In our latest blog, Sarah Braithwaite (one of our current final year students) shares her experience of engaging in an international placement for her level 2 placement…………
As a student, the opportunity for an international placement was one to be grabbed at with both hands. The experience of a 10-week placement at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) in Bangladesh http://www.crp-bangladesh.org/ is difficult to put down into a short blog, or even a long one, but I will try. It is important to state the long-standing networking between the university and CRP is highly regarded and made for a supportive and effective placement. I chose to split my 10 weeks between spinal cord injury (SCI) and hand therapy, to experience the most from the placement which was fully supported by CRP. I was also fortunate to spend a day with the community team, visiting those discharged from hospital and living independently after sustaining an injury.
I have worked in the UK health service for many years and felt compelled to experience a service in a developing country. This was not without its challenges! This experience really made me step back and think about how I could be creative and adaptable in my working approach without materials and resources readily available. It was inspiring to see how resourceful a nation can be with very little and the impact of occupational therapy on the locals and communities. As a developing practitioner, I wanted to focus on the core skills of occupational therapy including communication and as I am unable to speak the language it was important to establish such skills to communicate to provide effective interventions and develop therapeutic relationships. It was also an opportunity to explore occupational therapy in a new context, which for the future, hopefully, may open new avenues or areas of practice.
Living and working on site at the centre really creates a welcoming and secure community. There are opportunities to get involved with cultural days held for and by the centre and really engage with those affected by injury. The team at CRP provide support and literally open their homes to students and volunteers, offering an authentic cultural experience. The days are long, and the sound of beeping horns may keep you awake at night, but the rewards and gains from the people you meet, and the experience had, those things are soon forgotten.
Students are expected to self-fund their international placements and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists is one avenue to explore for funding. As part of continuing professional development, I applied to the RCOT for some funding and was successful. I received the Barbara Tyldesley Student Award 2018 in the amount of £500 sponsored by the Constance Owens Trust which contributed towards my placement.
Applications are now open for the 2019 funding round, with details found https://www.rcot.co.uk/news-and-events/awards-and-funding/rcot-awards.
Here is my report https://www.rcot.co.uk/sites/default/files/S%20Braithwaite%202018.pdf.
