Introduction
Danielle recently completed her final year Occupational Therapy placement (through Glasgow Caledonian University).
She was 1 of 2 students following a 2:1 supervision model. This is known as a Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) placement model.
Francesca and Callum from Bounce OT previously blogged about their experience being part of the official Practice Education training for Allied Health Professionals (AHP’s) with NHS Education for Scotland (NES). You can view the blog here!
“Being and becoming an AHP practice educator” NHS Education for Scotland & bOunceT – bOunceT
Hear from Danielle…
First and foremost, I’d like to thank Callum and the rest of the team at bOunceT for such a youthful placement experience the past 9 weeks!
During this placement, I’ve constantly felt encouraged and well supported – be it in honing my personal skills such as interpersonal communication skills, adaptability, or collaboration, increasing awareness of legislations or policies underpinning the service, or demonstrating appropriate clinical reasoning skills as a budding Occupational Therapist.
Although I always find it daunting initiating a formal conversation over the phone, having been granted the opportunity to independently conduct multiple first contacts using a clearly outlined and succinct ‘Initial contact form’ have boosted my confidence when communicating with families or caregivers of service users. As an OT, I believe that although information gathering is essential in learning about my client, being able to build therapeutic relationships with both themselves and their social support is also of utmost importance when tailoring provision of care to a higher standard.
Aside from getting on with my clients and their caregivers, I am also aware of the importance of improving my teamworking skills, including working in collaboration with others. Having managed a personal caseload has given me the opportunity to contribute as part of a team during caseload meetings, whilst working on a collaborative project with other OT students on placement (at bOunceT and with Chattersense – another independent OT service in Glasgow.
The student project was about creating an easy-read guide and activity/ game pack based on information from the Sensory Profile 2 assessment. This has been a big part of my placement journey and I really enjoyed it! We were able to use resources from the project with families, and at a Primary School in Falkirk where Callum was doing OT work with 10 pupils.
Although I could go on and on in more specificity on the countless opportunities granted to me this placement, these were just some of the more striking experiences that made up the foundation of this experience for me.
I wish Callum and the bOunceT team all the best, and to continue maintaining a lively play space for fun Rebound therapy sessions!
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If you, or your university, are looking for student placements (or future offers – remote and in person) then contact one of the team for more information today! E: hello@bouncet.com]
