How can I become a better OT who loves what I do?

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There is so much that goes into being a great OT! It's not just about your clinical skills, but also your professional skills and how you engage with others and the OT world around you that can make a difference.

I believe there are eight Foundations of OT Success that can setup OTs to be confident and competent clinicians who are satisfied in their roles. But how do you know if you've got these foundational skills, or if there are things you could be doing better?

That is why I've created this survey! It's brand new and open for feedback. Give it a go and let me know what you think!

If you enter your email address, your results (and my suggestions based on your results) will be emailed to you so you can revisit them whenever you like.

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FOUNDATION 1 - EMPOWER YOURSELF

Consider your own needs first. Engage in self-reflection and supervision, set impactful CPD goals, build resilience, and navigate career progression, ensuring your passion for learning and professional fulfilment remain central to your OT experience.

1. Are you aware of your values as a health professional?

1 point

Yes, they are very clear and I align with them every day.

I have an idea but couldn’t really explain them to others.

I haven’t ever thought about this

2. Do you have a plan for where you would like to be working as an OT in 10 years’ time?

1 point

Yes, I have a long-term career goal and smaller goals along the way.

I have a rough idea, but I’ve never written it down or told anyone.

I have trouble planning one week ahead let alone 10 years!

3. Do you have an effective system for planning and recording your professional development?

1 point

Yes, I set goals, choose CPD that aligns with these and keep records consistently.

I sometimes choose the course then set the goal, and/or my CPD records are a bit unorganised.

It feels like an effort and I’m always scrambling to do as much as I should.

4. Do you reflect on your practice on a regular basis?

1 point

Yes, I write in a journal or debrief with a supervisor regularly.

I do, but there isn’t a set format or routine.

I find it boring and painful - please don’t mention the Gibbs cycle!

5. Do you actively participate in supervision on a regular basis?

1 point

Yes! I prepare an agenda and ask my supervisor to challenge my thinking.

I participate when it’s available, but I don’t always make it a priority or thoroughly prepare.

I miss out on regular supervision but don’t know how to make it a priority.

6. Are you aware of the risks of burnout and how to build resilience and protect your wellbeing as a health professional?

1 point

I proactively seek support and utilise self-care strategies when I feel stressed.

I know there are supports available, but I don’t always prioritise time to use them.

I’m so overwhelmed at the moment that I don’t know where to go for help.

FOUNDATION 2 - THINK LIKE AN OT

Kickstart your OT Brain and set it to autopilot. Unleash the power of thinking like an OT by using models, processes, frameworks and principles to guide a client-centred, holistic approach to your practice.

7. Do you have a clear “OT process” that you consistently use when delivering services, and can you explain this to others?

1 point

I have my processes written down and available to share with other OTs, students and my clients.

I follow a fairly consistent process for my new clients, but it’s not written down anywhere and/or I’d find it difficult to explain to others.

I often feel lost with where I’m up to when working with clients, or I miss important steps and need to back-track.

8. Do you regularly think about OT models (e.g. PEO, MOHO, CanMOP) and use them to guide your practice?

1 point

I use them consistently and would refer to them when teaching others or explaining my approach to other staff or clients.

I don’t really use them explicitly, but I think about my client’s needs in terms of things like their personal, social and environmental factors.

I haven’t really thought about them since I left uni!

9. Are you aware of and do you demonstrate the principles of important approaches to care relevant to your caseload (e.g. neurodiversity affirming practice, trauma informed care, family-centred practice)?

1 point

I am aware of the research evidence on relevant approaches to care and have clear procedures or guidelines to follow to ensure I am practicing in line with the recommended principles.

I am aware of most of the key principles relevant to my caseload, but I could upskill further to increase my competence or confidence with practicing in line with these principles.

I’ve never really stopped to think about this.

FOUNDATION 3 - BE A PROUD #OTNERD!

Dive into the world of evidence-based practice. Learn the art of blending research evidence, client values, resource considerations, and your personal expertise to craft the optimal therapeutic approach.

