AHPs Day Special: Occupational Therapsits Steffi High and Megan Brickley
To celebrate #AHPsDay, we wanted you to meet some of our lovely staff! Steffi and Megan are Occupational Therapsists, and this is what a day in their life looks like...
Our alarm goes off...
At 7.00am we start the day with an essential coffee followed by breakfast, usually some cereal . Most (all) days we wear vibrant forest green trousers and an artic white tunic. Usually we would wear comfortable trainers as we are on our feet most of the day and do a lot of activity.
Our job involves...
Assessing and managing adult patients in the acute setting of the hospital who are admitted with a range of illnesses, conditions and injuries. These can include patients who may have a set of motor, sensory, cognitive and affective impairments that may impact their engagement and ability to complete their day to day activities. We work with a small team of therapists covering the acute admissions unit (AAU) of the hospital. We are currently based on the 11th floor which is commonly the first inpatient setting for treating patients on admission following A&E.
We got the job...
After studying for a 3 year degree in Occupational Therapy in York (Steffi) and Essex (Megan). We studied a range of modules that focussed on anatomy, frameworks of practice, manual handling and treatment/intervention planning; linking diagnosis, prognosis, person, occupation and environment. Over the course of 3 years we completed 4 placements in both physical and mental health. Overall, this has enabled us to deliver a specialist service to a wide range of patients in a holistic and client centred manner.
Our typical day...
Starts at 8.00am. We collect the daily ward handovers and spend time triaging patients that may be appropriate for our service, followed by a prioritisation and allocation process. High priority patients for us are those who have been admitted with a fall, those at high risk of secondary complications (e.g. contractures, pressure sores) and those who are requiring therapy assessment prior to discharge.
We attend a daily board meeting at 11:30am with the rest of the MDT (Consultants, Physiotherapy, Nurse in charge & Social Worker) where we discuss each patient and their medical status and any other MDT intervention. It is here any other patients with Occupational Therapy needs are highlighted to us.
Our team has lunch at 12:30, followed by an in-service training session or critical appraisal of a journal article once a week. We finish work at 4:00pm!
The worst part of our job...
Due to the rapid turn over of patients on AAU, it is often difficult to build a substantial rapport with patients and follow up their treatment plans as often the length of stay on an AAU bed is 24-72 hours.
The best part of our job...
We have the opportunity to work with patients of all ages with varying complex conditions and co-morbidities. Also due to the nature of the population, we get the opportunity to meet and work alongside people from a range of ethnic backgrounds.
After work...
We reflect over the day on a commute back home. Attend the gym after indulging too many ward chocolates and look forward to a weekend full of healthy beverages and food!