We’re proud of our LGBTQIA+ members and staff and to celebrate this year’s Pride Month, we’re delighted to introduce you to Dia – our student member at RCOT. Hear them share about their experience as an occupational therapy student and being part of the LGBTQIA+ community and how we can better support LGBTQIA+ students and learners.
Tell us about you and the journey that led you to study occupational therapy?
My name is Dia. I am a trans/non-binary person, and my pronouns are they/them. I am 29 years old, originally from Hungary but have been living in London for the last 7 years.
In 2017 I applied for my first role in healthcare as an activity coordinator position for a charity in Surrey. My manager there knew I had no previous experience in this sector, but she had real faith in me and believed that I could work on my transferrable skills to get me up to speed. Once, she mentioned occupational therapy to me, she said I seemed like a natural, that I have good people skills and that I should look into occupational therapy assistant (OTA) roles to see if I liked it.
In 2018 I got a role as an OTA on a psychiatric intensive care unit in a privately funded hospital. It was a great role, even though I felt out of my depth. I explored the different fields that OTs work in and after almost a year I decided to start working in an inpatient stroke/neuro-rehab as an OTA. It was just mind-blowing to see the huge difference that occupational therapists (OTs) can make after a stroke. I had the pleasure of being part of an excellent, very knowledgeable and experienced team who after seeing how passionate I was about occupational therapy, encouraged me to look into undergraduate occupational therapy courses.
I'm now a second-year undergraduate Occupational Therapy student at Brunel University, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I would never have thought I could get into a university in my second language and learn about this beautiful profession that unfortunately doesn’t exist in my home country, yet.
What was it that attracted you to occupational therapy?
Finding a course where the main value is to enable people to live as independently as possible, whilst remaining person-centred, client-led, and evidence-based.
What are you enjoying most within your studies?
For me the most enjoyable part is when I get taught about different theories, models, and approaches, which I can then try and use on my placement. It is an excellently structured course.
What would you say to someone considering occupational therapy as a career?
Four words: DEFINITELY GO FOR IT!
How do you see your experiences as an LGBTQIA+ person positively impacting the people that you work with and for, when you finish your studies?
I think being part of a minority group will help me in my practice to have an open mind without assumptions. It’ll also help me understand and gain awareness about problems that other minority groups face such as ableism, racism, ageism etc. I think I’ll be able to build rapport more sufficiently particularly with queer clients; they might be able to relate to me and what I stand for, trust me and let me advocate for them if they need it. Because, in this cisgender-heteronormative society, queer and especially trans people face systematic homo-or transphobia, which comes with huge inequalities when trying to access healthcare. These inequalities include some ‘trivial’ things that might not be difficult for a cisgender person, such as:
- Filling out medical forms when there are only two options for gender.
- Sex-related GP or other appointments, such as cervical screening, which can feel very unsafe when professionals either deadname or ignore the person’s gender identity.
- Being put into a hospital bay with people who don’t have the same gender identity as them, only based on previous healthcare records.
What would be your dream occupational therapy job?
After qualifying I’m planning to do an acute rotation. Even though I don’t really see myself working in a hospital, I still think it’s important to get those comprehensive core skills that every newly graduated OT needs. It also might be helpful for newly graduated therapists to try and figure out what they would like to specialise in later. Once I complete that one or two-year rotation and progress in my career, I would love to work in a rehab-related role in the community and specialise either with older adults or with stroke survivors.
What elements of being an RCOT member do you enjoy the most?
For me personally, I think the sense of belonging is what I enjoy the most. Being a proud part of this awesome and supportive community. RCOT is a great platform to network and get to know other OTs through conferences and webinars, that I probably would never have met otherwise.
Would you recommend RCOT membership to other students?
Yes, definitely. So far, I’ve found it very helpful to have access to research studies and journals whilst completing my course. Along with excellent resources that have really helped with my academic work, such as exams or essays. I also enjoy receiving the monthly OTnews magazine, which usually has interesting and up-to-date topics to discuss.
How do you think RCOT can better support LGBTQIA+ student members?
It would be amazing to have specific guidelines regarding trans and gender non-conforming students on placement, that would protect them and could be used and forwarded to placement settings prior to the placement start date. In an ideal world these guidelines should be:
- Educational – to lift the weight off a trans or gender non-conforming student’s shoulders to having to explain and teach cisgender or uneducated colleagues on placement. It can be quite tricky to address this topic on placement due to the power dynamics and the high pressure of being a student.
- Clear – link it with some of the NHS’s pre-existing guidelines, which state that it is unacceptable to refuse to use or at least try to use the correct pronouns of a student, deadname someone or discriminate against them based on their gender identity, as it is also part of The Equality Act 2010.
Perhaps looking into putting some resources together (like a bite-sized training) that could be sent out with the guidelines.
What have you found most difficult within your studies and placements because of being an LGBTQIA+ person?
Probably the repeated coming out to peers, tutors and placement educators. I’ve found it emotionally draining to constantly feel like a burden or an outsider, because some NHS trusts (even in London) are not as inclusive or up-to-date with queer-related terms and concepts as they should be. I also found it difficult how cisgender people react when corrected about using the incorrect pronouns. This is a classic example of how they feel ashamed but try to project that shame back onto the already oppressed person.
Have there been changes you’ve seen while studying that have made you feel more included as part of the LGBTQIA+ community?
Unfortunately, not just yet. But I’m very much looking forward to the day when our community will feel safe at work, by being accepted and treated equally at work or in our society, just like a straight cisgender person.
Join us today and benefit from our student membership!