10. Are you aware of the four pillars of evidence-based-practice (i.e. research evidence, clinical expertise, client values, practice context)?

1 point

Yes, I understand these four pillars and can explain them clearly if a supervisor, student or client asked me how my services were evidence-based.

I thought it was mostly about research evidence and would have trouble explaining how my approach considers the four pillars.

I’ve never really thought about this – I assumed it meant we had to do what the research evidence says we should.

11. Can you do at least a basic appraisal of any literature, documents or websites you read to judge whether the content is trustworthy and relevant to use for your caseload?

1 point

I’m confident with using critical appraisal forms, considering sources of bias and judging what parts of an article are trustworthy.

I have a bit of an idea, but wouldn’t be confident to explain my process to others, and sometimes I feel lost when thinking about how a journal article could be used to guide my practice.

I feel very intimidated by critique forms and journal articles; I stick with web-based consumer resources mostly.

12. If you need to find out research evidence to guide your practice, do you know how to do a structured search in a database to find relevant literature?

1 point

I’m all over PICO searches, Booleans and truncation – I search databases a lot! (#ProudOTNerd)

I can do a basic search in something like PubMed or Google Scholar, but it’s not very structured and I’m probably missing important articles.

I don’t know how or don’t have time to stay on top of the latest research evidence.

FOUNDATION 4 - CONNECT AND COLLABORATE

Hone your skills in effective communication, interpersonal interactions and rapport building. Explore the essentials of forming therapeutic relationships with clients, families, and fellow health professionals.

13. Do you use inclusive language in your day-to-day practice?

1 point

Yes. I’m aware of what may be considered inclusive/offensive language for different populations and regularly check in with my clients to find out their individual preferences.

I try to stay on top of this, but I don’t always remember to check-in with my clients for their individual preferences.

I don’t really stop and think about this.

14. Do you feel confident and competent working within a multidisciplinary team and/or reaching out to other disciplines for referrals/shared clients?

1 point

I am familiar with the MDT roles, regularly refer appropriately to other disciplines for input, and feel confident engaging in joint sessions or discussions when required.

I have an awareness of the roles of other multidisciplinary team members, but don’t refer on or engage in joint sessions and discussions as much as I could.

I don’t feel like a multidisciplinary team approach would be beneficial for my clinical practice or my clients.

15. Can you easily communicate with clients, build rapport, motivate them, and display appropriate empathy when they are distressed?

1 point

Yes, this is one of my strengths. My clients and supervisors regularly give me positive feedback but I am always looking for ways to improve further.

In most situations I am comfortable talking to clients, but can feel a bit overwhelmed if they are upset, angry with me, or difficult to engage.

I really struggle with this and it makes me anxious when clients are difficult to engage in therapy.

Clear selection

16. Do you feel comfortable, confident and competent when working with clients from different cultural backgrounds, including First Nations people?

1 point

I have engaged in professional development and supervision to upskill in this area but am open to learning more.

I understand the basics of cultural considerations for the population I normally work with, including how to use interpreters and an awareness of some cultural preferences when it comes to ADLs, but I don’t feel super confident with this.

I’ve never really thought about this in detail; I don’t really serve a multi-cultural population of clients.

FOUNDATION 5 - BE AN OT DETECTIVE

Elevate your skills in gathering comprehensive client information. Improve your interview, observation, activity analysis and assessment selection abilities to facilitate targeted and effective therapy sessions.

17. When it comes to using standardised assessments, do you have a basic understanding of psychometrics (validity, reliability) and clinical utility to help you choose the right tool for your client’s situation?

1 point

Yes, I understand these terms and will always consider them when choosing the right standardised assessment for each client.

I have a basic awareness, but couldn’t really explain these terms to others and/or I don’t always think about them when choosing tools to use with my clients.

These terms scare or confuse me! I just choose the standardised assessment that other OTs use or that I’m comfortable with.

