Visit from COT Student Officer

At my university we have a student-led regional BAOT group that organises monthly events and talks. Although I am not part of the committee for this, I am a regular attendee and many of my friends are involved in the committee.

Several months ago I noticed via twitter that Fiona Fraser (COT Student Officer) was beginning a tour of universities and so I invited her to present as part of our student group. This very event happened during the week and it gave me lots to think about.

Firstly I learnt that this event was a bit of a first. It was the first presentation that Fiona had been a part of that had been organised through twitter. This lead onto a pre-event discussion about how personally and professionally we are moving into a technological age where more and more networking is done on line. I can (and have) go on for hours about the benefits of social media for our profession as a whole, and for an individuals' continuing professional development, so I'll save that for another time ... if you're really interested there is an older post that touches on the subject.

Fiona's presentation was entitled "Developing your toolkit:  Constructing a career that enhances the profession and helps you fulfil your potential" she included a brief overview of several topics including BAOT/COT; Specialist Sections; CPD; Job prospects and Personal Development. Fiona provided many tips for students in all years, and the few practitioners that were in attendance.

The biggest thing that I will take away from this event is that CPD can be fun! In university, CPD has always appeared as a heavy chain that hangs around your neck from the moment you qualify. It is something that requires extensive time to attend conferences and write up reflections. There is a cost to attending these conferences which often appears completely impossible on a student loan budget (!)

However, Fiona presented a different side. A picture of CPD being about what you come across on a daily basis that makes you think, even just for a second, about being an OT.

• That news article where no-body reported that the individual had seen an OT, even though you know they must have ...
• That film that dealt with a mental health issue, or included a character with a physical disability ...
• The person you spoke to on the bus this morning who had never heard of OT ...

I know that each persons' CPD is theirs to make their own and that is why mine contains a lot about my contribution to social media, and a lot of my CPD can be found online, through this blog and my twitter account, but it was refreshing to hear these being encouraged. 

The final message that I will take with me from the event was nicely summed up in the badges we received as we left and a quote from the presentation "there is no such thing as an overly enthusiastic or too geeky OT"