OTs build bridges at March conference

On March 7th, 2016, more than 150 occupational therapists and occupational therapy support workers from across Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care joined together to participate in our 19th annual ‘Building Bridges’ education and research day. The morning focused on the topic of “Connecting OTs, Enhancing Practice”, with a key note presentation by Ajay Puri. This was followed by updates from the UBC, and our provincial association and regulatory college.

During the morning break, attendees had the opportunity to network with other therapists, meet with medical equipment vendors, and see posters with research completed by fellow VCH and PHC OTs. The afternoon consisted of educational seminars covering a broad range of clinical areas: Emerging Roles for OT; Pressure mapping; Dementia Care Toolkit; Wheelchair Skills Training; Sensory Modulation; CanAssist and SAFER counselling service. Achievement awards were presented to well-deserving occupational therapists. The “Ginny Fearing Learning as a Way of Being” award was presented to Peter Haughton.

The “mOTivator in practice” awards were presented to Danielle Smith,and Sheralyn Manning. And, as always, ‘Building Bridges’ was an excellent opportunity for occupational therapists to come together to learn from one another, promote evidence-based practice, and improve client care. Thank you to everyone who participated, and we hope to see you all next year!