18. Do you feel confident selecting and administering non-standardised functional assessments based on an activity analysis and graded prompting (e.g. can you identify what activity you should observe and be able to explain what client strengths and functional impairments you are observing)?

1 point

Yes, I feel confident choosing activities to complete functional assessments on to capture clear evidence about my client’s functional limitations, support needs and/or to determine the best therapy approach.

I can usually choose appropriate activities to assess, but don’t always administer the assessment in a fluid, clear way and/or I feel like I could improve how I explain my assessment findings.

I struggle with this – I’m not sure what activities I should observe or when I do, I’m not confident explaining what difficulties my client is having and why.

19. Do you know how to come to the best combination of interviews, observations and standardised assessments in your information gathering process, to suit individual client needs?

1 point

Yes, I always use/consider a combination of these information gathering approaches to ensure I am collecting comprehensive information to understand and explain my client’s needs. The combination differs between individual clients.

I use a combination of these approaches, but I tend to follow a regular protocol and do the same thing for most clients in my caseload, without really thinking about whether the choices are appropriate.

I don’t really have a planned approach to my information gathering; sometimes I can’t capture the information or evidence I need but I’m not really sure what I’m missing.

Clear selection

FOUNDATION 6 - SOLVE PROBLEMS, CHANGE LIVES

Help your clients overcome functional barriers. Explore core skills like assistive technology prescription, self-care retraining, environmental modification and report writing to elevate client independence, participation, and quality of life.

20. Do you feel confident in your ability to provide effective education to your clients?

1 point

Yes! I always consider my client’s health literacy, preferred learning style, and what stage they are at in their therapy journey so I can provide the right information at the right time, in the right amounts, using the right modality! I regularly check their understanding to evaluate my service.

I use a variety of educational methods (e.g. verbal explanation, demonstrations, paper handouts) but I don’t always think about health literacy or tailoring the delivery to the client’s individual needs.

I use a default approach of explaining key points from a standard client education handout and don’t always consider what approach may work best for my client.

21. Do you feel confident in your ability grade and adapt activities and implement effective ADL retraining techniques to allow your clients to increase their participation in their valued occupations?

1 point

Yes, I’m always thinking about how I can make activities easier or more challenging for my clients (depending on their goals) and use effective teaching strategies to support them to develop new skills.

I can use activity grading, but it isn’t something I always remember to do and/or it can take a bit of time for me to find the best way to engage my client in skill building.

I don’t always think about activity grading and/or I find it really hard to find ways to teach my clients new skills.

22. Do you feel confident in your ability to identify, trial and prescribe Assistive Technology (AT) relevant for your client’s needs? (NB AT isn’t only for physical impairments; it may assist people with cognitive impairment, anxiety etc).

1 point

Yes, I have a clear step-by-step process that I follow to ensure my final recommendation will be effective. This includes starting with identifying my client’s functional difficulty, seeking their feedback on what they feel would work, considering/trialling a range of options and evaluating if the AT was effective once it is delivered.

I am fairly confident in AT prescription, but don’t always follow a step-by-step process and/or remember to complete a formal evaluation of whether the AT was effective once it has been delivered.

I find AT prescription very challenging; I don’t have a step-by-step approach and can get easily overwhelmed with where to start, especially if the client comes to me with a specific piece of AT in mind already.

23. Many OT roles require comprehensive report writing to assist our clients to achieve their goals (e.g. through accessing AT or support). Do you feel confident and competent in your report writing abilities?

1 point

Yes, this is one of my strengths. I have sought feedback from supervisors and regularly have funding requests approved to know I am doing a good job.

I can do a reasonable job but I feel I could be more efficient with my report writing and/or I sometimes doubt my abilities.

I really struggle with report writing! It takes a very long time and my recommendations are regularly knocked back and/or I haven’t followed up my applications or sought feedback to know whether I’m doing a good job.

