Thread by @mentorshipzim

Thank you so much for having me on board and the opportunity to share my story. Yes I am Clement Nhunzvi @clemynhu Occupational Therapist and lecturer at University of Zimbabwe

Please feel free to engage, add to the conversation and ask questions. The custodians of the occupational therapy profession in Zimbabwe are @ZAOT_zw in Africa it's @OTARG_ and the world over it's @thewfot

Let us start with the basics. Occupational therapy popularly known as OT is a health & social care profession dedicated to promoting health & wellbeing, preventing disability, restoring functioning & improving quality of life through use of meaningful activities, & rehab programs

An occupational therapist works with persons who are unable to carry out the various activities that they want, need, or are expected to perform. Therapists are skilled in analyzing daily activities & tasks, & they work to enable persons to participate more satisfactorily in life

OTs have a wide range of skills and have been recognized as an integral part of the health and social care team. Their role is more pronounced in medical rehabilitation of both physical and mental disorders. They help people across the lifespan

Special attributes of occupational therapists include how we blend medical sciences & arts to provide a holistic understanding of humans, everyday life activities, diseases, & their environments. Our strength is use of biopsychosocial model, to help people with the job of living

OTs refuse to close the door of hope on anyone. Beyond saving life from pregnancy to palliative care, OTs are more concerned with the quality of life saved and promoting access and participation in dignified lives for all.

The profession of occupational therapy continues to evolve as it responds to changing society and its needs. With promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative & palliative goals, we practice in all medical specialties from peads to geriatrics

In Zimbabwe, OT is fairly a young profession and I will turn to my own professional journey to illustrate this

I did my high school at Mutoko High school and back then I knew nothing about occupational therapy. I had never seen them, utilized their services or heard of them. In retrospect I have seen why... they were too few in the country, in specialized referral hospitals

Being in a sciences class all eyes were on the general medical degree. I didn't make it for mbchb but passion for a health sciences profession was there and hence the search started. Thanks to my aunt @NChapfudzika whom I consulted and directed me to OT.

She said occupational therapy was a high priority career in the UK and her friends were leading satisfactory lives. Your guess is as good... I enrolled for the BSc Honours in Occupational Therapy degree at UZ with UK in mind.

To qualify for the BSc HOT UZ program, one has to have a minimum of 10 points from at least 3 core science A level subjects in one sitting. Preferably Maths, Biology and Chemistry. The 4 year degree program is demanding but rewarding. Colleagues can attest to it @EMavindidze

To survive OT training at UZ development of inner drive early in the training is a necessity. Also identify with the needs of the marginalized and be an advocate. Be self conscious about your biases because these will be challenged. Hardwork & collaborations pays, you need others

The training will expose you to most specialty areas in the profession including neuro rehab, orthopedics, mental health, pediatrics, community based rehabilitation, research, geriatrics, school-based OT, work practices etc

In the final year of study, one can use their research project or elective placement to consolidate skills and knowledge in a chosen specialty
Initially mine was peads neuro, I wanted to add possibility to the Impossible about children with cerebral palsy.

OTs will help construct productive occupational identity beyond the diagnosis. I wanted to help caregivers invest in their children with disabilities. I wanted to challenge the stigma and discrimination and social exclusion I had witnessed through training.

If you can't stand injustice even more among the marginalized and disadvantaged, OT can be your call and it's never too late.

Upon graduating in 2009, I joined Ministry of health and child care as a clinical occupational therapist. I had to go through all medical specialty areas as rotations in the first year of practice. This is a prerequisite before you get an open practice certificate

Because Occupational therapy is very diverse it is possible to remain a basic OT and trying to be a Jack of all... my advice is to find a niche and specialize early along the journey. Through my rotations, I found my niche in #mentalhealth In my 2nd yr of practice I settled there

It wasn't all smooth working at the referral hospital in a system still struggling with basics of communicable diseases and emergency medicine. Rehabilitation was always an afterthought and QoL professions relegated to the budgetary margins

Now I was there working in a system struggling to cope with communicable diseases and emergency medicine. Rehabilitation and quality of life was always on the budgetary margins. It meant fighting to justify your justified existence. Sad this remains a reality to date.

Being an occupational therapist in contexts like Zimbabwe meant fighting ignorance among team members and administrators. Advise... don't tire or chicken out, the arguments and successful recovery stories of the service users did some talking.

In mental health occupational therapy is a key player in successful rehabilitation and community reintegration of those affected. It is about helping people build productivity identities around meaningful occupations and not be defined by stigmatized mental disorders

The general public should know and demand this social transformative service for all service users. It is their right by law and with ratification of the #UNCRPD OT should be made accessible to all who need it

In this journey if you need growth, form and keep networks and keep looking for opportunities

I met my opportunity to transition into academia after 2yrs of clinical practice. Mine was a staff development fellowship with University of Zimbabwe. If you need growth, don't be comfortable or stop the search.

Part of my search was driven by the frustrations of unmet needs in practice. I wanted to see change and chose to be the change

My staff development fellowship took me to @UCT_news I am very thankful to all who made it a possiblity. My master's degree in occupational therapy developed a critical decolonial thinker. From it I graduated with more courage to question the taken for granted

My occupational therapy practice and research skills were refined and I became more interested in social determinants of mental health. Even more how systems we worked for were instruments of injustice by pushing a convenient reductionist disease model in everything

To this end I am researching with marginalized groups, amplifying their voices and advocating for systems change for social inclusion and transformation. A human rights approach

Yes occupational therapy has landed me into academia and research. True to its wealth of diversity and broadening practice horizons. I am teaching Psychosocial occupational therapy for the BSc HOT program at UZ.

Yes lectureship is rewarding and challenging. Riding on the shoulders of giants and choosing to break new ground has taken me this far. In young professions it is important to look fpr mentorship and support every outside the professional circles.

Having a story known by your superiors paid off for me. Passion in researching in mental health linked me with @DixonChibanda and my comprehensive PhD funding and mentorship program @ConsortiumAMARI

My research career has been enhanced by passion and necessity in the field of mental health OT, resonating with real needs of real people. I live to continue to amplify the voice on the margins and to co-construct knowledge by tapping into experiential indigenous knowledges

Let me conclude by stating that we need each other for common good and there is space for everyone. Occupational therapy fully supports this by facilitating access and participation in life for all

Closing.
1.OT help you as you help people. Giving back to humanity is made possible.
2.We need each other. Grow your networks, mentor others.
3. Innovative critical thinkers don't respect boxes.
4. At times professional titles cage us. Be human.
5. The world needs you. Be needed