This week Hannah Spencer @hspenceruk is hosting along with @CPD_RCOT – Check out what they have in-store below and join in live on twitter 8pm Tuesday 31st Jan 2023.
All members of our occupational therapy workforce, irrespective of background and/or
characteristics, should feel valued, respected, and supported to develop their talents to the full. Within and beyond our profession, however, there is a wealth of anecdotal evidence shared by individuals, in particular those from underrepresented and historically marginalised groups, which has highlighted inequity and injustice in relation to career development and the impact and implications of this.
The NHS annual Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) consistently evidences
increased prevalence of discrimination experienced by employees from a Black or Minority Ethnic (BME) background, as well as over-representation in junior roles (NHS England, 2022). There are similar narratives relating to those who are LGBTQIA+, live with disabilities and/or long-term health conditions and/or who’s many complex and intersecting identities intertwine which can mean a cumulative experience of inequity and injustice. This can impact safety, belonging, wellbeing, motivation, performance, development, progression, retention…
This #OTalk aligns with ongoing work @CPD_RCOT to improve inclusive engagement and the support offered to increase representation across all levels and scopes of practice. We want to challenge the barriers to career development and progression that can be and have been experienced by those historically underrepresented in our profession. As part of this work, we also want to acknowledge that career progression and development aren’t always linear or hierarchical and that each individual’s narrative within the profession will be
different.
Ultimately, how can we support every member of our workforce to be the best they can be throughout their career and carve out their career pathway?
Question 1: Have you experienced challenges or barriers that have prevented you from
feeling valued, respected, and supported to develop your talents to the full and which you think may have affected your career journey? Or observed challenges or barriers faced by others?
Question 2: Acknowledging the challenges that can be experienced, particularly by those from underrepresented and historically marginalised groups, what do you need (person, environment, occupation) to be your ‘best self’ as an OT?
Question 3: Specifically relating to career development and progression: what helps/has
helped you/your colleagues to develop and progress in your/their roles and careers?
Question 4: What role do you think supervision plays in feeling valued, respected, and
supported to develop your talents to the full? How can this be best facilitated?
Question 5: What else do you think we need to do as a profession or within the organisations in which we work to allow every member of the occupational therapy workforce to feel valued, respected, and supported to develop their talents to the full, regardless of their background or characteristics?
Question 6: Last week’s #OTalk from @FocusOnFairness focussed on #NQOT
#EarlyCareerOT experiences. What would you say to yourself as an #EarlyCareerOT?
What facilitated or what do you wish you’d done differently as part of your career
development journey?
Question 7: Allies/wider community, what action(s) have you been prompted to take as a result of tonight’s conversation?
OTalk 