CEO’s Report

Samantha Hunter | OTA CEO

Welcome to Connections, and the first issue for 2022. The year ahead will be interesting for the association as both the health sector and the greater community continue to be challenged by the third year of the pandemic. The team at Occupational Therapy Australia has weathered the storm of Covid for two years as we, like many organisations, reacted with major changes in the way we operate and respond to what is happening around us and to us.

The way we communicated with each other and with our members and stakeholders altered, as did the frequency of the flow of information. While we will continue to update you on changes that affect your practices, we will also be dedicating time and energy to looking outward, to investigate the broad trends emerging across the profession and in the association, technology, economic and social spaces that may have long-term implications on how the association supports, resources and positions the profession for ongoing success and sustainability.

In order to stretch our scope far and wide we will focus on deepening existing relationships and forming new collaborations and connections that provide broader views and new opportunities.

The profession can expect us to be communicating and collaborating with members individually to understand your needs. With online technology allowing us to connect, you can expect to have the opportunity to share your thoughts with us despite any ongoing Covid and border restrictions. One of the great delights of the previous year has been the ability to meet many more members at our mental health forums, through dropping in to our special interest groups, reference groups and at our annual division meetings. For the board and staff it is a timely reminder of the incredible profession we have the privilege to represent, and we look forward to many more of these opportunities in 2022.

I always enjoy the energy and enthusiasm of being in a group of occupational therapists, and I am optimistic that this year we will be able to safely bring back these important occasions to our calendar.

On a final note, I appreciate how difficult the past two years have been for many members, whether it be the relentless work on the frontline, the juggle of children at home, caring for family, or the disconnection from our teams. These are testing times – working in isolation can mean a lack of innovation for teams, feelings of loneliness and anxiety, and communicating in a way that doesn’t represent our best self. Can I encourage everyone to spend a minute reflecting on how we communicate with those around us and how that might be received or misread. I encourage you to reach out with care and curiosity to someone today.

I am very much looking forward to connecting with you as the year unfolds.

The profession can expect us to be communicating and collaborating with members individually to understand your needs.