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Sweta Patel MA ’14

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I have always been interested in a career in healthcare. I wanted to pursue a career, which I could make an impact on each individual person I worked with, regardless if it was big or small. After volunteering and doing some research online I discovered the importance of occupation in people’s lives, including my own. The field is such that you can never get enough because there is so much to do. It just doesn’t cover one particular area, but the area of practice is so large! Occupational therapy embraces the mind-body connection more than any other field, and actually uses that understanding systematically to help people achieve their goals.

Describe your background before coming into occupational therapy.
Before choosing Occupational Therapy, I was enrolled in the premed program at the University of Houston. I was planning to go to Medical School and maybe become a doctor one day. Over the summer I went to India to volunteer in a hospital and visit my family. That’s when I realized that I didn’t want to be a doctor, but I knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field. During my trip, my uncle showed me an article of occupational therapy in the local newspaper and that weekend my entire family was talking about it over dinner. I had never heard of it before, so I spent days and nights doing some research online and finally it clicked that this is what I really wanted to do! ! I visited the college and OT seemed to be the perfect fit for me! So, I decided not to return back to US and start OT school in India! It is a field that encourages creativity and lets me do what I love. Even though it was the toughest decision to make in a short amount of time, I will neither regret it nor look back!

What area of practice are you interested in?
I haven’t focused on a specific area of interest yet since I love working with both adults and children. Maybe in the near future after getting sufficient experience, I may focus on a particular area of interest but as of now I don’t want to limit myself. I plan on enjoying all the opportunities that come my way in changing the quality of people’s lives.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
If I had one superpower I would want to be able to fly. I love travelling, exploring new destinations and just having a great time. But, after moving a lot in life, I hate packing. If I had the super power to fly I would just fly to another country and come back whenever I felt like it so I never would have to pack.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
I enjoy travelling, cooking, playing basketball, hanging out with friends, listening to music, and love spending time with my family.

If you could choose anyone (living or dead) to be your mentor, whom would you pick?
There are many people that have guided me in life, but my parents would be my true mentors for always helping me take right decisions and guiding me in the correct path through all the struggles in life.

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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.