Emma Chambers

7.30 AM 

I slowly turn around in bed to turn my alarm off, wondering if I can snooze for a bit longer before having to get up and ready for the day. I have breakfast and drive my partner to work before arriving at our car park for the day.

 

8.30 AM 

I make it into our office, start up my computer and put my lunch in the fridge. This is about the time my colleagues get in – we usually start the day grabbing a coffee together. When we return, I look at my calendar and complete any printing needed for the meetings today and start answering emails.

10.00 AM 

I hop back in my car around 9.30 AM to be ready for my first meeting at 10.00 AM, a 20-minute drive from the office. Today I was having a workplace meeting at a school with a client and their manager to talk about the next stage of their return-to-work plan. We discussed the adding another full day to the client’s gradual return to work and scheduled the next review in two weeks.

11.00 AM

Back in the car again, making my way to have a medical case conference with another client and their treating doctor. This one was a bit trickier as the client was still unfit to return to work, so we discussed other treatment options and activities to help build the client’s confidence and resilience. The client ended up getting a referral for an Exercise Physiologist to gain more of a routine and confidence around people in a public setting. The doctor and client and were happy with the plan so far, so it was a positive meeting!

12.00 PM 

Back in the office for lunch – I’m starving! Today I had homemade enchiladas from dinner last night and they went down a treat. Luckily there were a few of my colleagues in the office today for lunch so we had a nice catch up, chatting about our days so far.

1.00 PM 

Back at my desk to complete my case notes and update emails from this morning’s meetings. I also managed to complete a few email replies, phone calls and reports that were scheduled to be done to ensure they are within timeframes (today was an initial assessment report and progress report).

3.00 PM 

After a mid-afternoon snack and another coffee run, I had a video conference with one of my clients, their manager and case manager from the insurance company to have a review with how the client was tracking in their new workplace. The meeting found a few barriers with how the client is coping with the work, so we brainstormed so new strategies from all parties to better assist the client with a safe and positive return to work. After this, I took the opportunity to debrief with one of my colleagues, just to make sure I am continuing to think proactively to assist the client.

4.00 PM 

For the final hour of the day, I was back at my desk to reply to emails and return some phone calls that I missed while in the recent meeting. This normally takes some time as with each email there are usually follow up actions like phone calls and creating documents.