In conversation with OT Clinical Lead, Jimmy

We caught up with Jimmy, Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead (Neurological portfolio) recently, for a get to know you chat. Join us as Jimmy shares some of his insights into OT and his journey to joining the team here at Allied Therapy Services.

Welcome Jimmy! Can you start off by telling us a bit about yourself? 

I'm Jimmy, I'm a father. That's my biggest job, my most important job. (laughs) I've got two little boys and my partner - we're getting married next year. 

I live in Warrnambool.  We're lucky; we live close to the ocean. We're an outdoorsy family and being in Warrnambool is perfect for that, you've got the ocean, you've got the Grampians very close, and you've just got beautiful countryside everywhere. 

Life is busy but good. 

We moved to Warrnambool about 6 years ago, before that we were in Melbourne and then before that the UK for about 10 years. I did all my OT training there, in Bristol in the south west of England. I went to uni there and ended up staying there for about 10 years. 

And before that Ireland, but I haven't lived there since I was about 18. I've still got a big family in Ireland, I'm one of seven children, so family is really important to me. 

We try and get across there as much as possible. It's nice to show the boys their Irish background and culture. 

Can you tell us a bit about your role at Allied Therapy Services? 

I'm excited because I've been able to get back into a neuro specialist role again, after being more general in my last role.  

Working here as Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead in the Neurological portfolio, I am really enjoying the ability to focus on neuro, it's what I am passionate about and what I've got experience in. 

I'm keen to share some of my knowledge and experience to help other therapists learn how to work with complex neuro conditions and work to get good outcomes for people. 

That's the most important thing. 

What do you love about working with clients with neurological conditions? 

I really enjoy working with the complex neuro clients because you get to work with people usually for a longer period of time.  

When you get diagnosed with a progressive neurological condition, for instance, there are many years where things are changing and developing, and within that you've got scope to help people with small incremental changes over time.

‘‘That work can make a lot of difference to that person and their family and then add up to something really meaningful to them.’’ 

So, either helping them maintain independence after they've been diagnosed with a progressive neuro condition or on the flip side, sometimes if it's an injury – like say an ABI for instance, you're helping people rebuild and go on that journey of recovery and adaptation.  

And that's what really gets me out of bed in the morning.

Well, that leads nicely to our next question! Why did you become an OT to begin with? 

I actually almost didn't become an Occupational Therapist, I almost became a physio, believe it or not! 

Oh, the physios won't be happy about that! (laughs) 

When I applied for university courses, I got accepted into a physio course, I hadn't applied for an OT course. I got the results, and I could have started physiotherapy at the university in Belfast but I decided very last minute (like a week before) that I was going to back out because I didn't see myself working in that profession.   

I didn't know a huge amount about Occupational Therapy at that stage, but I quickly jumped on and had a bit more of a look at OT and thought you know what, that really suits me down to the ground. 

Then I discovered a bit more about the power of occupation and the person-centredness which is really central to OT work. 

I always knew I wanted to do something in the helping professions, I just didn't know at age 18 what that was going to be. 

I don't think anyone actually knows, do they? 

No (laughs) 

I've had a great career in OT. I've been an OT for about 15 years this year, it's allowed me to travel to lots of different parts of the world and experience different places and it's been in demand as a skill. 

The OT profession owes me nothing. It's been so enjoyable, and I've got to work in some great teams along the way.  

Occupational therapy, not everyone knows what it is, what is occupational therapy? 

Oh no not that question! 

Look, I am still working that out at 15 years in (laughs). 

I think essential to OT is it's often the person (i.e. the client) that defines what it is they want to do.  

I see our role as OTs is to guide people to their goals in life and to be that expert reference point in best practice and ways to go about things and how to get things done. And how to improve their skills if they want to do that, or how to adapt and change and lead the best life.  

“The more I understand about OT now, it’s about people. People are central to OT. ”

Understanding people, how they work, think, value things, view the world, and what they want to achieve. 

OTs are good at talking to people and gathering vital information within a few sessions, and that's our guiding light for therapy with that person. 

Really central to OT, is knowing people and life. 

You know, when I worked in stroke, the team I worked in was the whole stroke pathway from acute to rehab ward and then to the community stroke team. On that journey a few of the consultants would say; we do the bit at the start; we get them on the right treatment, we try and manage all of their medical stuff early on, we save them from death (in some cases) but then it's what's after that?   

And that's where the OT and other allied health teams come in, they help people to recover, to live their life again, and to get better. 

Mentoring is part of your role as a clinical lead, what do you think makes a good mentor? 

I think first off, having a good rapport and relationship with someone, so building a strong trust between clinicians is really important, so that they can understand that you are there to support and guide them as much as possible.  

That there is no question that is a silly question.  

It's good to have open discussions and to challenge things as well, so to be someone that is open to having that debate and challenge. 

It's also important to recognise that everyone's different too, in what they need from supervision, different personalities need a different approach as well.  

I think there's no one size fits all for me, it's about developing a relationship with the person and trying to help them with what they are trying to achieve, goals, learning, getting experience in different areas, whatever it might be. 

Mentoring is something I've always really enjoyed. I love working with early career OTs. I love working with students at various stages.  

“Mentoring helps me be better; develop people skills, but also share knowledge and experiences of what I’ve picked up on.”

Often, I think of examples of people who I've had supervision from, that have been really good and what they've given to me. I wouldn't be where I am today, unless I'd had those supervisors and mentors along the way to help me, so I am all about trying to help other people if I can. 

Where do you see Allied Therapy Services developing for the future? 

Clearly Allied Therapy Services are a very ambitious and driven organisation and they have big plans for the future and I think that's an exciting journey. For a company that's been in existence since 2016, it's achieved a lot in a very short space of time.  

It's well renowned for its very experienced clinicians, it's very professional clinicians with a lot of knowledge and experience and that is key to what makes it a great place to work. 

Plus, it's got a great culture. Everyone I've spoken to in the organisation is really lovely and supportive. It's got a lot of good plus points, and I think it's well on the way to being one of the leading providers in Victoria.  

It's an organisation I was pretty impressed with, when watching from a distance, so, I'm hoping I can be part of that journey and help with the quality and upskilling of the team in neuro services generally and bring my knowledge and skills to the table. 

Let’s close off with some word association, I will say some words, you say the first thing that pops into your head. 

Occupational Therapy 

Good (sheepish laugh) 

Spring 

Better (laughs) 

Coffee  

Life 

Dog or cat 

Cat 

Pineapple 

Pineapple is great because it is both prickly and sweet 

What a great answer! 

Occupational Therapy... good, (laughs) can I change that answer? 

No! (laughs) Thanks for your time, Jimmy!