Home ⟩The People of USC Chan ⟩Meet Our Trojan Family ⟩Entry-Level Doctorate (OTD)

Aileen Torres MA ’19

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I have always wanted to work in a career that would allow me to promote health and make a positive impact in peoples lives. I was drawn to the holistic approach OT takes in improving the lives of its clients. It looks beyond their “disability” and considers the “whole person”. The therapist-patient relationship practiced in OT is very special in the sense that the patient’s input and participation in therapy is equally as important as the therapist’s.

What area of practice are you interested in?
I love kids and have been working with children for the past 7 years but I think I want to switch it up and work in an adult rehabilitation setting, more specifically in an inpatient or outpatient neuro setting.

What do you think is the greatest invention of mankind?
The Internet. It provides infinite knowledge at our fingertips and connects every corner of the world.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
I would love to travel wherever the 2022 World Cup final is that year.

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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.