A serious workplace injury fundamentally rerouted Jackie’s life journey. Jackie has evolved from her roots as a national equestrian competitor, emerging as a nationally respected allied health professional and advocate for workers.
Jackie now works as a Senior Occupational Therapist with Procare Group in South Australia.
Note: Jackie’s initial compensation interactions were with a jurisdictional workers’ compensation scheme that has since been replaced. Her story, and the feelings, behaviours and principles she outlines, remain relevant for consideration by work injury stakeholders. This is the second of two parts on Jackie’s story, click here for part one.
Rocky path to occupational therapy
In part one of our discussion with Jackie, she detailed how a vocational assessment, with an incredibly supportive psychologist, set her on the path to university where she eventually completed studies in occupational therapy.
Click here to read more about this stage of Jackie’s journey, including the injury and interactions with workers’ compensation that continue to influence her professional practice.
Promoting independence
“As an occupational therapist in the vocational rehabilitation space, I meet with someone who’s had an injury. That could be a home assessment/activities of daily living assessment; that could be a workplace assessment; or I could just be meeting them for an initial needs assessment to literally see what this person needs in the initial stages of their recovery.”
“I get to recommend supports at home, promote independence, help to make a plan with that individual about how they’re going to achieve independence.”
The role of an OT bridges home and work environments – ensuring supports are in place to empower an injured person to maintain occupations (in the broadest sense of the term) that are key to their identity. Jackie summarises her role as, “supporting people the best I can, within what’s reasonable and necessary!”
The diversity of these occupations is a majorly appealing part of the job for Jackie. A recent case struck a particularly deep cord. The worker suffered a nasty knee injury as a trackwork horse rider – the same job that Jackie was injured in several years prior.
“Horses [are] innately unpredictable and dangerous.” But Jackie, and the broader support team, was committed to supporting this worker back to her beloved profession; to get back on the horse. “We wanted to get her on a horse without being on a horse … So I managed to use some contacts and get her into the apprentice academy here and use one of the simulated horses.”
Jackie lights up as she reflects on this case and her own equestrian past. She affirms, “It’s a really great job, and I get to enjoy it!”
Embedding her experience
“While I wouldn’t wish this experience that I’ve had on anybody, I can’t change it. I wouldn’t be where I am now and I’m so lucky to have the privilege that people feel safe to share with me, that I get to help people, and people allow me to support them.”
A person is more than any individual experience, but we are made stronger if we’re able to positively draw on our life experiences. For Jackie – whose own experiences with workers’ compensation were considerably less than perfect – lived experience of work injury recovery has implanted a profound empathy that fuels her work with injured workers.
“Having the experience that I do, I can definitely empathise with people with a significant injury more than someone who may not have that experience.”
“I would really love it if they didn’t have a negative experience.” Fostering positivity between the injured person, their workplace and their case manager is a personal priority for Jackie, who understands what can unfold when relationships breakdown.
“It’s going to be better for them if they have a more positive experience with their insurer.”
She also finds that – for the right person - her own story can be a useful tool in the therapeutic relationship. Not every person will be receptive to hearing someone else’s experience, however. Understanding when that may be a useful approach that, “comes with meeting people where they’re at.”
Realising IPTC principles in allied health practice
Prioritising the health of the worker, an IPTC principle, requires acknowledging the unique individuality of each person. Jackie loves this part of her work. “I love getting lots of different variation, lots of different jobs, because I get to learn something new every time,” Jackie describes, “The injured person knows their job better than anybody else … putting them in the centre [makes sure] they’re achieving their goals.”
“We’re putting that person in the driver’s seat … What does this return to work look like for you? And what do you feel most confident doing?”
Another principle at the heart of Jackie’s work is collaboration. “I really love that part of my job is bringing everyone to the same space to support that worker at the centre.” In her discussions with case managers, she aims to centre the experiences, beliefs and goals voiced by the injured person – in an effort to align the support team to their unique needs and goals; to “shed some light on what the individual is experiencing.”
Jackie believes optimal outcomes are achieved when she comes together with the injured worker, employer and insurer. Planning a worker’s unique return-to-work, in collaboration with these stakeholders, will be more effective and sustainable.
These relationships will be most effective when they remain fair and positive. “I really try to prioritise supporting a positive relationship between the individual and the case manager, because if they can trust the case manager … they can both have a more positive experience and better outcome.” Inspired by her experience, Jackie’s driven to foster beneficial relationships in her work.
It Pays to Care is immensely grateful to Jackie for sharing her lived experience as a senior allied health professional. Her experiences, as well as the stories of countless others, are a crucial foundation for the future of work injury management.