Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

Promoting independence and facilitating acute patient discharge.

This can involve assisting patients with meals, hygiene and troubleshooting any issues that they may have with their daily activities once they are discharged. It also involves informally supervising more junior staff or support workers.

Making a positive difference to someone's life and helping them to feel better.

Lack of flexibility within the NHS and lack of resources and funding to be able to do more rehab-based activities on the wards.

I love working with and helping people to be more independent. Occupational Therapy appealed to me because it's a mix between teaching and enabling people to be able to live their life in a more fulfilling way, as well as thinking outside the box to problem solve issues someone may be having in their everyday life.

A BSc or MSc in Occupational Therapy is needed to start as a junior qualified Occupational Therapist. Having good time-keeping, prioritisation, interpersonal and team working skills are also important.

I worked a few retail-based jobs before I started working as a Support Worker for adults with learning disabilities. I did this work for 2 years, and then went on to travel around Asia and Australasia for 8 months. Whilst travelling, I completed my application to study Occupational Therapy at a Masters level.

Working with young people within the community.

Get as much experience as you can! Whether it's paid or unpaid, for one day or for your whole duration at University. It will help you rule out jobs you don't want to do for the rest of your life and will give you a better focus in terms of what you want to do. At the same time you'll be meeting people and enhancing your CV; it's a win-win situation. Simply having a Bachelors or even a Masters degree doesn't make you stand out anymore, you need practical skills and experience relevant to what you want to do. Do as much as you can to make yourself employable.