Professional Engagement

Kate Sheehan

Director, The OT Service

The OT Service provides high quality advice, consultancy and training to manufacturers, retailers and service providers. It also provides occupational therapy clinical services in housing and equipment to case managers, solicitors and private individuals via its handpicked network of occupational therapists.

For more info email kate@theotservice.co.uk

Ihave now been qualified for 35 years: I am still as passionate about my profession as I was when I started college in 1984, and for all that time I have been a member of our professional body. I have not always agreed with their strategy or some of their responses, but have always supported them as we need our professional body to be our voice at local, national, and international levels. We do, however, have to reflect on what part we should play in our professional body; is it just that one payment a month or year, or do we have a professional duty to engage and get involved? My personal belief is we have to get involved to be able to influence change and to be up-to-date on what is going on in our profession. Our requirements as a registrant of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) are that we: “understand both the need to keep skills and knowledge up to date and the importance of career-long learning”, and in particular the standards of proficiency state: “you must keep your knowledge and skills up to date and relevant to your scope of practice through continuing professional development”. So how does this fit with our professional body? Engaging and being involved with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) means we can meet the above HCPC standard, for example:

PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT

SITTING ON A SPECIALIST SECTION COMMITTEE

I have in the past and I am now a member of the housing specialist section. This has given me the opportunity over the years to influence national policy, be aware of new initiatives, and changes in legislation prior to them being published. This knowledge has impacted my clinical practice and allowed me to provide the best possible interventions.

SITTING ON COUNCIL

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but why not? We all have something to give, and you don’t need to be a service lead or an academic to sit on council - practitioners can provide valuable insight into the challenges of the day-today life of therapeutic interventions. The skills you gain can have a really positive impact on you personally, on your clinical practice and your employers will recognise the credit in your appointment. RESPONDING TO CONSULTATIONS

Practitioners are the backbone of the profession; we have the knowledge and skill in our chosen field of expertise that the College will not have internally, and we can feed that knowledge and the reality of practice back to the College. This could also lead to you getting involved in developing NICE guidance or representing the College in a clinical area on a national committee.

COMPLETING SURVEYS

The College often puts out short surveys, which gives them a snapshot of the professional views in one particular area. This can influence decision making. Always leave your name at the end of the survey as this may lead to completing a project for the College and developing your expertise further. WRITING

Each and every one of us has a project or service development we have been involved with, or a reflection on a particularly difficult case, or your service being recognised for an award locally. Writing for OT News is a great way to spread the knowledge and provide the College with a valuable insight into what is happening at the grass roots. All of the above adds to your professional development, shares knowledge and expertise and enables RCOT to know its members’ views and use our skills to promote our profession. Time is always a concern, and it is a precious commodity, yet some of these options are not a long-term commitment, but a few minutes in a coffee break or three to four hours once a year. Just think, if all the 40,000 members gave just one hour a year to support the College, this would equate to 5,000 days to support our professional body. My challenge to you is to get involved: not only does it meet your HCPC standards, but it can also lead to lifelong friendships, create amazing memories, and push you out of your comfort zone, which allows you to grow as an occupational therapist.