Our Moving and Handling Trainer, Sophie Ndikum discusses her time as an Occupational Therapist (OT) and her new role as a Moving and Handling Trainer for ECG.
As an Occupational Therapist (OT) I have worked in many different areas ranging from hand therapy, to social care and for most of my career, adult rehabilitation.
I feel that my previous experience in nursing, combined with my occupational therapy training has furthered my knowledge of delivering a high standard of clinical care.
This has furthered my ability to become effective in goal-planning and in the formulation of programmes aimed to rehabilitate service-users back to their functional baseline, be it through one-to-one work or by group participation that uses meaningful activities graded to suit individual(s).
Within these roles I have had the opportunity to help with rehabilitation of patients, clinical justify what support is required and order OT equipment to ensure their recovery can continue at home, especially for those with long-term health conditions.
Once equipment is in place I have instructed fellow colleagues and assistant OT’s in how to correctly and safely use larger pieces of equipment i.e. hoists and slings. This has not only given me the confidence in supporting and teaching my colleagues, but also support patients in the clinical and home setting. This has mainly involved interaction with palliative service users and supporting their family members to facilitate timely and safe discharge home.
These experiences have been key in moulding me into the Moving and Handling Trainer I am today, as it has given me the opportunity to identify issues and deal with these appropriately.
As a result of communicating with many health professionals, patients and family members over the years gives me the confidence to deliver sessions and listen to group members when feeding back their own experiences.
However, the most rewarding aspect of it for me is to be able to interact with front line workers to ensure that the techniques used are up to date, safe and appropriate to be used on the wards and out in community with patients.
Written by Sophie Ndikum (ECG Moving and Handling Trainer), Wednesday 13th May 2020
Follow me at: https://twitter.com/ECGSophieNd
