Celebrating Allied Health Professionals Day (AHPs)
Many of our Occupational Therapists join NCH&C through the Band 5 AHP Rotation. This is a great way to obtain skills and experience before deciding on a career pathway.
As we celebrate AHPs Day, Sam Welsford, Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist, talks about his role and his career journey.
Can you briefly explain your career path to NCH&C (before rotation)?
I began working in the health and care sector by chance after finishing University for the first time and having a difficult time ‘knowing what I wanted to do’. I worked as a support worker in the community with adults with a learning disability for 2 years and really enjoyed the work. So, when I moved to London, I wanted to do something in health and care and began working at the Homerton Hospital as a rehabilitation assistant for a Community Therapy Team. This was my first experience with ‘therapy’ and seeing Physio’s, OTs and SALTs in action. After a year I got the opportunity to work in Neuro Inpatient Rehabilitation Team as Rehabilitation Assistant for a year where I really got interested in the OT role within Stroke and felt this was a match made in heaven! So, I finally took the plunge to return to University (Essex) to complete my MSc in Occupational Therapy, qualifying in 2022 before taking my first role as a rotation Occupational Therapist at NCH&C.
What made you decide to join the rotations at NCH&C?
After qualifying I had a look at some of the local rotations on offer from various trusts, although I had a passion for neuro, I wanted to give myself the chance to explore the OT role in various settings (in case I had missed something even better!). However, I soon found many rotations offered limited variation when it comes to specialist / unique services, which is when I found NCH&C. What stood out to me straight away is the variety of different areas of practice the rotation offered. I also spent time looking up NCH&C as an employer and saw plenty of positive feedback around career progression, support and opportunities which filled me with confidence about the quality of the rotation.
How long were you a part of the rotations for?
I joined in September 2021 and have recently taken up a post, in January 2024, at Caroline House.
Which of the rotations did you enjoy the most and why?
It is honestly hard to pick just one! I had 3 main rotations – a community team based in Thetford where I worked with some fantastic, kind, resourceful and knowledgeable therapy and nursing colleagues who were able to support me through my first rotation and help me develop my clinical skills. During this time, I was also able to spend time working at Ogden Court Hospital to experience the inpatient setting alongside community, which helped increase my skill set and get a better understanding of the health system in practice. My second placement was at the Colman Hospital working at Caroline House, the level one Specialist Neurological Rehabilitation Unit for the East on England where I was able to follow my passion for neuro and work with some amazingly talented staff. The complex patient group at Caroline House really challenged my skills and I learnt and gained so many. On my third rotation I went to the Stroke Early Supported Discharge Team (ESD) where I continued my neuro experience. I once again got to work with amazing colleagues and take my skills into the community setting. I was able to progress on my skills and had many opportunities to expand my skill set. I am biased about my experience, having decided to take the Band 6 post at Caroline House! But for me, Caroline House offered a unique experience and fitted with my personal interest in neuro. The opportunity to experience specialist settings is truly something unique and appealing about the rotation and for me it helped me find real specialism in OT!
How do you feel the rotations have helped you develop as a clinician?
The rotation gave me the opportunity to grow and develop as an OT, working with experienced OTs in different fields and getting valuable experience. I was told by an OT once that the most important skill an OT can have was ‘patient miles’ and what they meant by that is experience of actually being an OT in practice! The rotation was a brilliant place where I could build on those ‘miles’ and begin to develop my own practice style. The rotation also helps support your clinic skills of working within teams and how to adapt to the ever-changing nature of health care. Alongside this my colleagues in the rotation were a great resource for shared learning through experience, the monthly meetings were truly valuable to share our joint experience transitioning from students and the peer support really helped!
What made you want to progress within your career at NCH&C?
NCH&C were supportive throughout my rotation, I felt valued at each team I was with and found colleagues and friends at each. For me, the chance to work in the specialist setting that Caroline House offered really sparked my professional curiosity.
Would you recommend the rotations to new graduates and if so, what would your one piece of advice to them be?
Absolutely! One piece of advice is to be open to all the experiences rotation offers and don’t be put off if you haven’t done something before. This is the place to start with people who can support you!
Do you have any recommendations or suggestions of how we can improve the rotational experience?
I found that a lot of the paperwork doubles up. This is currently being explored and I am aware that this is an ongoing project. NCH&C’s mandatory paperwork and induction workbook appears to work hand in hand with the rotational paperwork, resulting in duplicating work. Specialist services and continue to offer unique rotation options. Initial my first reason for joining the rotational was the significant difference between rotations. The specialist services that NCH&C offered was a real stand out feature from other trusts.