Intern
LYNSEY
Internships Lynsey Robertson-Flannigan
Internships have been widely used across business and industry to provide either graduates or students with the opportunity to undertake paid or unpaid work experience that matches the intern’s career aspirations and/or their own areas of interest.
T
he advantages for interns can include enhanced employability, gaining experience in a particular area that matches their preferred career path. The Division of Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies at Queen Margaret University (QMU) launched its highly successful internship programme in 2013 in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland and Santander Universities UK. Here, we speak to Lynsey RobertsonFlannigan, who graduated from QMU with a BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy degree in July last year – and two weeks later, gave birth to son, Teddy. Lynsey is the co-founder of the QMU Occupational Therapy Society, which she helped set up in 2014 to bring together occupational therapy students from different levels of study and offer each other support, advice and opportunities to socialise. In 2015, she secured an internship with Alzheimer Scotland as part of the Santander Universities SME Internship Programme. This summer, she starts a part-time summer internship with Alzheimer Scotland and QMU while working part-time as an OT assistant in stroke and medicine of the elderly.
How did you come to choose this course and why QMU? “I applied and was accepted to study occupational therapy at QMU straight from school, but for a number of reasons did not feel ready. I completed a business degree, then spent four years working in sales and latterly as a personal assistant in Malta for Billy Connolly’s management company, Tickety-Boo. “My grandmother is a retired occupational
therapist and has always been a massive inspiration to me. When my husband and I moved back from Malta in 2012, I had lengthy discussions with her and OT professionals and decided that OT was the career I wanted to pursue. “After some investigation, I knew that QMU was the only choice of university for me, given its location in a wonderful city, fantastic reputation and supportive approach to teaching. “The amount of innovation within the university really stood out – for example, the occupational performance room where students can practice their OT interventions in a realistic setting with real equipment.”
What was the highlight of the course? “The highlight of my time completing my occupational therapy degree was being given the opportunity to present the work I had been involved in during my internship at the College of Occupational Therapists Annual Conference in June 2016. “It was a real privilege to represent Alzheimer Scotland and QMU at such a well-respected and established event, and being able to share details about the internship, as well as the work of the fantastic Scottish Dementia Working Group to a wider audience was wonderful.”
How has the internship with Alzheimer Scotland helped your studies? “I learned so much and gained more than I could ever have hoped for. I learned a great deal about how the role of occupational therapy fits into a ‘non
traditional’ setting such as Alzheimer Scotland and what we can do to help people with dementia to live well and independently. “As a result of my time as an intern, I have a deeper understanding of occupational therapy, the issues that people living with dementia face and the valuable work that Alzheimer Scotland does.”
Do you have any advice for students interested in studying occupational therapy at QMU? “Occupational therapy is a fantastic, varied career that gives you the skills to improve the lives of the people who you work with as a qualified professional. The course at QMU is, in my opinion, second to none. The teaching staff are enthusiastic, supportive and generally brilliant all round and QMU is a fantastic university.”
What’s your ‘top tip’ for making the most of being a student? “Enjoy it, as it is over before you know it! Don’t get too caught up in being stressed about assignments and try and focus on how much you are learning.” www.qmu.ac.uk/alumni_and_ friends/Santander_Internship_ Programme.htm www.alzscot.org
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