Day One in Brighton!

Today I arrived in Brighton, the weather has been absolutely beautiful (makes me dream of life in sunnier lands) and I have managed to successfully find the Travelodge and the Brighton Centre where the conference starts tomorrow. Its very exciting being here on my own. I feel very grown up! I spent an hour or so sat by the Brighton Pavilion today which was stunning. The plan for tomorrow is to fit some shopping in, including buying a nice new notebook to take conference notes, before heading to the welcome drinks at the conference.
I don't have the internet in my travelodge room so am blogging on my phone. Will try and blog each day although if I have too much to write I shall wait and post it once I'm back home.
Hope all of you have enjoyed the sun today and have a lovely evening.
I'm off to go get some noodles in a box. Living the dream! :)

Embarking on a mini adventure...

Tomorrow I am going to be heading down to Brighton ready to attend the COT annual conference (http://www.cot.co.uk/annual-conference/annual-conference) starting on Tuesday.

The conference is four days of jam packed exhibitions, key note addresses, discussions, workshops and much more. It is all about helping OTs to increase their professional knowledge, build on their continuing professional development and contribute to the development of the OT profession.

This will be the first time I have attended the conference or anything like it, I'm excited to say the least (as well as a little nervous) and will, providing I have Internet access where I'm staying, be using this blog to talk about what I learn, see and discover during the week. So keep tuned for daily updates!

Now to start packing my suitcase.....

COT Annual Conference Brighton 2011 - I shall see you very soon!!!

So what exactly is OT???

OT = Occupational Therapy.
In my opinion OT is probably one of the hardest jobs to explain, partly I think, because it can mean different things to different patients/clients/service users.
In essence it is defined as:

...the assessment and treatment of physical, mental and social conditions or problems using specific, meaningful and purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life." NHS Careers 2011.

One quote which I am particularly fond of is this:


 "Occupational Therapists help people LIVE not just EXIST."


OTs can work in these areas;

—Physical rehabilitation, Mental health services, Learning disability, Primary care, Paediatrics,

Environmental adaptation, Care management, Equipment for daily living, Research posts – role emerging, Social exclusion, Forensics etc.

..and in these places;

Community centres, Education establishments, Hospitals, Industrial and commercial organisations, Residential and nursing homes, Social services and council departments, Schools,  Charities and voluntary agencies, Prisons etc.

I don't know about you but I think its a pretty amazing job to have!