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

Ellie Clark MA ’19

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I fell into OT by chance, after applying for a volunteer position at a local children’s hospital the summer after my freshman year at college. I had the opportunity to volunteer as an aid in the rehabilitation unit which was home to the Speech Pathology, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy programs. I was fascinated by the role an OT has in a patient’s progress and the positive influence they can have through the simplest of interactions. I also noticed just about every OT I worked with came and left work with a smile, day in and day out. That’s when I knew that I wanted to follow that path.

What area of practice are you interested in?
I am interested in working in pediatrics and with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I am looking forward to exploring other areas throughout the program, as well.

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
Before coming into this program, I worked as lifeguard and swim instructor for several years. I loved working with children, especially by means of skill development. More recently I have worked as a clinical research intern with a psychiatric center near my college. I worked with a study that focused on adults with ASD. In this study, the intent was on improving social communication skiills and cognitive enhancement through curriculum interventions for the purpose of more effective and efficient integration into the workforce. I love working with people and for people and these experiences really opened my eyes to this ambition of mine.

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
If you were to open my fridge you would definitely find anything breakfast related (eggs, grapefruit, yogurt, etc.) because I can eat breakfast over any other meal at any time of the day. You’d also find some chocolate!

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
If I could travel anywhere I think I would backpack through South America. I studied for a semester in Spain and loved immersing myself in a region with different language and culture. It’d be cool to put my Spanish to use again in an entirely new way. Plus it would be incredible to explore the region of Patagonia (possibly while wearing my favorite item of clothing, patagonia).

Note: Ellie is now Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy in the Chan division.

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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 fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE). The USC entry-level OTD degree program (cost of attendance) has been granted Candidacy Status by ACOTE. View our program’s ACOTE standards public data. ACOTE c/o Accreditation Department, American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, (301) 652-6611 x2914, acoteonline.org

Professional program graduates are eligible to apply for certification by National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT), nbcot.org. Program results from the NBCOT can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.