As part of our workforce strategy to help occupational therapists move into paediatrics, Dr Sally Payne, Professional Adviser – Children, Young People and Families shares her advice on how to give yourself the best chance at getting a role in children’s services.
I recently spoke to an occupational therapist whose dream was to work with children and young people. But she thought missing out on a paediatric placement meant she was unlikely to get offered a role.
What a missed opportunity – for her and for children’s occupational therapy! 69% of people who responded to a survey of children’s occupational therapists (July 2022) said their teams were under-staffed, and a growing number of services say they’re struggling to recruit at all levels of practice.
So, if you don’t have pre-registration or post qualification paediatric experience, what can you do to position yourself for an occupational therapy role with children and young people?
Here are my top tips, whether you’re newly qualified or looking to move into children’s services from another area of practice.
Demonstrate your passion for paediatrics
Service managers want to know that you’re keen to work with children and young people. Volunteering with a children’s charity, service or organisation – such as Scouts or Guides, becoming a reading volunteer or helping at a holiday club for disabled children is a great way to demonstrate your passion for paediatrics.
Reflect on what you’ve learned about communicating and engaging with children, and consider how your voluntary role supports children’s development, health and wellbeing. You can use these experiences and insights in job applications and interviews.
Join the RCOT Specialist Section – Children, Young People and Families
Specialist sections provide wonderful opportunities for networking and learning, making the additional charge for membership well worthwhile. Keep informed about current issues affecting practice through their monthly newsletters. Learn and develop extra knowledge to add to your pre-registration training by joining webinars and events. Find out more about our Specialist Section and how to join.
Become familiar with current policy and the evidence base
Find links to relevant government policies and guidance in the Specialist Section newsletter and follow @RCOT_CYPF on Twitter. Access the British Journal of Occupational Therapy and other e-journals online via the RCOT library for research evidence.
Another approach is to check ‘online first’ articles for new papers relevant to paediatrics. This way you’ll know you are reading the latest research evidence. Don’t believe everything you read though and make sure you take a critical approach to appraising the literature.
Seek work experience with a children’s occupational therapist
Is there a children’s occupational therapy team in your organisation? Or a team close to where you live? Get in touch to ask if you can spend some time with them. Consider different ways of tapping into their knowledge and experience, such as talking to team members, shadowing a member of staff or volunteering to support an intervention group or assessment clinic on a regular basis.
Think about what you could offer in return. Could a member of the children’s team – or a student on placement with them – spend some time with you? Or is there some transferable knowledge you could share?
Explore learning opportunities and resources
As well as webinars and events organised by the Specialist Section you’ll find a range of information and resources about children’s occupational therapy on our website. Our Events page also lists webinars and courses organised by external providers. Don’t forget to capture your learning using the five-minute reflection template which you’ll find on our CPD pages under ‘Bitesize learning’.
Identify your transferrable skills
Think about your current role and the transferable skills that would help if you were working with children, young people and families. These might include problem solving, teamwork, using and interpreting standardised assessments, communicating with others and report writing.
You may have experience of equipment and adaptations, splinting and cognitive rehabilitation which could complement or fill gaps in the skillset of the team you are hoping to join.
Look at person specifications and job descriptions
And finally, look at job descriptions and person specifications to identify your strengths and any gaps in your skills and knowledge. Draw up an action plan (based on the above), identifying education and learning opportunities to address development areas – but don’t think you have to know everything before you apply for a role.
Acknowledging knowledge or skill gaps and showing you’re willing to address these are characteristics that potential employers like to see.
To sum up, there are roles out there waiting to be filled and, even if you’ve not had paediatric experience previously there are things you can do to get yourself ready to apply.
Good luck – and let me know how you get on!