This weeks #Otalk is on the topic of “gender identities in occupational engagement.” and will be hosted by Rebecca Swanson (@75Rebecca) and supported by Eden Dowers.

Hosts

Eden Dowers: Eden is a non-binary occupational therapy (masters) student living and studying in Melbourne, Australia. Their interest is in developing transgender-positive practice, highlighting the need to create more complex concepts of identity and multiple ways of becoming.

Rebecca Swenson: Rebecca is a lecturer in occupational therapy at London South Bank University. She is currently undertaking UKOTRF funded research into the lived experience of those who define as trans, non-binary or genderqueer, exploring the relationship between occupational engagement and identity expression.

Here’s what they had to say…

There has been a recent and profound shift in the understanding, and recognition, of transgender and non-binary identities. This is reflected in potential changes to legislation, namely the Gender Recognition Act which would make it easier for those who define as trans or non-binary to self-declare their gender rather than undergo the arduous legal and medical processes currently in place.

Whilst attitudes and legislation may be changing, those who are trans and non-binary can face hostility and discrimination and there remains misinformation about these communities particularly with regards to health needs. In 2016, the parliamentary Women and Equalities Committee published the results of their Transgender Equality Inquiry which examined the ways in which transgender people have yet to achieve full equality and involved the scrutiny of practice across health and social care professions. The report states that the NHS is failing to protect the rights of trans people, due in part to lack of knowledge and understanding from clinicians of the health needs of these communities.

With these proposed changes to legislation and an increasing number of people defining as trans and non-binary, as reflected in the significant increase of referrals to Gender Identity Clinics, it is timely to discuss gender identities in relation to practice. This will be an opportunity for the OTtalk community to discuss best practice and the positive role that occupational therapy can play in enabling those who are trans or non-binary express their gender and live a life authentic to them.

Post chat

Online Transcript

#OTalk Healthcare Social Media Transcript February 27th 2018

The Numbers

1.736 M Impressions
479 Tweets
54 Participants
383 Avg Tweets/Hour
9 Avg Tweets/Participant

#OTalk Participants

 

 

This weeks #Otalk is on the topic of “Benefits & myths of employing OTs with seen & unseen impairments” and will be hosted by Lynsey McClean (@LynseyMcc_OT).

The views and perspectives of colleagues have a significant impact on occupational therapists with impairments and disabilities, particularly in relation to job satisfaction and success. As occupational therapists work with clients with impairments and disabilities it would be presumed that they would have positive attitudes towards fellow employees with impairments and disabilities. However, previous research has highlighted that this is not always the case, with reports of bullying, discrimination and negative or unsupportive attitudes, which can negatively impact upon occupational therapists, and other health care professionals (HCPs) with disabilities’ self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth (Velde, 2000; Bevan, 2014; Chacala et al., 2014).

Other studies have explored what staff perceive to be as issues with employing a person with an impairment or disability an as an occupational therapist or other HCP (Grainger, 2008; Aaberg, 2010; Wood and Marshall, 2010; Hibberd, 2011; Hargreaves et al., 2014).

Nonetheless, studies on managers of HCPs and qualitative studies which explored the experiences of occupational therapists and HCPs with impairments and disabilities have all challenged these assumptions and highlighted numerous unique benefits they offer (llingworth, 2005; Hernandez et al., 2008; Wood and Marshall, 2010; Neal-Boylan, 2012).

Some questions to consider…

1. What do you think the potential benefits are of employing someone with an impairment or disability as an occupational therapist?
2. Do you think there are potential issues of employing someone with an impairment or disability as an occupational therapist? If so what are they?
3. Why do you think someone might not disclose their impairment or disability at work?
4. How can you (or we) positively challenge and change colleagues’ negative attitudes towards fellow employees with an impairment or disability?

Post Chat

online transcript

#OTalk Healthcare Social Media Transcript February 20th 2018

The Numbers

1.621M Impressions
471 Tweets
45 Participants
377 Avg Tweets/Hour
10 Avg Tweets/Participant

#OTalk Participants

 

 

This weeks #Otalk is on the topic of “professional boundaries” and will be hosted by Bob Collins and Jo Southall (@BobCollinsOT and @JBOccyTherapy).

