What makes it possible to claim to be an expert in something like persistent pain/fatigue rehabilitation?

At Vitality360 we advertise ourselves as a team of experts in persistent pain and fatigue. To continue doing this with integrity I asked myself this question.

What makes an expert?

Is it simply the time a clinician spends working in a  specialist area? I think not. Although this is important this alone does not meet my criteria for being an expert.

I have personally worked within a number of specialist teams in both the NHS and private services and I can vouch for the fact that you do not become an expert by osmosis, it takes time and commitment.

An expert needs to read extensively in their chosen subject and apply their learning to their practice.

An expert needs to distinguish the quality research from the myriad of information accessible to us i.e. we must be informed by high quality evidence not biased by a single new book or article.

An expert needs to continuously update their knowledge and clinical skills through attending conferences and training events and reflect on their learning with colleagues.

An expert needs to listen to their patients who are the real experts by their lived experience.

An expert needs to be reflective of their own practice and be prepared to acknowledge when things haven’t gone well and identify the reasons for this.

An expert needs to actively seek support and supervision and provide this for others.

An expert needs to contribute to the conversation within their chosen field.

An expert in pain and fatigue needs to be able to synthesise all this information/ evidence to formulate an individualised rehabilitation programme for each person.

How are we a team of experts in this specialist field?

Within the Vitality360 team we strive to do all of these things.

We invest in the team through internal and external training and supervision and we constantly share resources and signpost each other to quality research, Individual members belong to their professional bodies and national organisations relevant to our specialist area.

We attend conferences and ensure we take opportunities to meet and talk with other experts.

We provide supervision and training for others outside out team.

We have team members with lived experience of pain and fatigue and we listen and learn from every individual client we work with.

We collect clinical data and client satisfaction to ensure our outcomes are excellent. We publish this data alongside single case stories to demonstrate our work.

We spend a high percentage of our daily lives thinking and talking about persistent pain and fatigue!

Yes I think I can advertise the Vitality360 team as Experts….

 Written by Beverly Knops, Executive Manager/Specialist Occupational Therapist and co author of Living with ME/CFS