QMU students stage Student Occupational Therapy Links Scotland (SOTLS) Conference 2017
On 4th March, eight undergraduate and postgraduate pre-registration occupational therapy students from QMU staged the Student Occupational Therapy Links Scotland (SOTLS) Conference 2017.
The student-led conference was attended by over 130 people from all three Scottish Universities that run occupational therapy programmes, as well as participants from England, Canada, Wales and a Skype session from the USA.
This year, the theme of the conference was 'Transitions'. Invited keynote speakers included eminent occupational therapy theorist - Dr Jennifer Creek, research expert - Dr Eddie Duncan and QMU’s Head of Division - Ian McMillan.
Seven sessions ran throughout the day and included topics such as Transitions and Occupation, Transition from Student to Practitioner, Transition to Working Abroad, Transitions in Health Care Delivery, Career Transitions and Transitions in Learning.
The conference was also a family affair. Fourth year occupational therapy student, Marianne Rubin (Organising Committee), welcomed her mother, Moray McLean (MSc Post Reg Distance Learner) from Canada as a speaker.
Another fourth year occupational therapy student, Ellie Landrock, met up with her sister Alice (QMU occupational therapy graduate) to enjoy the day.
Linda Renton, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy at QMU, said: "After seven months of hard work and planning by our occupational therapy students, SOTLS 2017 was an excellent day, which demonstrated the outstanding commitment and innovative approach of the student organising committee."
SOTLS conferences were started by a QMU occupational therapy student in 2009 after she attended a student-run conference as part of an ERASMUS Exchange in Portugal.
Notes to Editor
For further media information contact Lynne Russell, Marketing Manager, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, E: lrussell@qmu.ac.uk T: 0131 474 0000, M: 07711 011239 and Jon Perkins, Press and PR Officer, E: jperkins@qmu.ac.uk T: 0131 474 0000.