 With a bit of help (as we couldn’t resist it!) from:

Anne Keen: Professional Advisor – Professional Practice Enquiries Service, Royal College of Occupational Therapists: @annekeen55 @EnquiriesRCOT

Dr Stephanie Tempest: Professional Development Manager, Education and Research Team, Royal College of Occupational Therapists: @setG75

Heres what they had to say…​

“How much should I disclose about my own life to service users? What constitutes ‘therapeutic use of self’ and what is telling people too much?

How do I balance my existing friendships with line management responsibilities now I’ve been promoted to lead the team (who by definition have become my service users)?

Is it ok to give informal advice to my best friend to help him look after his mum?

Can I be friends, in the real or virtual world with my service users?

What do I do if I feel an attraction to someone who I met through professional channels?”

The idea for this #OTalk grew from discussions during an #OTalk last year (we’ll blame Bob!) and from reflections on previous ones, so we thought we’d host an event to talk about professional boundaries in occupational therapy. But we won’t be giving concrete advice or indeed directly answer the questions above. Rather, we aim to:

• Encourage debate on the meaning of what professional boundaries means to you;
• Create some space to share some reflective questions and ideas that may help us to think about where we, as individuals, draw the line;
• Discuss the options on what to do if we have concerns.

But first of all, let’s define what we mean by ‘service user’. The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC 2016) use a broad definition:

Service user: Anyone who uses oris affected by the services of registrants… (HCPC pg. 31 2016)

So, service users could be those we traditionally think of in the clinical settings or equivalent. But they can also be our staff, students, research participants, professional body members and so the list goes on.

When we provide services to anyone, we hold responsibility and power through therapeutic or professional relationships. As we know, with this privilege comes a duty of care in order to keep people safe from harm. We must not abuse the power we hold; we need to remain aware of the nature of the relationships and know how to interact in a way which maintains integrity.

To support us, we are bound by a number of standards and principles including:

• HCPC (2016) Standards of conduct, ethics and performance
• RCOT (2015) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

So, we’re looking forward to thinking about what these standards and principles look like in practice; to sharing reflective questions with each other to support our professional judgements; and discussing what to do if we have any concerns.

Best wishes,
Bob, Jo, Stephanie and Anne

Further resources:

HCPC (2016) Standards of conduct, ethics and performance: http://www.hcpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10004EDFStandardsofconduct,performanceandethics.pdf Accessed 9^th January 2018

HCPC (2016) Guidance on conduct and ethics for students: http://www.hpc-uk.org/registrants/standards/students/ Accessed 9^th January 2018

Nolan (1995): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life (accessed 17th January 2018)

RCOT (2015) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct https://www.rcot.co.uk/sites/default/files/CODE-OF-ETHICS-2015_0.pdf (accessed 17th January 2018)

HCPC (2017) Guidance on social media http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/1000553EGuidanceonsocialmedia.pdf accessed 17^th January 2018)

RCOT Professional Practice Enquiries Service https://www.rcot.co.uk/practice-resources/professional-practice-enquiries-service/about-professional-practice-enquiries-service

Post Chat

online Transcript

PDF #OTalk Healthcare Social Media Transcript January 30th 2018

The Numbers

2.330M Impressions
753 Tweets
82 Participants
602 Avg Tweets/Hour
9 Avg Tweets/Participant

#OTalk Participants

Data for #OTalk can be up to 15 minutes delayed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This weeks #OTalk is on the topic of “Apraxia” and will be hosted by Terese Lebedis of the Stroke Forum of the RCOT Neurological specialist section (@OTStrokeSSNP).

This is the third #OTalk chat to be hosted by the Stroke Forum of the Specialist Section Neurological Practice. This weeks chat will be supported by consultant occupational therapist, Therese Lebedis.

Apraxia is a cognitive motor planning disorder.  It is a disorder of skilled voluntary movement which is not primarily due to a motor, sensory or comprehension impairment.  Apraxia is commonly seen in people with left hemisphere stroke and other neurological disorders. ​It has a significant impact on recovery from stroke and on the potential for people to achieve independent living. Occupational therapists have a key role to play in the identification, treatment and support of people with apraxia.
Some questions to consider…

1) How would you identify if a person with stroke has apraxia?

2) What types of apraxia would you generally see in a person with stroke?

3) In what ways can apraxia affect people’s occupational performance?

4) What interventions do you know of that are most helpful?

Post Chat

online transcript

PDF of #OTalk Healthcare Social Media Transcript January 23rd 2018

The Numbers

1.582M Impressions
522 Tweets
69 Participants
418 Avg Tweets/Hour
8 Avg Tweets/Participant

#OTalk Participants