Inspirational Story

Name: Joseph Clarke

Role: Occupational Therapists, MY Therapy at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust

How did you find out about Occupational Therapy?

If truth were told, I would not be sat here at my dining room table writing that I expected to become an Occupational Therapist by 2024. In all honesty, it was not until my mid-twenties that I developed some understanding of what occupational therapy was and what the job role entailed.

Why mid-twenties might you ask? At this stage in my life post schooling and having just completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences, I embarked on a short 18-month job role employed as a Therapy Assistant at Bradford Royal Infirmary. As it were, this is where I met my future wife!!

I worked alongside occupational therapists and indeed physiotherapists on a trauma and orthopaedic ward. During this period, I began to understand what it meant to be an occupational therapist. In this context, I did not find the profession exciting and nor did I want to become an occupational therapist. However, fast-forward 10+ years and reflecting on this period, the rigidity of the area of practice determined the nature of occupational therapy and I believe that this shaped my initial, negative thoughts about the profession. Conversely, the past 18-months as a newly qualified occupational therapist have taught me that the profession is extremely broad, creative, flexible, holistic, patient-centred, exciting, fun, rewarding, and most of all, a positive environment to be employed within.

What has been your prior life experience that led you to Occupational Therapy?

I wanted a career that demonstrated progression and one where I could develop my transferrable skills attained through life experiences. These life experiences have included being employed with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, having travelled the world for 10 months in 2015, resided in Canada for almost 2-years and been employed in many different areas (non-healthcare related), and working for Royal Mail upon returning to the UK. Sandwiched in between this and my current role as an occupational therapist, I completed a master’s degree in occupational therapy at Leeds Becket University.

I certainly feel that these experiences have shaped me as a person and have had an influence on my choice of profession. In addition, the occupational therapy qualification is recognised worldwide, particularly in countries such as New Zealand and Canada – both of which I have spent considerable time in during my time travelling and residing – and I consider this an important motive in studying to become and occupational therapist. Afterall, we would like to move abroad and experience some good weather! Aside from this, occupational therapy is a career, not a job, and with great prospects and broad scope in relation to what sectors we can work in, this opportunity was deemed a perfect fit for me.

I had no expectations before starting the master’s degree as I possessed limited insight into the job role. On completion, I expected to be thrown in at the ‘deep end’ being acutely aware that a career within the NHS (my current employer) is fast-paced and very demanding, particularly in the current economic and political climate.

What does your current role look like?

I am currently employed as a rotational band 5 for the Mid-Yorkshire (MY) Trust and work in the community for MY Therapy, treating patients with neurological deficits.

I work alongside other occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and technical instructors, all of whom are extremely supportive and knowledgeable. We treat patients with a wide range of neurological conditions including stroke, FND, MND, Parkinson’s Disease, and many others. The service is a short-term, 6-week pathway and is goal orientated.

A collaborative approach ensures that goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (SMART) and should these goals be achieved, patients will be discharged from the service and are likely to have had various referrals completed and provided with equipment. The hope is that interventions actioned by the therapy department preceding discharge will ensure a safe and timely discharge and reduce instances of being readmitted to hospital.

The occupational therapy process is followed through from point of referral to discharge from the service, with an initial assessment (therapy assessment tool) deployed to gather pertinent information and an holistic overview of the service user; collaborative goal setting employed; standardised and non-standardised assessments utilised as needed and required; therapy intervention provided and reviewed continuously throughout the process; and outcome measures repeated to determine whether progress has been made and whether areas of difficulty still remain.

The occupational therapy role within the service focuses primarily cognitive rehabilitation – extremely common following a neurological occurrence –, improvements in upper limb range of motion, strength, and dexterity, fatigue management, functional activities of daily living, aids and adaptations, home / environmental assessments, signposting and educating service users / family / friends, and making appropriate onward referrals.

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

I particularly enjoy the flexible nature of the service and being allowed to express myself without judgement. The role of an occupational therapist within the service is very broad and the opportunity to express oneself and explore new research ideas is very welcomed.

There are lots of opportunity to undertake CPD work and to present information obtained during in-service training. The neurological service encapsulates the role and skills that occupational therapists possess and aligns closely with the values and beliefs that occupational therapists hold.

Words that spring to mind include creativity; meaningful; goal orientated; equity; person-centred; environmental considerations; needs, wants and desires; promoting independence; functional task performance; and many others. These words are often discussed with formal and informal discussion within the team and resonate with words spoken during my time studying the postgraduate master’s degree.

Any words of advice for those considering a career as an Occupational Therapist?

My word of advice for any new occupational therapist venturing into the profession having completed an undergraduate / postgraduate degree would be to explore different areas of practice and experience new settings before deciding upon where you would like to be based long-term.

I have enjoyed some rotations more than others but appear to have found community work, rather than acute hospital settings, much more enjoyable, rewarding, supportive, flexible in approach, and more creative in nature.

Community work is certainly not for everyone and there can be times when you may feel isolated and alone but be sure that you have the support of the team during tough times and can always call upon them for help.