DATE Lab Chats: CAOT Conference
The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) is Canada’s national organization that represents and supports occupational therapists (OTs), occupational therapist assistants (OTAs) and students who work or study in Canada by providing resources, services and learning opportunities. This year, the CAOT Conference took place in a hybrid format with presentations both in Whistler B,C and online from May 4-7.
MScOT students Emily and Vanessa had the opportunity to share their research at this year’s conference. We sat down with them to chat about their experiences and learn more about their work.
Emily Newton, MSc OT Student
Was this your first national conference or your first in-person conference since the pandemic?
I have had the opportunity to attend a few virtual conferences during pandemic times, but this was the first one back in person, which was very exciting!
How did you feel about presenting?
Definitely a mix of excitement to share our research, and nervousness to be presenting live in-person again. Presenting to other OT students and occupational therapists in the field was a very valuable experience and helped us to consider some potential next steps for our research (i.e., including adults with chronic pain in a co-design process).
What advice would you give new MSc OT students that are nervous about their first conference?
You know more than you think you do! The thought of having experts in the field ask you questions can be intimidating, but trust that you have been involved in the process and will be able to answer them. It is a great opportunity to connect with others and receive feedback.
Do you have any upcoming events/ conferences?
Soon after participating in the CAOT conference in Whistler from May 4-7, we headed to Montreal (May 12) to share our research as a poster at the Canadian Pain Society (CPS) Annual Scientific Meeting! We are looking forward to sharing our research with our classmates and OSOT faculty at the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Graduate Research Day which will be held virtually via zoom on June 23, 2022.
Vanessa Tam, MScOT Student
Was this your first national conference or your first in-person conference since the pandemic?
Yes, first national conference.
How did you feel about presenting?
Mix feelings of nervousness and excitement. Nervous because it was the first time seeing so many people since I became a hermit in 2020 when the pandemic hit. Excitement because the conferences were great opportunities to develop our presentations skills and chat with people who have an interest in tech and chronic pain.
What advice would you give new MSc OT students that are nervous about their first conference?
Just be yourself and view the conferences/ presentations as conversations with people who have similar interest as you. Attendees are humans after all.
Do you have any upcoming events/ conferences?
Yes, we went to the Canadian Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting in Montreal a few days after the CAOT conference in Whistler (never have I ever been to Pearson so many times in one week). We also have Research Day with our classmates in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy coming up on June 23. Hope to see (virtually) more faces there!