An occupational therapist (Post- Preceptorship) career story

I complete occupational therapy assessments and interventions. 

I qualified as an Occupational Therapist in the summer of 2017, having completed my studies in Plymouth.  I took a short break of about 3 months once I graduated to have a ‘little break’ before starting the real adult life of full time work. I started looking for a job around October 2017 and at first was a little anxious to start my first job in a London hospital as the area I studied and completed my placements in was so different. I therefore decided that my first ever job was going to be on the outskirts of London.

My first job was in NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust where I completed 2 rotations; general medicine and stroke. This is where I developed my basic skills and really increased in confidence as an Occupational Therapist. This also allowed me to broaden my knowledge of medical conditions and how these could impact on patient’s functional ability. I didn't’t quite feel ready to take the next step after a year to being an band 6 as I had only completed two rotations.

I then moved over to London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and completed further rotations in the following specialities: outpatient hand therapy, stroke, orthopaedic and community. This is when I felt that I could take the next step in my career, seeking a new challenge and new experiences. This is when I applied for the band 6 role and landed me where I am now.

I have learned and grown immensely in this post, largely due to having to work in extremely difficult environments due to the pandemic and shortness of staff. It is in these challenging environments where I have developed my skills further; i've pushed myself out of my comfort zone which has allowed me to grown professionally as an OT and personally.

I am highly interested in further developing my skills in the Neurology speciality and hope to have an opportunity soon. 

I believe my strongest skills are my interpersonal skills which has enabled me to build good rapport with the whole multi-diciplinary team (MDT), patients and family members, utilising my communication skills and language skills.

I have always that I had a gift of looking at problems and breaking them down into smaller parts which allowed me to take on complex problems and find creative solutions to address them.

In a bitter sweet way, this current pandemic has had a huge impact on me in my career so far. I have demonstrated resilience and flexibility throughout the coronavirus pandemic. I volunteered to be redeployed in the intensive care unit prone team in my previous Trust to meet the service demands that were needed at the time.

I'd like to believe that moment is yet to come given I am only 3 and a half years into my career.

To answer the question though, going the extra mile for every patient under my care is what I pride myself in. To advocate for patients needs and wishes, to ensure that the patient is at the centre of all intervention planning.