03 November 2020
It’s World Occupational Therapy Week! Your chance to get an insight into the amazing work that Occupational Therapists (OTs) do and how they support people in need. If you've ever wanted to become an OT, now is your chance to find out what it can be like! Join our OTs Deb, Kim, Lauren, and Julia as they go about their days.
0730: Left home for my commute to the depot in Bicester. It’s dark and raining this morning and there is lots of traffic. I live about 26 miles from the Bicester depot so try to give myself plenty of time to get there, especially on dark and wet days.
0845: Arrived at the depot, I grab myself a coffee and log on to my laptop. I have a dual role with NRS, 3 days per week I am the TECs (Technology Enabled Care) OT for Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire and 2 days per week I work on the iCES (equipment) contract for Oxfordshire. Today is one of my iCES days so I am working in Bicester, Oxfordshire. I am supported by an OTA (Occupational Therapy Assistant) at Bicester and the customer services team are located in the same office. We also have a specials Tech at Bicester who helps and supports us with the recycled specials equipment. I check my emails and what I have in my diary for today, and this morning I am due to be delivering some training.
0945: I am delivering Rails Training today to prescribers, the meeting room is all set up ready to go, handouts and evaluation forms are printed, and the rails have been given to us by the warehouse for the practical part of the training session which will be held in the training room (which is a bigger room so social distancing during the practical will be easier) after I have delivered the theory part of the session. I am a little nervous as I haven’t delivered this training before, but I know all about rails from the previous OT roles I held before coming to work for NRS so I am confident I should be able to deliver the training to a high standard. I have another OT called Linda with me today from Bucks who is supporting me as I deliver this training for the first time.
1230: Rails training complete, prescribers gave me good feedback and I felt the session went well so I am pleased and relieved, and starving! It’s time for lunch. I tidy up the training and meeting room first and ensure I wipe down every surface with alcohol wipes as per our covid-19 policy guidance.
1300: Now I have refuelled, it’s time to do some work. This afternoon will be spent responding to prescriber queries and gatekeeping the special equipment which means checking whether we have something in the warehouse which might meet prescribers needs when they order new special equipment. The clinical inbox has been busy with queries today so I think I might have a fair bit to do this afternoon.
1630: After a busy afternoon it’s time to go home. I catch up with Anna who is the other OT at Bicester that I job share the role with to see what she has been up to today and if there is anything I can help her with, and check my diary for tomorrow. Tomorrow is one of my TECs days so I will be working from home before I come back to Bicester to work on the iCES contract again on Friday.
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