A University of Plymouth student will travel to South Africa next year after winning a place at the annual congress of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT).
Second-year student Charlotte Walker was selected by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) to attend the event in May 2018, after her entry was named the best in a competition among universities all over the country.
Explaining her ‘passion for promoting international understanding of OT and its worldwide benefit to health and wellbeing’, Charlotte was recognised for her success at the RCOT Celebration of Excellence Awards in London last week.
As well as being part of the University’s OT Society, she plays an active role in the profession as Vice President and blogger of SPOTeurope – a student-led platform created at the European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education (ENOTHE) Congress – which aims to connect OT students across Europe.
She now hopes the congress will help provide tangible and relevant experience to inspire and enhance her future research.
Charlotte said:
“I'm very interested in international perspectives of occupational therapy so attendance at WFOT will develop my global knowledge of the profession and the different environments and cultures in which people live and work. It will also show me new areas of research and practice which I can share with my peers. I want to ensure I am not the only one who benefits from my attendance as it's a really special opportunity.”
Lyn Westcott, Academic Lead for Occupational Therapy and Deputy Head of the School of Health Professions at the University of Plymouth, said:
“It’s fantastic that Charlotte has been chosen to attend the WFOT Congress next year, as she has the potential to learn a huge amount and bring so much to her peers. It shows that our Health Professions students here in Plymouth are keen to learn from, and bring their knowledge to, a worldwide stage, and it’s sure to be a fantastic experience.”
