Career Conversations

Having moved into allied health support workforce roles from beginnings as an auxiliary nurse, Lorraine is currently in a substantive post as a lead AHP support worker and has recently progressed to band six. In this conversation Lorraine talks about the value of our support workforce and importance of opportunities to develop and progress as a non-registered member of our workforce. In sharing insights from her career and leadership journey, Lorraine also emphasises the power of connecting with others, engaging with professional bodies, and professional networking to open up opportunities and possibilities.

Further information for and about our support workforce can be found at: OT Support Workforce Hub.

Still relatively early in her occupational therapy career, in this conversation Suhailah talks of transferable knowledge, skills and experiences from her previous career. She also describes how her natural curiosity and love of learning have driven her progression in OT, prompted her to grasp new opportunities with both hands, and the importance of the environment around her in nurturing that best self and encouraging growth.

An occupational therapist with a wealth of experience across different clinical settings, Natalie is currently working as a race equality ambassador and apprentice lecturer.

Simone is a specialist stroke team lead occupational therapist, a guest lecturer around equality, diversity and inclusion, and also leads a quality improvement programme around equality, diversity and inclusion incident reporting. Simone has also delivered EDB Insights sessions.

Together in conversation Natalie and Simone share their experiences of accidentally finding occupational therapy, of navigating career progression and development in the profession and the importance of good supervision. Both also highlight how they embrace opportunities to improve diversity, cultural competence and open up possibilities in occupational therapy. 

Having completed pre-registration education earlier than planned in 2020 due to COVID-19, Adam speaks honestly about the challenges of being newly qualified in these circumstances. In describing his fast-paced progression from early-released new graduate to clinical lead and ward manager in just a couple of years, Adam talks of how his years of experience as a support worker have been invaluable in shaping him as an occupational therapist.

In this conversation, Jo reflects on the vast range of often unrecognised knowledge, skills and experiences amongst our support workforce. Jo shares her love of working with and nurturing people and how her current secondment in a leadership role has introduced her to new people and opportunities. 

Further information for and about our support workforce can be found at: OT Support Workforce Hub.

Having found escape in both sport and education growing up, Rachael always thought she would become a PE teacher and initially completed a sports science degree. Later finding herself in an AHP support workforce role, Rachael found that occupational therapy was the discipline that most aligned with her values. In this conversation,

Rachael talks about the discomfort of challenge, uncertainty, and being willing to push to make necessary change. She also, however, reflects on her overriding sense of belonging within the profession and how connections within the wider occupational therapy community and professional body have supported her growth and development.

Jo would tell her younger self that there isn't only one way to progress in occupational therapy. In this conversation, she reflects on the experiences that have led her to independent practice and the importance of a like-minded support network in encouraging growth and confidence to establish and embrace new and unanticipated possibilities.  

In this conversation, Sarah talks of the opportunities she's had through being brave enough to throw her hat in the ring. Sarah takes us through her journey from A Level dissatisfaction to doctoral level study via a wealth of experiences which continue to influence her current working role and doctoral research.

Previously an internationally travelling journalist, in this conversation Daniel shares how embracing and sharing his experiences as a carer has led him to a fulfilling, valued role and real sense of belonging in our occupational therapy support workforce. Daniel highlights how his role presents him with a future of endless possibilities and shares his energy and enthusiasm for continuing to embrace opportunities his younger self would have never anticipated. 

The importance of community, connection and networking echoes throughout this conversation; Rachel emphasises how developing connections with people within your community may create support, engagement, develop ‘authentic’ self and improve well-being,  and is especially vital when we are experiencing ‘boulders’. Within this, Rachel reflects on how being encouraged to connect with others within and beyond workplace contexts and with relation to various aspects of personal and/or professional experiences has supported her career journey. 

Amongst her many roles, Rachel is a lead occupational therapist in mental health services. In this conversation she talks of how her own experiences of disability and advocacy have contributed to her strong professional identity. Rachel also emphasises how voluntary roles alongside clinical practice have given her endless opportunities for community, connection, and professional development, as well as spaces to shape and influence future directions of the profession. 

