We’re excited to be offering two paid internship opportunities in our Research and Development and Professional Practice teams for recent occupational therapy graduates and final-year pre-registration learners.
Who better to share what interning at RCOT is like than Rosalind Brooks and Sherri Kapadia, who interned with us in 2021? Rosalind and Sherri interviewed each other about their experiences and what they learned.
Interested in interning with us? Apply by 31 January 2022.
Rosalind: During the summer Sherri and I undertook eight-week internships. Mine was with the Professional Practice team and Sherri’s was with Research and Development. Below we asked each other about the experience and give you a glimpse into what the experience was like.
Sherri: Why did you apply for the Professional Practice internship?
Rosalind: In all honesty I was not sure what I wanted to do after my MSc and this seemed like an opportunity to learn new things and get some experience before looking for more permanent work. I also had been critical of the Royal College during my studies and wanted to see how they worked on the inside.
Rosalind: What did you expect from the Research and Development internship?
Sherri: When I first got the position, I wasn't exactly sure what my day-to-day work would entail. My initial thoughts were around assisting with data collection and some critical analysis work. So before starting, the Research and Development Manager set up a call with me and outlined three key projects I would be working on; this set me up well for the internship and gave me a good sense of direction across the two months.
My work was structured around three main projects: critically analysing literature for a guideline being produced by RCOT; assisting with developing an evidence spotlight resource on primary care; and creating a CPD resource for occupational therapy learners. The value of these three projects is that they allowed me to work with individuals across the organisation whilst also allowing me to share my perspectives on how certain resources were developed.
Sherri: A proportion of your work focused on developing a service example framework for occupational therapists to outline how they are working to overcome health inequalities. What did you enjoy most about this project and what challenged you?
Rosalind: The scope of the task was challenging. In my first week I watched a whole range of speakers at the RCOT conference, then to read the Marmot Review report and start talking to the team at RCOT. Health inequalities have such a broad impact and there are so many different aspects that need to be addressed so I just started by researching. I really enjoyed the challenge of the process. I had an idea of how occupational therapy is well placed to address health inequalities, but until I got deep into the research, I wouldn’t have been able to articulate the breadth of impact.
It was important for me to create an open framework to allow people to express different stories. I ended up going back to the Small Change, Big Impact campaign as challenge, change and impact is such a simple way to frame a service example yet also allows for a great level of detail in the telling. Starting to gather service examples and hearing from occupational therapists about the work they’re doing was a really great way to end the internship.
Rosalind: You chose to take on this internship during your MSc. How did the work you did during your internship impact your studies?
Sherri: Doing the internship during my course did push back my course end date. My colleagues were all in their third or final placements. However, as someone very interested in the growth of the occupational therapy profession, this internship enabled me to have the insight I was seeking. By working at RCOT I now have a greater understanding of how our professional body aims to support members and the day-to-day work of different RCOT employees. Additionally, by working at RCOT, I was able to work on myself. I grew a greater understanding of the research process, what a research career may look like and how CPD can be leveraged to effectively improve my skillset.
Sherri: What skills do you feel this internship has given you?
Rosalind: The internship gave me the opportunity to think about how occupational therapists are shaping policy and public affairs. I also got to see the differences in policy and public affairs across the four nations. I had never fully considered how occupational therapy colleges in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland work differently due to the structural, social and political differences. The Professional Practice team works responsively to support, influence, inform and engage with occupational therapists, ministers, other health and social care professional bodies etc. I now have a basic understanding of how RCOT influences everyday practice and how they try to use everyday practice to influence policy. I have never engaged with policy and public affairs in the way I got to at RCOT and it will definitely inform my future practice and shape my engagement in future.
Rosalind: What do you think the Research and Development team learnt from you during the internship?
Sherri: Throughout my internship, there was a mutual learning process, which made me feel valued. As students, we are constantly being asked to challenge evidence and generate new solutions, so it was nice to have the space to share some of my ideas and perspectives. A lot of my work at university has been around social justice and anti-racist practice in occupational therapy. On various occasions, I shared this knowledge with my colleagues, and we had open discussions on how resources, structures or events could be improved or adapted.
One example is our work on the Evidence Spotlight, where we included JEDI Hints (JEDI = Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). These hints prompted members to consider the evidence from a social justice perspective, further challenging members to think about how the evidence could be applied to make practice more equitable.
Sherri: How do you think your skills as an occupational therapist, applied to the public affairs team?
Rosalind: Working at RCOT particularly in the Professional Practice team (I can’t speak for any others) almost felt like being an occupational therapist to occupational therapists. This was a sentiment I found echoed by other colleagues. I found myself using my theoretical base everyday and speaking about it in meetings as well as using it in the work I was engaged in.
During my university studies I took a real interest in the broader scope of occupational therapy exploring ideas of society inclusion and participation (Whiteford and Hocking, 2012). Through this internship I got an opportunity to use my knowledge to engage in some of the work that goes into shifting ideas, influencing policy and shaping the conversation.
Rosalind: What is your biggest takeaway from the internship?
Sherri: Confidence. From this internship, I have taken away confidence in myself but, most notably in our profession. Occupational therapy is a unique profession. It is young, it is versatile, and it is filled with passionate people. I would love to see greater engagement between members and RCOT, whereby we use the influence of RCOT and members' expertise to share knowledge, advocate for our professional identity and expand outside of the healthcare sector.
Rosalind: You can also find further conversations about the internship on OT and Chill podcast, episode 51 or contact us on Twitter @OT_withSherri and @bobalind.
Find out more about the Research and Development internship and Professional Practice internship and apply by 31 January 2022.
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Whiteford, G. and Hocking, C. (2012). Occupational science: Society, inclusion, participation. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.