My Health Career is excited to publish a guest article from Sophie Ellis, Lauren Parsons and Clare Penny, who are in their final year of their occupational therapy degree at Deakin University. They have put together the Career Kickstart program and presented at the student form at the Occupational Therapy Australia conference in 2013.

“We are three final year occupational therapy students from Deakin University: Sophie Ellis, Lauren Parsons and Clare Penny. In June 2013, we were approached by the Faculty of Health to create a transition out program for final year university students in the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy course. We called the program Career Kickstart and this student led program aims to assist final year students with the transition from university into the workforce. This program is supported by Michelle Courtney, Senior Lecturer from the School of Health and Social Development and Melinda Thomas the Manager of Health-Student Academic Services. Staff from the Deakin University Careers and Employment are also involved in the program.

The program is being piloted in the occupational therapy course with the intention of roll out across the Faculty of Health at Deakin University in future years. As part of this program we attended the Occupational Therapy Australia 25th National Conference and Exhibition in Adelaide 2013.

Our experiences at the Occupational Therapy Australia 25th National Conference and Exhibition
Whilst at the conference we attended many seminars regarding leading edge areas in occupational therapy across Australia. We also interviewed varying occupational therapists to gain tips and tricks when applying for our first job.

We presented our Career Kickstart program at the Student Forum: Transition to practice in contemporary settings. The Student Forum was a valuable session to be a part of as there were group discussions and an expert panel of esteemed occupational therapists to answer our questions. The session also provided the opportunity for us as students to network with our peers from across Australia. We broke into groups to discuss our role models as well as the enablers and barriers to consider when entering the occupational therapy workforce.

Key points we took away from the Student Forum discussions include:
•    There is a solution to every problem
•    Never lose sight of your goals
•    Show gratitude to those who support you throughout your career
•    Celebrate your own milestones and achievements
•    Be a life-long learner

All of the information gathered from the conference has been utilised throughout our ‘Career Kickstart’ events. The first event was a resume workshop with an expert panel, which aimed to enhance our professionalism when applying for our first job as an occupational therapist. The second event will be a networking evening for students to meet occupational therapists from varied fields and also includes our presentation of the information and interviews gathered from the National Conference.

Attending the National Conference and the student forum were invaluable experiences for us as students. It gave us an opportunity to meet peers from around Australia and also to meet inspiring occupational therapists from varying fields. This opportunity assisted us in creating our professional identities as we transition from the role of a student to an occupational therapist. We are extremely enthusiastic about our future in occupational therapy and look forward to being a part of this valued profession.

Sophie Ellis, Clare Penny and Lauren Parsons
Final year occupational therapy students
Career Kickstart Team Leaders
School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health,
Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus Victoria”

Click here for more articles about what’s been happening in occupational therapy in Australia.