Occupational Therapy News OTnews January 2019 | Page 46

2019 2019 MEMBERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE APPLICATIONS FROM ACROSS THE UK ARE WELCOMED BY BOTH BOARDS RCOT BOARD: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT and RCOT BOARD: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT The Royal College of Occupational Therapists is seeking to recruit active and engaged members who want to contribute to their profession and make a difference. Vacancies exist in both the RCOT Boards: Learning and Development and Research and Development. • The Boards normally meet three times a year in London, approximately July, November and March. All reasonable travel expenses for Board related activities are reimbursed by RCOT. • Boards provide a forum within which members can influence and inform the work of the College. • Board membership provides an opportunity to promote and support the development of the profession, and to further develop your strategic leadership skills and experience. • The term of office is 3 years commencing June 2019 To contribute to either Board, you will need to be able to think strategically, be politically aware and committed to best practice. You will need to be confident to contribute actively to debate and to inform professional developments. Deadline for applications for both Boards: 15th February 2018 at 5pm. Apply and make a difference! The Board secretaries can be contacted to request an application pack, and to put you in touch with a serving Board member for an informal discussion about the role, should you so wish. RCOT Board: Learning and Development contact: [email protected] RCOT Board: Research and Development contact: [email protected] As a member of the RCOT Board: Learning and Development, your strategic role will be to: consider and where appropriate provide a steer on new and emerging policy that impacts on pre- and post-registration occupational therapy education, to identify key related matters that may impact on the profession, and support and promote RCOT campaigns. Your advisory role will be to: support the delivery of the Education and Research Team Core Business Plan and RCOT’s Annual Workplan in related areas, and each business year to contribute to two or three specific areas of work from these plans as agreed between the Board Chair and the RCOT Assistant Director – Education and Research. The RCOT Board: Learning and Development would welcome applications from members working in practice environments and from practitioners engaged in higher level study and innovative practice. Applications from members with an interest in mental health and emerging pathways into the profession, and those from members based in Northern Ireland and Scotland, are particularly welcomed. There are three vacancies on this Board. As a member of the RCOT Board: Research and Development, your strategic role will be to: support the delivery of the RCOT Research and Development Strategy in partnership with the Education and Research Team, encourage the identification, development and uptake of research career pathways by occupational therapists, and help to identify gaps in research evidence relevant to the profession, together with associated funding opportunities. In addition to supporting the delivery of the Education and Research Team Core Business Plan and RCOT’s Annual Workplan in related areas, and contributing to two or three specific areas of work from these plans as outlined above, your advisory role will also be to: highlight key stakeholders with whom RCOT might develop partnerships to further promote and support occupational therapy research and development, and help promote members’ uptake of emerging evidence underpinning and informing occupational therapy practice. The RCOT Board: Research and Development would particularly welcome applications from members working in practice contexts, including the social care and independent practice sectors. There is one vacancy on this Board. N205