045: Hand Therapy Skills Across Borders: from the US to Northern Ireland with Karen Murphy, MS, OTR, CHT, AHT

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to practice in a different country? Or perhaps what hand therapy practice looks like in Northern Ireland? Today we dive into the day and life of Karen Murphy, MS, OTR, CHT, AHT as the owner and director of Health Pub Professions. Karen's explores hand therapy in Northern Ireland and the differences from the US. She shares her passion for hand therapy and give us an inspiring episode.

Karen graduated with a BSc (Hons.) in Occupational Therapy from the University of Ulster in 2000. After 2 years in traveling posts in the UK and Northern Ireland, Karen moved to upstate New York. Her practice there involved neurological rehabilitation within a hospital setting, and in outpatient clinics.

In 2004, Karen began her Hand Therapy journey culminating in gaining her CHT qualification in 2007. In that time, she also completed her MSc in Advanced Occupational Therapy at A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Arizona.

In 2009, Karen moved home to Northern Ireland and became the sole founder of the practice of Hand Therapy in the Northwest of the Island. She built a team and developed the provision of specialist services in the area. In 2013 she began working in a Private Hospital and became Director of Health Hub Professionals NI Ltd in 2018, where she built a multiprofessional team of specialists in Private health care.

In recent years, Karen has joined the Global Partnership Committee of the British Association of Hand Therapists, who work to provide free upper limb therapy along with surgeons in low- and middle-income countries.  Presently Karen has visited and worked in Phnom Penh, Cambodia twice, and has plans to work on other projects in the future.

Karen enjoys the intricacies of the upper limb and loves to see her patients satisfied through their entire recovery and management. As one of the very few CHT’s working in Private practice in Northern Ireland, as the healthcare system in the country is rapidly changing, Karen’s caseload is busy and varied!

You can find her at:

www.healthhubprofessionalsni.com

Email: [e-mail]

Health Hub Professionals NI/www.healthhubprofessionalsni.com