FOUNDATION 7 - TEACH AND TRANSFORM

Embrace your inner teacher, passing on your knowledge and skills to fellow OTs. Gain confidence in providing supervision, teaching students, mentoring, leading others, and extending your impact through providing team education and external training.

24. Do you regularly find ways to support the learning of OT students (e.g. hosting student placements, participating in student projects through completing surveys or interviews, providing mentoring or answering questions in discussion forums)?

1 point

Yes! I love hosting student placements on a regular basis, and I’ve found a way to do this efficiently and to a good standard OR I can’t host placements but I find other ways to support OT students (e.g. projects, mentoring).

I occasionally will host a student placement but usually find it to be hard work OR I sometimes support students in ways other than clinical placements, but I could probably be doing this more.

I feel too busy to provide any support to students in any form OR I’ve thought about hosting student placements, and it just seems impossible or overwhelming even though I’d like to.

25. Do you support the learning of your colleagues through providing clinical supervision or mentoring, or engaging in peer supervision debriefs or case conferencing?

1 point

Yes, I regularly provide supervision and have invested in my own professional development to ensure I am doing this in the most effective way possible OR I actively participate in discussions with colleagues to help them find ways to overcome clinical challenges.

It is part of my role to supervise others, but I’ve never really had any formal training on how to do this effectively OR I feel like I could do a better job of helping colleagues to develop their own skills rather than just giving them the answers.

I don’t provide supervision/support to colleagues, and don’t regularly find ways to help their learning in other ways (e.g. contributing to case conferences, providing feedback in discussion forums).

26. Do you regularly share your knowledge with others through presenting webinars or inservices, or facilitating journal club sessions?

1 point

Yes, I love teaching others! I regularly create engaging presentations that I get lots of positive feedback about.

I do run education sessions, but feel I could improve my skills to make my presentations more engaging OR this is something I would LOVE to do more of but I’m not sure where to start.

I get really nervous presenting to others and have no idea how to put together an engaging presentation – I avoid this as much as I can!

FOUNDATION 8 - RAISE THE BAR

Elevate your impact and showcase the awesomeness of OT. Dive into quality improvement, step up by joining associations and committees, take the stage by presenting at conferences and events, and create a powerful social media presence.

27. Do you attend or present at conferences to share your work with others and contribute to the knowledge base of the OT profession?

1 point

Yes! I always try to submit an abstract for OT/clinical conferences.

I’ve attended some conferences, or thought about submitting an abstract, but I feel a bit intimidated by the process and don’t know where to start or whether my work would have any chance of being accepted.

I really have no interest in this and don’t see the value of sharing work at conferences.

28. Do you participate in workplace committees, or assist with advocacy on professional issues, or are you a member of a professional association?

1 point

Yes, I hold a professional association membership and participate in surveys or working parties where I can OR I represent my company and/or OT through participating in advocacy movements.

I do these things a little inconsistently OR I have thought about doing these things but don’t really know where to start.

Doing more than my clinical work feels way to overwhelming at the moment and/or I don’t feel like I could make any sort of valuable contribution.

29. Do you regularly participate in quality improvement or research projects within your workplace to improve clinical practice beyond your own skills as an individual clinician?

1 point

Yes, I am always looking for ways I can participate in quality improvement projects to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of clinical practices for my team and/or I undertake research to contribute to the OT knowledge and evidence base.

Every now and then I start a quality improvement project, but I don’t always have a structured approach and/or follow it through to completion.

I don’t feel like I’ve got any time to do quality improvement activities; I’m too busy clinically.

30. Do you help raise the profile of Occupational Therapy by engaging in social media in some way?

1 point

Yes! I have a LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram account focused on sharing OT knowledge with the world OR I don’t have my own social media channel, but I support other OTs by engaging with the content they share in a meaningful way.

I am regularly on social media, but don’t really think about supporting other OTs through commenting or sharing their posts – I feel I could do better with this.

I hate social media and try to avoid it at all costs; I don’t see it as having any value for my professional work.

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