During Occupational Therapy Week 2020, we caught up with Sophie and Clara, two OT students from the University of Worcester's BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy Programme.
Sophie and Clara are working at Inspire Neurocare Worcester as part of their placement under the guidance and support of Emma Clayton, Inspire Neurocare’s Occupational Therapist.
With the theme of Occupational Therapy Week 2020 centred around choosing and encouraging others to consider OT as a career, Emma asked her students to share their inspiration behind their recent choice, as well as sharing her own story.
I chose to study Occupational Therapy when I was looking into becoming a Health Visitor. A friend was studying OT at the time of this and explained what she did and how OT’s help people.
I loved the idea of it and being able to help people become as independent as they could whilst feeling valued and have a sense of belonging. Since starting my studies, I have learnt so many new things about occupations and the barriers that I never knew before. It has given me more of an incentive to want to carry on when seeing in practice, how much we really can help people and the smiles it puts on their faces when they achieve something they once thought they couldn’t.
I remember the time it was set in stone for me that I wanted to become an Occupational Therapist and that was when I saw a quote that said:
‘Nurses add days to lives; Occupational Therapists add life to days.’
I wanted to be one of those people that helped individuals reach their goals and watch them engage in occupations that were once a struggle for them. Since doing that, it has also enabled me to appreciate every day!
I chose to study occupational therapy because I wanted to help people. My granddad had previously had a stroke and whilst in his hospital rehab he was helped by an Occupational Therapist. I was amazed by the joy my granddad found from these sessions, because of the small amount of independence he was able to gain back and how motivated he would seem after the OT’s visit.
This was the first time I had heard about the job and I knew I wanted to be part of a profession that could make such a difference to someone’s life by just enabling them their activities. Facilitating each peson’s occupations are important to them to empower their independence.
Whilst completing A-levels back in the early 1990’s I knew that I wanted to work in a health and care profession. I went to the careers library and looked in the health and care box on the shelf and fortunately there was a leaflet on occupational therapy that looked very interesting.
I applied to Derby University and have never looked back. I enjoy going to work every day. At Inspire Neurocare my role is varied with every day being every different, through supporting the residents with the occupations that they want, need or expected to do.
Some examples of OT interventions within the last few weeks include going to the safari park in a Covid secure way to see the animals - especially giraffes - completing a bath risk assessment to support a desire to use a bath and locating Scottish square sausage to ensure a breakfast preparation practice was truly person-centred as traditional sausages would not suffice!
Inspire Neurocare's Occupational Therapy team are key to our multi-disciplinary approach. To learn more about the team, to make a referral or to learn more, please contact us via the form below.