Our five key takeaways for those transitioning to practice
Move into practice with confidence, collaboration and professional growth as your guiding lights
These are our top tips for newly qualified occupational therapists and students approaching the end of their studies.
If you’d like to expand on any of these ideas, you can watch our Maximise Your hip webinar – RCOT Transitioning to practice – from Wednesday 15 May 2024.
It covers preceptorship, supervision, D tools and Health and Care Professions Council (HC) registration.
1) Nail a job interview
It may feel like you’re the one under the microscope in a job interview but it’s actually a time for mutual evaluation.
Our top tips:
- Ask yourself – ‘What do I want from a job?’, not just ‘What does my employer need?’
- Understand the organisation’s values and strategic priorities – do they align with your own values and career goals?
- that interviewers are people too and their aim is to candidates throughout the interview process.
2) Make the most of your preceptorship
Preceptorship is a structured transition period for new practitioners, focused on your and development.
- Learn how to assess your strengths, weaknesses and low-confidence areas. If you can do this before a discussion with your preceptor, you’ll build confidence faster and learn how to hone the skills where you need .
- Start logging your D now and build the habit of lifelong learning you’ll require to meet the HC’s requirements.
- Take the opportunities and your preceptorship offers in your stride so you flourish in the profession.
3) Take advice
Supervision is a fundamental aspect of occupational therapy. It’s critical to your professional development, clinical skills enhancement and meeting your employers’ expectations.
You’ll receive supervision and be able to share information and knowledge in several different ways during your career. The main three will be:
- clinical supervision
- operational supervision
- line management.
Our advice:
- Recognise the learning and development to be found all around you.
- Understand why your employer has certain expectations and work to them. If you think adjustments can be made to improve a service, you should voice them.
- Value honesty in supervision. Be honest about where you need and acknowledge the experience of those who can help you.
- Learn how to be a good supervisor. Not all supervision is perfect, but one day you’ll a newly qualified OT – learn from the best qualities of those who offered you supervision.
4) Fight imposter syndrome
You either already are, or are about to become, a qualified occupational therapist. It can be daunting – and that’s okay!
If you feel imposter syndrome creeping in:
- address the feelings that come with it and ask for during the transition to professional practice.
- recognise that even long-term professionals experience impostor syndrome.
- be kind to yourself and seek during your transition.
- look for employers who offer a good induction process and offer collaborative – this will help you feel secure in your new role.
5) Use your hip
Newly ed occupational therapists are exempt from their first HC audit cycle, giving you time to gain experience.
Use this time to start building good D habits.
- to your D portfolio – this member benefit is the ideal tool for building your D confidence, tracking your growth and learning in your own way.
- Use the Career Development Framework to articulate your skills and plan your next career stages.
- Access a huge range of books, journals and databases through our member-only Digital Library and log anything you learn.
Maximise Your hip webinar – RCOT Transitioning to practice – from Wednesday 15 May 2024