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Mary Rose Masangcay MA ’21

What brought you to Occupational therapy?
I was accepted in the Occupational therapy program in the Philippines not knowing what I was getting into. After four years of lecture-based learning and one year of internship, I fell in love with the profession. I realized that Occupational therapy is a unique profession that focuses on a client-centered approach and up until now I am continually loving it as I find myself having Post-Professional Master’s in Occupational therapy here at the USC Chan division.

What area of practice are you interested in?
I would like to have a specialty in Hand rehabilitation. I want to be part of the team that helps restores the functional capacity of the hands. I find it fascinating how an occupational therapist can enable movement and strengthen hands that suffered from trauma through the use of different modalities and occupation-based interventions.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
I am into expressive activities such as singing, playing the guitar, writing. I can spend an entire day in my room doing these activities without getting bored. Also, I like making fun memories by traveling and exploring new places with my friends and family.

If you could travel anywhere, where it would be?
Definitely it would be in LA and I will make sure to pass by the USC Chan campus. I was still not able to set foot in LA nor at the USC Chan campus because of the pandemic. It would be fun to be there, explore the city and meet with some of my fellow students who are currently staying in LA that I have yet to meet in person.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“Take advantage of every opportunity.” This piece of advice made me realize the importance of grabbing every opportunity that comes my way because opportunities don’t often come along. I would rather have tried and failed rather than missed a possibility of a greater outcome. What can be worse than having constant thoughts of what-ifs?

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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.