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USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
University of Southern California
University of Southern California
Education
Education
Home Education at USC Chan Post-Professional OTD Meet the Students

Vivian Chang OTD ’18

Vivian Chang OTD ’18

Hometown: Monterey Park, CA
Program: Post-Professional OTD, Class of 2018

Leadership concentration: Advanced Clinical Practice

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I was involved in a few research labs as an undergraduate student at UCSD and I quickly realized that my favorite part of the entire research process was interacting with research subjects. Through that, I knew I wanted to find a career where I would get to work closely with other people. Since I’ve always valued both physical and emotional health and hated chemistry . . . OT was the perfect fit for me. I actually found out about OT from a Yahoo article that was titled, “10 most promising jobs of 2020.” 😊

Where are you located for your residency and what services are provided there?
I am currently completing my residency at City of Hope National Medical Center, where I provide a diverse range of OT services to my oncology patients. The services can range from ADL/IADL retraining to fatigue/symptom management to caregiver training. Additionally, I will be developing a program that will improve the discharge readiness of patients undergoing stem cell transplantation.

What do you hope to learn from this year?
I hope to be exposed to a wide variety of patients and growing the number of interventions in my arsenal. I also hope to feel more confident as an entry-level practitioner.

If you could give any words of advice for incoming Master’s students, what would it be?
Take this time for yourself — don’t overstress about acing all your classes or stretch yourself too thin by getting involved in everything. I feel like the best part the MA program is being surrounded by instructors and peers that are so supportive and greatly value your mental health. Also, view yourself as a sponge — waiting to absorb as much knowledge as you can, but don’t feel like you absolutely need to know everything.

If your childhood had a smell, what would it be?
Pineapple pepperoni pizza.