I am a skilled senior Occupational Therapist with twenty years of clinical experience, in various settings, including: In patient acute medicine, trauma and orthopaedics, surgery and oncology, splints, in patient rehabilitation and A&E.
My current role in A&E involves working with patients who have diverse presentations and complex physical and psychological conditions. In addition to this, I also work as part of the FEAT team (Frail, elderly assessment team), which is a multidisciplinary team comprised of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses, pharmacists and medics, conducting comprehensive geriatric assessments. In order to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. I have specialist knowledge in falls, Parkinson's, dementia, geriatrics and palliative care.
In addition to our geriatric patients, many younger patients present to A&E, with complex social issues and care needs.
Written and verbal communication is a necessity in such a fast paced work environment, as is my ability to adapt my communication when working with patients with mental health conditions or cognitive impairment. I rely heavily on my negotiating and diplomacy skills. Being able to work effectively as part of a team, sharing knowledge and skills is an imperative aspect of my job.
As an A&E therapist, I also work in MAU and our short stay wards. Delivering quality assessments, treatment planning and intervention. I practise evidence based therapeutic strategies, ensuring that patients reach their own individual goals.
I am dual competent with the physiotherapists, and have competencies in gait analysis. I have an extensive knowledge of adaptive equipment and aids and am adept at complex problem solving. I am experienced in assessing for intermediate care services and inpatient rehab settings.
As an occupational therapist, I am able to transfer skills, knowledge and experience between different clinical situations. I constantly risk assess my assessment approach to maximise my patient's function and safety. I consider complex information in a logical, structural manner.
As a senior therapist within my current team, I am competent in manging multiple case loads and accept clinical responsibility to oversee and manage the caseloads of more junior staff.
Furthermore, I provide support and guidance to junior staff, completing preceptorships, supervision and appraisals. I have created quick reference guides and lead in service training sessions on interpreting blood results, fast track palliative discharges and tissue viability.
I am an APPLE accredited placement educator and have had many students during my career. I have also completed my Vulnerable Adult Ambassador training, often acting as a patient's advocate. I have a good understanding of mental capacity and cognitive impairment.
I have attended the hospital TRUST training on leadership, psychological resilience and transactional analysis.
I enjoy my job immensely and am passionate about patient care. I am hoping to be able to join the OT practice and work on some new challenges.
During my time at Coventry University, I was working towards a doctorate in Health Psychology. My project was titled 'Lay led interventions for people with chronic conditions', and was led by Professor Julie Barlow.
The theory behind the project being that self help groups, run by individuals with chronic conditions are more effective than those led by people who do not suffer from chronic disease.
The conditions I focused on were: diabetes, polio, arthritis and asthma. My job required me to interview small groups of individuals from each group of conditions and statistically analyse the effectiveness of lay led self help groups.
This particular post was more of an academic post and was largely office based.
Key Aspects: