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

Phoebe Yam MA ’18

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I had never heard about occupational therapy until my friend told me about a program called Karate For All, where I met the director/OT there. During my interview, he pointed out a girl that had 16 brain surgeries but was fully engaged in karate and interacting with other children with special needs. I was extremely blown away. For three years, I was able to learn about occupational therapy through volunteering and shadowing OTs to find out that this was the career I was looking for. I love the creativity and variety this profession allows, and the plethora of opportunities USC provides.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
I love snowboarding, hiking, and anything outdoors. I also have the privilege of working with Reptacular Animals as an animal handler, which allows me to interact with spectacular exotic animals!

What area of practice are you interested in?
I am highly interested in pediatrics. My dream is to one day incorporate animal-assisted therapy with exotic animals into occupational therapy sessions.

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
A stocked fridge! I have pretty much anything you can think of. Ice cream, fruits, veggies, dumplings, etc.

What is your spirit animal and why would this animal represent you?
Monkey! I am always ready to be out and about to play. I am also a social animal, so I definitely work much better in groups and try to form lasting relationships with friends and family.

⋯

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.