
Overall , I believe the virtual simulated placement is an excellent resource for gaining insight into the clinical environment . I think the mentoring programme is the best part in this course .”
Return to practice
Feature
T
here is a national crisis of occupational therapists missing from practice that needs to be addressed . The temporary Health and Care Professions Council ( HCPC ) register set up in the pandemic demonstrated that there are thousands of occupational therapists in England with the potential and desire to return to practice .
It is essential that we are proactive in channelling this workforce with their currently untapped knowledge , skills and experience back into health and care sectors .
In 2022 , Coventry University was successfully awarded a tender by Health Education England to create and deliver a blended course for return to practice . The target for 12 months was 50 returnees .
Aims and objectives
The aim was to create a revolutionary course that embraced the unique expertise of allied health professionals ( AHPs ), alongside ground-breaking academic rigour . Also , to design and deliver personalised education pathways to meet the needs of individual returnees .
By the end of the financial year , we had enrolled
44
former HCPC-registered occupational therapists onto the course
Other objectives were for the course to be led by a dedicated AHPregistered programme leader , supported by profession-specific clinical AHP tutors from across all of England , and that the course be available 24 / 7 online , to ensure agility , flexibility , and accessibility .
Within four months we had achieved this and then doubled that number . By the end of the financial year , we had enrolled 100 former HCPC registrants ( 44 occupational therapists ) onto the course and we had a waiting list .
From across England , we saw an excitement from all regional AHP groups to get involved and we leapt at this opportunity for co-production . Over 50 AHPs passionately joined our team to offer each returnee their profession-specific mentoring , as required by HCPC .
In turn , we invested in them ; they have been supported through the university , accessing the mentorship and coaching development programme , they have access to the university academic development portfolio and are core to the team .
Drop-in sessions for mentors and a shared Teams space enabled ongoing collaboration across professions for the mentors and enhance the quality of the provision .
Method and implementation
The course was to be embedded in Coventry University provision , to enable returnees to access the full repertoire of support and learning experiences , and be aligned to the overarching themes of HCPC ’ s Standards of Proficiency .
Andy Winter
Dr Kim Stuart
Mary Burton
© Charday Pe n via Getty Images
Overall , I believe the virtual simulated placement is an excellent resource for gaining insight into the clinical environment . I think the mentoring programme is the best part in this course .”
October 2023 OTnews 53