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

Dana Cary MA ’17

What brought you to occupational therapy?
Discovering occupational therapy was a process of elimination! I always knew that I wanted a career in a helping field, I just didn’t know which career that would be. Throughout college, I dabbled in many fields and debated between physical therapy, psychology, medicine, and social work before coming across occupational therapy. I chose OT because it’s the most holistic and encompasses aspects of each of these careers.

What area of practice are you interested in?
Since it’s my first year, I have yet to completely decide what my practice area will be (one of the great things about OT is how broad it is!). That being said, I’ve considered working with veterans, doing hippotherapy with kids, working in hospital acute care, and/or at a hand clinic. The options are limitless!

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
Throughout college, I volunteered as a mentor at Big Brothers Big Sisters, an EMT for a fire department, an online counselor at an Sexual Assault online hotline, and as an assistant to a child play therapist. After college, I completed an AmeriCorps program working as an after-school teacher for middle-school students in Washington, D.C, where I functioned as a mentor, math tutor, physical fitness and cooking teacher. I have also worked several seasonal adventure jobs, including working as a maid and waitress at a guest dude ranch in Wyoming and working as a rescue scuba diver in Cozumel, Mexico.

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
My refrigerator tends to overflow with fruit and vegetables. There’s lots of kale, avocado, jicama, eggs, and squash. Spaghetti squash is my personal favorite because it’s such a healthy and versatile dish . . . I realize I have abnormally healthy and weird food taste.

What is your spirit animal and why would this animal represent you?
Rabbit. See above description of favorite foods.

⋯

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.