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Cody Springmeyer MA ’22

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I was first introduced to occupational therapy when my father was a patient at an inpatient rehabilitation hospital. When I would visit him in the hospital, I got to observe his occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy sessions, but I was especially intrigued with watching my father’s occupational therapy sessions as I had never heard of this profession before. What made it stand out to me was how creative the sessions were and how he got to work on things that we often take for granted such as getting in and out of bed, taking a shower, and getting dressed. While in occupational therapy, my father got to do the things he loved again such as playing guitar and cooking and it made him happy and realize that he still does have value and a purpose in this world. While in college, I started volunteering at an inpatient rehabilitation hospital similar to the one my father had stayed at. The sense of pride and accomplishment I felt in seeing these patients reach their goals and find their sense of purpose and value in their lives again made me realize that being an occupational therapist is what I was meant to do.

What area of practice are you interested in?
Although I am open to most practice settings in occupational therapy, I am especially interested in adult neurorehab and/or becoming a neonatal therapist in the NICU.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
Some occupations I engage in are going on hikes with my dog, eating at new restaurants, dancing, and playing basketball.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Australia — I spent a summer over there (technically winter in Australia) and absolutely loved it! The people are so nice and every city I went to was so beautiful.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Things don’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.

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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 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) is accredited 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.

Professional program graduates are eligible to apply for the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. All states require licensure to practice; a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT® OTR certification examination or attain state licensure. Program results from the NBCOT® can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.