I am a band 5 occupational therapist, which means I rotate around the hospital and move into a different team every 6 months. I am just finishing my second rotation in the stroke team.
What’s your role in our organisation?
For the first half of my 6 month rotation I worked on the acute stroke ward, completing initial assessments to determine how patient’s strokes had affected their occupational performance.
For the second half, I worked on the Rehabilitation Unit, to help patient’s set and work on their goals for discharge. This involved helping people get function back to their weak arm, working on their cognitive deficits and boosting their mood through engagement in things they previously enjoyed.
We have access to lots of great facilities and resources in our department, which has meant I’ve been able to get patient’s to do baking with me, attend our breakfast group and gardening group and have sessions with the therapy dogs!
I am also then involved in helping plan these patient’s discharge by thinking about what equipment they might need at home, how much support they might need (and with what activities) and how they can resume the activities and hobbies that matter the most to them.
Tell us a bit about your CUH journey – when did you join, what positions have you held here?
I joined in September 2021 a few days after I finished university. I have completed 2 rotations so far, in Orthopaedics and Stroke, and am about to move into Surgery & Oncology. I had a student placement here whilst I was training and knew I wanted to come back and apply for a job, so it will be really fun to come back into the Surgery team as a qualified OT this time rather than a student!
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I enjoy the creativity it brings. Every day is new, and every patient is different and you have the flexibility and creative space to tailor therapy sessions to your individual patients. I think patients can feel quite frightened in hospital, like things are being done to them, but we get to ask people what matters to them and help them get back to doing that, which is a really positive thing.