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

Megan Ruth Atkinson MA ’14

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I lived and worked in New York City for nine years, and for part of that time I was a practice manager for a behavioral optometrist in Brooklyn. I found out about OT there, since many OTs referred kids to him, and after some research I decided it was the perfect follow-on to my psychology studies.

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
In high school, my mom encouraged me to teach dance classes to kiddos in Head Start programs outside of Pittsburgh. Mom is amazing with children and incredible with older adults. She taught special-needs pre-school and is now a home aid for people with Alzheimer’s who have additional serious medical conditions. I feel like I learned a lot about OT from her, even though she was unfamiliar with the profession before I applied to school.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
Boogying on down the road; finding hikes for me and my best friend who is a schnauzer-dachsund named Oliver; apparently watching lots of “Foreign Steamy Romances” and “British Biographical 20th Century Period Pieces” on Netflix.

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
Delicious dips. I basically live off hummus and salsa and dip-delivery methods such as delicious chips.

What are two truths and a lie about yourself?
I’ve lived in 3 of 5 boroughs of NYC; I’ve worked at fish markets in both NJ and CA; I’m a clog dancer.

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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.