International Stream
My Fieldwork Placement Experience in England
By Caroline Gaudet
During my last year of study in occupational therapy at the University of Ottawa, I had the opportunity to complete a fieldwork placement outside Canada. Being an adventure enthusiast, I took advantage of a scholarship from the International Office and the Faculty to go broaden my horizons in England.
After lengthy preparations, I flew to that warm and welcoming country to complete a fieldwork placement in hand therapy and chronic pain therapy at the Wessex Rehabilitation Centre, Salisbury Hospital. For six weeks, I was part of an energetic team of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, a physician and a nurse manager. Living in residence on the hospital grounds was very affordable, and my roommates gave me much help and support as I got used to life in Salisbury.
During my placement, I worked in the function-centred chronic pain program, one of the best in the United Kingdom. I also learned to use new assessment tools, such as the Odstock hand assessment system, which was developed in Salisbury. Faced with a new culture and different health care system, I had no choice but to keep an open mind and adapt to new ways of doing things. My self-confidence as a person and a professional improved greatly. I returned home a more mature and courageous person. This experience proved to me that even though occupational therapy practices may differ from one place to another, the fundamentals of the profession remain the same!
