Home ⟩Education at USC Chan ⟩Entry-Level Doctorate (OTD) ⟩Meet the Students

Amy Smith MA ’19

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I came across OT searching for careers in Pediatrics and fell in love with the idea of being able to work in so many different settings and being able to provide a helping hand to not just children, but any age group.

What area of practice are you interested in?
Pediatrics.

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
I was the neighborhood babysitter growing up, and I always thought I’d be a Kindergarten teacher. I volunteered in some classrooms and decided teaching wasn’t for me. I did a lot of tutoring middle school students in high school and different volunteer events throughout my community. In my early years of college, I shadowed a Pediatric PA and talked to a Child Life Specialist before falling into the hands of an OT.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
Working, volunteering, being a student and loving sister/ daughter/ friend, sports (IM softball, tennis, running, wakeboarding, snowboarding, etc.).

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
Parmesan cheese, strawberries, Costco asiago bagels, milk, and OJ.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Anywhere to see the northern lights!!

How do you want to be remembered?
As someone who made a difference in a lot of people’s lives.

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USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 133, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9003

ACOTE accreditation | NBCOT certification

The USC entry-level master’s degree program (cost of attendance) is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) has applied for accreditation and has been granted Preaccreditation Status by ACOTE®. View our program’s ACOTE® standards public data. ACOTE® c/o the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 652-AOTA, www.acoteonline.org. The program must complete an on-site evaluation and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®).

Professional program graduates are eligible to apply for certification by National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. Program results from the NBCOT® can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.