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Phoebe Yam MA ’18

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I had never heard about occupational therapy until my friend told me about a program called Karate For All, where I met the director/OT there. During my interview, he pointed out a girl that had 16 brain surgeries but was fully engaged in karate and interacting with other children with special needs. I was extremely blown away. For three years, I was able to learn about occupational therapy through volunteering and shadowing OTs to find out that this was the career I was looking for. I love the creativity and variety this profession allows, and the plethora of opportunities USC provides.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
I love snowboarding, hiking, and anything outdoors. I also have the privilege of working with Reptacular Animals as an animal handler, which allows me to interact with spectacular exotic animals!

What area of practice are you interested in?
I am highly interested in pediatrics. My dream is to one day incorporate animal-assisted therapy with exotic animals into occupational therapy sessions.

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
A stocked fridge! I have pretty much anything you can think of. Ice cream, fruits, veggies, dumplings, etc.

What is your spirit animal and why would this animal represent you?
Monkey! I am always ready to be out and about to play. I am also a social animal, so I definitely work much better in groups and try to form lasting relationships with friends and family.

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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.