Are you a student on an allied health professional training course? Want to know more about a great way to use you OT skills in Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)?  

We often get enquiries from OTs and students interested in how to get into VR and are very happy to help. We have recently had a fantastic opportunity when tutors on the OT course at Cumbria University invited us to talk to their undergraduate and MSc OT students about Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). Our VRA trustee Sue Godby teamed up with Jain Holmes and her colleagues at the RCOT specialist section Work to put together a great programme of talks, sharing our experience of delivering VR working in a wide variety of sectors.

Sue kicked off the day with a session on VR in the UK, sharing her experience to illustrate how ideally suited OTs are to deliver VR.  This was followed by:

• Veronica Swainson talking about VR within Occupational Health in the NHS,
• Liz Toy on VR in GP practices
• Simon Tandy on VR in private practice and medico legal,
• VRA trustee Helen Valls-Russell shared her VR journey to illustrate how OTs can apply their skills to work in VR in different environments insurance, and independent practitioners.
• Andrea Collin on VR in the welfare to work sector
• Joanne Hurford talked about applying OT models in VR and supporting people with Long COVID back to work.
• Our VRA treasurer Joy Reymond ended the day with information about support available for OTs moving into VR.

We had great feedback on the day from the tutors and students several of whom who took up the free student membership of the VRA. As a student you can join free here to access information and resources. We are also talking with Cumbria University tutors about offering VR placements to students to widen their experience in this area of work. We have been talking with the RCOT SS Work about offering our VR session to other universities, so if you are a tutor or student who would like to take up this offer please contact us.