Liz Barker

I graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 1995 and took up a post as a basic grade on rotation at The Horton General Hospital, Banbury. The rotation covered general medicine, trauma and orthopaedics and surgery. I left to start a family after two years. I then took four years out. During this time I had two children and also worked for ten hours a week as a learning support assistant with a profoundly deaf child.

I returned to practice as a Senior II OT in 2001 working for 26 hours a week at Wycombe PCT in elderly rehab. I felt at first that I had lost some confidence as I felt that I may have become out of date and also need refreshing on various issues. However, I soon found that I did in fact remember a lot and that the main thing that had changed during my four years out was moving and handling. As all new staff need to go on moving and handling training and then be updated annually I was easily updated on this. I was pdated/refreshed on conditions relevant to my area of work by scheduled in-service training sessions. I was also thrilled to be one of the department's staff sent to the COT annual conference in Brighton in 2002.

When I went to the interview I was told that I could have extra support for the first year due to having just had a break. My clinical lead was indeed very supportive during the first year, and continues to be, and this has greatly helped my return. After two years at Wycombe I am pleased that I am still in elderly rehab while developing my splinting skills.

Marion Walker

I went straight from Durham High School to the Occupational Therapy Training Centre, Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh (as it was then known) qualifying in 1975.

From July 1975 until November 1977 I was a Basic Grade at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, first on the general side where we treated medical, cardiac, neurological and hand patients and the occasional orthopaedic patient; I then spent some time in the Neurosurgical Unit, which at that time was doing a lot of 'pioneering' treatment of Parkinson's Disease, as well as diagnosing and removing brain tumours.

From December 1977 until January 1982, I was Senior I at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, where I was responsible for starting up an OT service to the medical wards, and Head of a department of three. Initially the department only accepted referrals for patients on the medical wards which came via the Consultant Geriatrician; but by the time I left the establishment had increased (to 3 Basic Grades and one assistant) and we were accepting appropriate referrals from the surgical, orthopaedic, renal and head injury units.

From February 1982 until November 1984, I was Deputy Had OT at Farnham Park Rehabilitation Centre, Farnham Common, Bucks - a real culture shock living in the South-East! FP specialisd in the treatment of under 65s, mostly sports injuries or orthopaedic trauma with the main aim being a return to open employment; it was a 'text book' rehab unit with light, medium and heavy workshops and an incredible amount of wood dust!

From December 1984 until October 2001, I had a career break raising three sons, amongst other things (none of them paid!) I was a voluntary classroom assistant at the local primary school for a number of years, and was offered a permanent post on more that one occasion; I am also a member of the WRVS, being a lunchclub cook, and a member of the emergency team, both of which require regular training sessions; I have also volunteereed at the Pre-school Special Needs Toy Library in Wycombe, which is run by the Paediatric OTs.   In September 2000, my youngest started secondary school,  the dog was house-trained and my mother-in-law moved into sheltered accommodation near us - and I decided that now was the time to get myself (and the house) organised to resume my career.

In October 2001 I became a Bank Senior II OT, initially working at Chalfont and Gerrards Cross Hospital, an Elderly Care Unit, for nearly a year; I then had three months cataloguing resources for the Paediatric OTs prior to their office move. My next job was covering leave at two other elderly care units and I am currently at Chesham Community Hospital, which is sub-acute elderly rehab.