In this conversation Odeth shares insights from her occupational therapy career journey and the many roles and experiences that have contributed. Odeth talks honestly about personal, professional and institutional challenges and her experiences of overcoming each, and also about the opportunities she has sought to continue to stretch her own development.

In this conversation, Olu talks passionately about living and working in a way that's true to her values and how her experiences within the occupational therapy support workforce have enabled her to do this. Olu also reflects on leadership, professional identity, networking, supervision and the power and importance of inclusive language in creating a sense of belonging. 

Rob is currently deputy head of occupational therapy in his organisation as well as chair of the organisation's LGBT+ and allies network. In this conversation he reflects on how of keeping an open mind, effective supervision and the colleagues and communities around him have supported him to bring his best self to occupational therapy and progress within the profession. 

Chrisi is an occupational therapy apprentice with a wealth of experience within our support workforce. During this conversation, she reflects on her experiences, and how a supportive team, family, friends and building connection with the wider occupational therapy community around her have helped her to overcome challenges in her career journey.

Melissa is an early career occupational therapist currently working in primary care. In this conversation she talks of her love of learning and development, networking via Twitter and how being willing to step out of your comfort zone can be hugely beneficial to development and progression. Melissa also mentions her experiences as a type one diabetic, and how she would like to further research interests around occupational therapy and diabetes.

In this conversation Sue shares her career story from advocate and trainer, through pre-registration training and clinical practice in varied settings, into working in higher education. Sue talks of some of the challenges that she's experienced in being or being unable to be an out lesbian working in health and social care, and the power of visibility and representation.

A young Tatenda had the courage and integrity to walk away from a previous role as a registered mental health nurse knowing it wasn't right for her at that time in her life. Including this, Tatenda talks about experiences that have fuelled her commitment to working holistically with those who access services. Tatenda reiterates the importance of a diverse workforce that's reflective of the populations we serve and shares experiences of critically considering race, racism, anti-racism and allyship with colleagues around her. 

Both Georgia and Jacqui work as graduate teaching assistants in a higher education institution. In this conversation, both discuss how their disabilities have led to both challenges and opportunities in their early years as occupational therapists and how they couldn’t imagine themselves anywhere else. 

Bringing to the profession skills and experiences from previous training and voluntary roles, Katie reflects on her transition from student to registered occupational therapist living and working in Scotland. Katie also talks about the importance of knowing and acknowledging own needs and ways of working in supporting wellbeing, and the impact of changing own environments to best support performance and development.

Ed is a gay man of Hakka heritage. In this conversation he shares insights from his experiences as an occupational therapist in a range of settings, and of the personal learning and growth intertwined with his career journey. Ed and Hannah, who has facilitated the conversations in this series, also reflect together on the process of the conversation and this series. 

This brief introduction gives a bit more context to how the series came about and a short animated overview of the Kawa model and analogy of career journey as river that's been used throughout many of the conversations. 

With emphasis on journeys, pathways, narratives and possibilities, and with its natural lean towards creative or visual learning styles and multimedia formats, using the Kawa model and analogy of career journey as river course was a natural fit in terms of a lens to frame this career conversation series.

What is the Kawa Model?

Kawa is a model of occupational therapy developed by Professor Michael Iwama. Kawa is the Japanese word for ‘river’ and the Kawa Model uses the natural metaphor of a river to depict one’s life journey. Along its meandering path, the quality and character of its flow will vary from place to place, from instance to instance. 

Further information and resources relating to the Kawa model can be found at kawamodel.com

Career journey as river: a reflection tool based on the Kawa model

A reflection tool based on the Kawa model is also introduced in the video. The tool repurposes the prompts used in the career conversations series for individual reflection and discussion, alongside a selection of illustrations as visual prompts.

References

Iwama, M.K, Thomson, N. A, Macdonald R. M. (2009) ‘The Kawa model: The power of culturally responsive occupational therapy’, Disability and Rehabilitation, 31:14, 1125-1135, DOI:10.1080/09638280902773711

Teoh, J.Y., Iwama, M.K. (2015). The Kawa Model Made Easy: a guide to applying the Kawa Model in occupational therapy practice. 2nd edition. Available at: www.kawamodel.com (Accessed: 06/12/2022)

Listen to your career as a journey as a river: intro to the Kawa Model mini podcast on Spotify.