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

Stephanie Tsai MA ’16

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I always knew I wanted to help people, but the tricky thing was figuring out how I would be able to do so. After I finished my bachelor’s degree and realizing I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I stumbled across OT by taking one of those online match-your-personality-to-your-future-career! surveys and I remember thinking, “what in the world is Occupational Therapy?” The more I looked into it, though, the more excited I became. Occupational Therapists use a wide variety of skills to help people live their lives in ways that are meaningful to them. As someone who loves to build relationships with others and is eager to help someone in any way I can, Occupational Therapy was a perfect fit for me!

What area of practice are you interested in?
To be honest, I have been trying to answer this question ever since I started the program! I am mostly interested in Pediatrics or Adult Rehabilitation, but I have found that my interests keep changing every semester. One of the great things about OT is how flexible it is: I can practice in one area for a while, but then switch later on!

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
I really love the people in this program. Everyone is so supportive of one another and really cares about each other’s success and well-being. Every day in this program is memorable when you are surrounded by amazing people.

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
Chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

If you could choose anyone (living or dead) to be your mentor, who would you pick?
Peyton Manning (Quarterback for the Denver Broncos).

Note: Stephanie 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®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) has applied for accreditation and has been granted Preaccreditation Status 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. The program must complete an on-site evaluation and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®).

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.