Occupational therapists help people improve their ability to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments. KERRY ANN EUSTICE finds out more

Qualifications:

I have a BSc in occupational therapy, this includes 1,000 hours of fieldwork placements. You can take a related degree, such as science and then do a post-graduate diploma in occupational therapy. Another route you can take is to work as an occupational therapy assistant and be sponsored or supported to do the degree over four years part time. I'm a member of the Health Professionals Council.

Place of work:

Lewisham social services.

Earning potential:

The starting rate is around £22,000 to £25,000 but you can earn more if you work for social services instead of being based at a hospital. A community therapist can start on £29,500 for social services, this rises after every year of practice and when you become a senior therapist after three years you can earn around £34,000.

What hours do you work?

I do 36 hours per week on a flexitime basis, which means I can start at anytime between 8am and 10am and finish between 4pm and 6.30pm.

What is your typical day like?

I work within the community visiting clients in their homes. It's a service for people with physical health problems, loss of function through accidents, injury or disease. Our role is to maximise clients functionality.

We make assessments of a client's condition and which equipment or adaptations their property may need to make life easier and improve their independence.

We recommend equipment which will help them do these things more easily.

We also suggest ways they can save energy so tasks are not as stressful for clients, such as sitting down while doing things.

We work closely with district nurses, language therapists and social workers. My role also includes making people aware of the services and resources there are available in the borough.

Why did you decide to become an occupational therapist?

I did a work placement in a hospital and accompanied an occupational therapist on a home visit and I found it interesting.

Where do you want to go from here?

I'm happy where I am for now. But I'd like to do some work related to learning disabilities in the future.