Monday 27 January 2020

cOnnecT with Alex Thompson



Interview with Alex Thompson, recipient of the 2019 CAOT-BC Research & Education Grant.

Why did you choose occupational therapy as a career?
I really love the outdoors. Activities like hiking, paddling and cycling make me feel like I am alive. One day when I was coaching a paddling group, I wondered what would happen to them or me if we had a disability? As I thought about this possibility, I figured that we would not be able to rent equipment and go at our own leisure.  Our world would change, and it would be hard for us to have access to the outdoors and the activities that we loved.
Shortly after this experience, I came to realize how I much I love to work with children who are challenging and who live with a variety of disabilities. In my work abroad, I saw children suffering and living under circumstances that they did not deserve. All because there was no understanding in their community of what disability is.  
All these experiences led me to commit to make our world a better place for those who live with disabilities. As OTs, we can create change, we can make a way for all abilities to have access to what they love and to feel alive. This is why I became an OT.

Congratulations on receiving a CAOT-BC grant! Tell us about how you have used this grant? This year I was invited to be the first occupational therapist to speak at the Canadian Adventure Symposium in Whitehorse, Yukon. I was able to engage in discussions about universal design in physical activity and adventure with a group of various professionals who use nature and outdoor activities in their practice. It was an incredible platform to bring attention to concepts such as disability, inclusion, and how we can change our practices to provide access for all. I shared the research findings from a recent study about the paddling experiences of clients in two different programs in Vancouver. This study was done in collaboration with the School of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Sciences at UBC. Learn more about this study here 
The CAOT-BC grant facilitated some of the finances needed for me to make this trip. Without this funding, I could not have shared the OT perspective on universal design. It was a privilege to inspire colleagues in a variety of fields to create change in their practice to include ALL abilities meaningfully in their programs.

What is your favourite thing about CAOT-BC?
One of my favourite things about CAOT-BC is the work and effort that goes into advocating for our different roles in the variety of fields that we practice in. This is indispensable work to advance our profession to create lasting systemic changes that benefit our clients.

What has been your most interesting job?
Currently, one of my volunteering positions is for a charity where we use outdoor activities to deliver occupational therapy services. I have found this to be a rewarding and effective manner to give back to our community. It feels like we are ambassadors of hope to many families and clients as they see their loved ones get back into the occupations that they once loved or have never tried.
I find that a lot of the principles of experiential learning and outdoor education programs resonate with the ethos of OT and aboriginal principles. Being holistic, occupation based and community oriented as we serve clients brings in a different perspective to the interprofessional teams that I work in and it gives clients a second chance at their treatment or therapy because they fully engage in the outdoor activities.  

What do you find most challenging about working as an occupational therapist?
I think that we have much to learn and improve in the way of supports for new graduates, especially in the field of OT pediatrics. I would love to see our college strengthen their quality assurance program and supports with a special emphasis on new graduates as this could be impactful in their practice so they can understand and abide by all professional and ethical standards. Senior OTs seem to have a lot of responsibilities, large caseloads and complex systems that do not allow for optimal mentorships and/or coaching of new graduates, especially in this area of OT. I would also love to see our college to be one of the few to adopt trauma informed and other psychological health standards as they carry out their work as a guardian for the public and a regulator for OT practice.


#OT365

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