Those Who Love, Teach

Working as an OT in higher learning can be a rewarding path for those who enjoy the challenge of shaping young minds

At some point, you may decide that your unique skill sets as an OT are better suited to training up a whole new batch of occupational therapists and setting them free on the world. Teaching is a noble path; there are few things more valiant than making the decision to work on getting people into your industry via the medium of education. When you care deeply about both the industry of occupational therapy and being able to introduce people to how brilliant and varied an occupational therapist’s life is, you may find that academia is the best place for you. If you’re thinking of making the jump into academia but you’re not sure if it’s right for you, consider the following:

TEACHING IS MORE FLEXIBLE

In occupational therapy roles, it’s frequently a given that you must be more flexible than the position; in some roles, you’re required to work over seven days, and you may also have to work evenings or backshift. In an academic role, that’s something you’re less likely to be faced with, as many institutions will allow you to work from home with more frequency, allowing you to juggle your commitments with more ease. As you’re no doubt perilously aware from your own time at university, the first port of call for a lecturer or member of staff is their email, so you may find that there is less requirement for you to be constantly at the university, aside from teaching and drop-in periods, where faceto-face teaching or interaction is required. That’s not to say it isn’t hard work and you don’t have to be present, but you may find that it allows you to shape your life in a way that is better suited to your needs.

THERE’S OPPORTUNITY FOR RESEARCH

As a member of academia, you’ll be encouraged to be an active researcher as well as a lecturer. That might cause some of you to break out into a cold sweat, but OTs are always looking to make sure there’s evidence to base all of their interventions on, and you could be just the person to bring that evidence to fruition. Working on research is one way to become a noted expert in your field, which is done by publishing credible, quality research that will become the backbone of many a student OT’s term papers. If there’s a topic you feel particularly passionate about, but there isn’t a lot of academic research that backs it up or quantifies it, this might be your time to shine as you go about doing just that.

Working on research is one way to become a noted expert in your field

YOU CAN FOLLOW YOUR INTERESTS

As above, if you want to dedicate your time and energy to a specific aspect of research, working in academia gives you the option to do that. You can take advantage of any opportunities for collaboration that you may come across, and can take advantage of travel opportunities - like taking part in conferences, doing fieldwork, or guest lecturing at other institutions. You also get to choose what you’d like to lecture in (within the boundaries of the teaching requirements), but you can choose to teach the material in whatever way you feel is appropriate. Working in academia is an opportunity for you to teach what you love in the way you wish you had been taught it.

TEACHING BRINGS VARIETY

With teaching, every day is different. You get to interact with students, lecturers and colleagues every day in a way that will rarely match the one that came before it, offering a huge wealth of experience and excitement. No two students will ever write the same term paper (if they do, that’s a case for the plagiarism board), so you’ll constantly find yourself being challenged and encouraged by their ideas and assessments, as well as those of your fellow academics. It’s an intellectual pursuit that brings a lot of joy to people who are engaged with the theoretical side of occupational therapy.

YOU’RE SHAPING YOUNG MINDS

It’s the most important and most obvious point: the very best thing about teaching is that you get to be a positive influence on the young minds that will come after you. Academia gives you the opportunity to influence, inform and lecture the occupational therapists of tomorrow, who will be keen to learn everything that they possibly can from you. Through teaching, you’ll help them succeed in both the long- and short-term; you can help them throughout their education, which will benefit them for, quite literally, the rest of their lives.

The Perfect Quest

Kyrby Brown has recently joined Quest as their adaptive sports business development officer for the South West and South Wales. However, what sets Kyrby apart from her fellow employees is that she is also a loyal Quest customer and the proud owner of a Storm Runner running frame

Kyrby was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita which affects her entire body resulting in a very limited range of movement in all her limbs, which in turn affects her level of mobility. To preserve her joint function, Kyrby uses a wheelchair part time and is supported by a small team of personal assistants. Kyrby has refused to let her condition control her life and she has always been as active as possible. Up until December 2020 Kyrby was a member of the Team GB Para Dressage squad and in 2019 was selected for the team’s Performance Pathway programme. It was when Kyrby joined a Frame Running club in Cardiff in the Autumn of 2019 that she first got to know Rob Henshaw and the team at Quest as she explains: “When I was a child, I used to buy bikes and remove the pedals, pushing them with my legs. It required a fair bit of balance but I could get up some speed and it meant I could join my friends on their bikes, I even used it for

the path down to my primary school. As soon as I tried this great sport, I fell in love with it and wanted to get my own running frame so the club put me in touch with Rob who was incredibly helpful from day one”. Little did Kyrby know this would be the start of such an exciting new adventure. Kyrby found out about the role at Quest by chance when she saw a Facebook post by Rob. “As I read the job description it sounded perfect so I promptly applied although I did have to warn my support team that life might be about to change!” In her role at Quest, Kyrby covers the South, South West and South Wales carrying out assessments for the range of adaptive sports equipment which includes running frames, trikes and game frames for frame football. Kyrby is also involved in raising the profile and awareness of frame sports and supporting the development of clubs across the country, which includes organising ‘Have a Go’ days so as many people as possible can experience the fun of inclusive sport. “Kyrby has been with us since February and is doing brilliantly. Having Kyrby as part of the team here at Quest is fantastic for us as she can truly empathise with our clients and relate to their needs and frustrations. In addition to the product training we gave to Kyrby, we also gave the same training to her support team as they attend assessments with Kyrby and we felt it was vital they also had a good understanding of the range of adaptive sports equipment we have to offer,” commented Rob Henshaw, managing director, Quest. Kyrby is loving her new role. “It has been brilliant and I am so grateful to Rob for giving me this great opportunity and for the support Quest has given to me and my support team who play a vital role in my day-today life. Don’t get me wrong, adjusting from the life of an athlete to that of a full-time worker hasn’t been a walk in the park, but actually many of the same qualities are needed. My role has so much scope and no two days are the same. I get to enable others to have the same sense of freedom and joy that I felt the first time I sat on a running frame and the role has also given me a greater appreciation of the importance of the right equipment, and made me more determined than ever to open up opportunities to others. Seeing the transformative nature of equipment and its potential to break down barriers for a whole host of conditions has given me a new perspective on disability. I love nothing more than challenging preconceptions about an individual’s ability, I “shouldn’t” be able to ride, run, sail, climb mountains, but I will. Challenges are there to be fought, and sometimes overcome, but without trying you’ll never know, you might even have a bit of fun in the process and that’s often my favourite part”.

For more information on the full range of therapy, rehabilitation and adaptive sports and cycling solutions available from Quest, advice on funding or to arrange an assessment please call 01952 463050, email sales@quest88.com or visit quest88.com.