My name is Gavin and I am a Senior Occupational Therapist currently employed by NHS Ayrshire & Arran. I recently moved into Primary Care after 11 years at Addiction Services. I currently provide clinical input across 2 GP Practices.
I graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2009 with a BSc. (joint) Honours Degree in Occupational Therapy & Health Ergonomics. Prior to this I worked as a fitness instructor, lifeguard and personal trainer within a Health Club, which I did for approximately 12years. I also worked simultaneously within Education where I supported ‘Looked After and Accommodated Children’ who were excluded or at risk of being excluded from school. My role was to promote positive behaviours and social skills within their class environment and local communities.
I can’t say that I grew up aspiring to be an Occupational Therapist. In fact, I’d be lying if I said I even knew this existed as a profession until a few months before applying to the programme. As luck would have it, I was chatting to a gym member and after hearing her talk about her role, I immediately applied and was thankfully offered a place on the programme. I would say that juggling 2 jobs over a number of years and working upward of 65hours a week definitely prepared me for the rigours of the programme, as I needed to continue working at the Health Club throughout University to supplement my income. The skills I developed from working really helped me, especially throughout my practice placements. I also feel they have served me well throughout my working career.
My experiences of the University programme are somewhat mixed. I would definitely not class myself as the academic type and I’m a skilled procrastinator to boot. This ensured that every essay I submitted would be handed in as close to the submission deadline as possible. In hindsight, this actually provided me with additional work – clearly not the most enabling traits for surviving 4 years of University. During the programme I remember questioning the vastness of the course content and wondering how relevant all this would be in practice. On reflection, I still question this; however, I would likely hold a contrasting opinion if I had entered a rotational post as a basic grade OT. Conversely, the variety of course content was excellent and the quality of teaching matched this.
I would definitely say that the practice education component of the course was where I excelled and comparing my grades would certainly back this up. As a practical learner, this is where things ‘clicked’ for me and I began to believe my place on the course was justified. I loved going out on placement but unfortunately, this is the one aspect of the programme I found lacking. The entirety of the programme only offered 4 placement opportunities, with years 2 and 3 the only ones with practical learning. I feel this consequentially limited my opportunities after graduating and the imposter syndrome – which I still experience to this day – might have impacted me less.
On reflecting on my career, I feel extremely fortunate and privileged to be where I am today. I often wonder ‘what if’ and whether I’d still be running fitness classes as a grey haired 44year old going on 50, or if I’d be in a 9-5 job counting the days until retirement. Instead I’m waking up in the morning looking forward to the unexpectedness that every day offers and am genuinely thankful for the opportunities that began with a brief conversation.