Inspirational Story

What was it about Occupational Therapy that made you want to pursue this career?

I was born with cerebral palsy, which is a neurological condition which can affect movement and coordination. I have a weakness in my right arm and leg which means I am unable to drive a standard car.

As a teenager, my occupational therapist helped me to work out which adaptations would enable me to drive safely and easily. She was lovely and really worked with me on something that could give me the freedom to go out and about as young adult.

This really inspired me and I always felt this was a profession I wanted to pursue in the future. I cannot think of a more rewarding career than enabling people to achieve their full potential in all areas of daily life.

What has your career looked like so far?

I qualified in 2014. My first job was within Mid Yorkshire Trust for the acute medical team at Pinderfields Hospital where I was involved in functional assessments and the discharge planning process from hospital to home.

I then applied for a band 5 rotational job within the Trust where I worked in lots of different areas within the Trust including spinal injuries, paediatrics, community and neurological rehab!

What is your current role? 

 I still work for Mid Yorkshire NHS trust but I am now based in community neurological rehabilitation (MY Therapy) where I see people who have a wide range of neurological conditions.

I work across splinting services, neurological outpatients (virtual or face to face) and have a community based caseload.

What do you do day to day?

Because of my own neurological condition, I have always had a strong interest in this area of practice and the role of occupational therapy in Neurology is so diverse and varied. On one day, I may be implementing a fatigue management programme to help towards a person’s goal of returning to work and another day I may be going through an upper limb rehab programme for someone who wants to return to playing golf.

Community work is great as you get to work with people on goals that are really important to them in more creative ways, and you can often work with people over a longer period of time so you can see them progress.

Does your personal experience of disability influence your role?

I walk independently but I can get fatigued easily due to my gait pattern and can experience pain in my leg and arm. Working in the community is great for me as I don’t have to do a lot of walking and am able to sit down regularly.

It can often be helpful to share my experiences with patients who are often going through similar neurological treatments that I have also had (such as botox, splinting and surgery!).

My own experiences can allow me to build a rapport with those I am working with and allows me to have a good level of empathy.

Working in the NHS means that your colleagues will often have a good awareness of the barriers people may face with a disability. I have always found it is important to be open about my difficulties from the beginning, so they can make changes to my role or work environment if needed.