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My role within the NHS is as an occupational therapist. I work in a specialist outreach and recovery team, which is a mental health team in the community.
My role in the NHS is as a musculoskeletal podiatrist.
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That is basically a clinician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of foot and ankle injuries.
My role is working within the Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. I'm a human resources assistant working in the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre division.
My role in the NHS is as a mental health nurse, and I'm also employed as an advanced nurse practitioner. Additionally, I am a lecturer at one of the universities, helping train people in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). I also do some private practice.
My typical day usually starts at about 7:45 AM. I get into the office at that time, log into the computer, and check the list of patients I have for the day.
I'll then start that list at 8:00 AM. I'll work continuously through till 12:00 PM, and I'll see between five and ten patients in that time.
Following that, I will have lunch with my team, which can include other podiatrists, physiotherapists, doctors, or whoever I'm working with on that particular day.
Additionally, I may have administrative time where I am doing more financial management, or I might be writing presentations to give to colleagues or students. It is incredibly varied on a day-to-day basis.
I don't really have a typical day as I work across four teams. Overall, my job includes uploading job opportunities on social media, creating promotional material for recruitment events, attending meetings and seminars, and uploading database information.
I also write up minutes and work with apprentices, assisting them in completing their assignments and aligning their jobs.
I think, above all, you need to be kind to be an occupational therapist.
The second skill would be patience, which is key.
The third skill is to be a good problem solver. You need to be able to think of lots of different ideas and strategies to help people to the best of your ability.
The top three skills I would say that I need for my job are:
Knowledge and understanding of IT skills.
Communicating with different teams.
Teamwork.
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I knew from a really early age that I wanted to work within healthcare, but I wasn't entirely sure what it was in healthcare that I wanted to do.
I spoke to family friends, and I did work experience in dentistry, physiotherapy, and medicine as well.
When I spent time with podiatry, what really struck me was the variety the job entailed.
I did my GCSEs, then I did my A-levels, and went straight into university to do an undergraduate degree in nursing, specializing in mental health.
It's worth keeping in mind that there are now alternative ways into nursing. You can access it through apprenticeships rather than going straight into university. That’s something to consider if you don’t want to take the traditional route.
Be yourself.
We meet lots of different people in our role, and we really want diversity in occupational therapy—people from all different backgrounds, with different life experiences and home situations.
Find an area that you're interested in. Once you've got some experience in that area (for me, it was children and young people's services), start developing the skills you want to focus on.
For example, do you want to go down the therapy route? Or are you more interested in the medication route? Develop a plan, think about how you'll gain those skills, and work with children and young people to deliver them.
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