Engaging staff in CPD

Oh dear, this blog has been rather redundant hasn't it? Time has not been my friend in recent times but I have managed to find an inch of time and want to use it to discuss something i'm currently working on; Engaging staff in our CPD time.

As a service we take our CPD time as a team on location and use it to aid our learning however we like.  I have recently taken over charge of the sessions and have been trying to get an idea from the staff about what they feel their needs and interests in this area are.  Its been like getting blood out of a stone I tell ya! So i'm currently in the process of exploring why people aren't engaging with the process and how to give meaning back to it.  After discussions with a few colleagues, one of the issues that came up was the fact that the sessions are often not considered relevant by OTAs which I guess must disengage them.  Other components I am keen to explore include;
Using it as a way of tapping into people's areas of development in conjunction with their competencies.
Use of Social media for resources, CPD and PPI.
Use of Apps in OT.

So this is where I am up to at the moment and thanks to the #OTalk tonight I feel really inspired to drive this forward and make the most of the sessions. Let me know if you have any ideas to add.

Mental health and sport.

This post comes very soon after the death of a well loved and highly talented sportsman, Gary Speed.  The reason this comes dangerously close to his death, is because the whole situation has curated strong feelings for me.

Firstly, it reminded me how mental health still remains a well hidden black dog, this gentleman's death came to a complete shock to all surrounding him.  This has lead to a very public calling of utter bewilderment and confusion as to how this smiley, charismatic, talented man could've a)been in such despair b) hidden it so deep.  To those in mental health services,this is sounds all too familiar because it seems people still have difficulty noticing the subtle signs of depression and what it really is.  I read in the newspaper this evening that even his wife had no idea of any issues and they had a happy  marriage, friends saying he had made plans with them for next week.
This really highlighted to me how there are probably many more sportsmen out there suffering varying levels of mental health issues, yet where is the help? I'm not talking  about high profile spells in the priory, I'm talking about monitoring of their needs and goal setting to help them in order to help them achieve the high standard they are expected to.  I would love to get involved in helping in this  area, focused work for football clubs/sports to try to help people feel that there ARE other options and ways to get through situations and feelings.

The working world: A beginning of sorts

I am a newly qualified Occupational therapist who has landed herself a job working on a rotation in my local city.  Beating 150 people to the post is a pretty impressive feeling and a lot of added pressure-must live up to it!

So today I went to visit what will be the place I spend 37 hours of my week for the next six months.

It. Was. Scary.

No word of a lie, I felt so clueless and out of my depth.  I think i'm meant to feel like this though, because the girl who i'm taking over from said that she felt the same.

I'm going to be based mainly on two wards, although will duty cover other wards in the hospital once a week.  The current OT gave me a tour of the wards and such, the hospital is ridiculously massive and if someone left me in a corridor, I'm not entirely sure anyone would see me ever again because id be lost for eternity!  Apparently this happens to everyone, so I shall be given a map on my first day.

I'm feeling so completely overwhelmed yet excited; I really do love a challenge and working hard (which is lucky really!).  I also feel incredibly lucky to have landed myself on a rotation within months of leaving University.

This space will be used to document my journey through my six months of this rotation, and probably other rotations.  It will be used as a place for reflections and lessons, looking back at the end of the rotation I am sure that I will have developed profoundly.