Student Blog
What are OS/OT?

When a Planner’s Plan Doesn’t go to Plan ⟩
July 21, 2020, by Savi

Fieldwork What are OS/OT?

You never know where you are going to end up. This was a comment I heard from a lot of USC faculty and staff during my first summer in the Master’s program. I would chuckle and dismiss these comments because I have always known what setting I wanted to work in as an occupational therapist (OT). When I have a plan I rarely sway from it. After deciding to pursue a career as an OT in acute care during my junior year of high school, I did everything I could to fulfill this dream of mine.

Upon entering into my first immersion, mental health, I had already convinced myself that this was not the field I was going to work in. As I attended more classes, participated in group discussions, and immersed myself in an eye-opening fieldwork placement, I soon came to realize that my plan to pursue a career in acute care may not be my goal after all. In this fieldwork setting I listened to my clients’ stories and worked with them to overcome the mental health barriers they faced to become better mothers. This experience made me realize that my love for working with clients to improve both mental and physical health in order to engage in meaningful occupations can be applied in a variety of settings. For the first time in a while, I was confused about where I was going to end up, and that made me feel uneasy. 

It was not until I was introduced to my faculty mentor, Kimberly Perring Lenington, that I came to terms with the fact that my confusion was a good thing and not something to be afraid of. I instantly admired Dr. Lenington for achieving my original goal of working in the acute care setting directly after graduating from USC. I remember asking Dr. Lenington if this was her goal all along and recall her explaining that this was not her plan. She fell into this setting and loves it. I was shocked. I didn’t have to plan my entire career from high school in order to be successful in my field of choice?

While learning more about Dr. Lenington I discovered a niche specialty I was never aware of. Dr. Lenington also treats individuals with various pelvic health diagnoses including incontinence, pelvic pain, and sexual dysfunction. After diving deeper into this pelvic health specialty and learning more about OT’s role in sexual health in my OT 534 Health Promotion and Wellness course, I became fascinated by the opportunity to work with women to help them holistically. In this setting, I could tackle the mental and physical barriers to achieving pelvic health in order to help women participate in meaningful occupations. Let’s just say I was immediately hooked! 

Although I am still passionate about the possibility of working in an acute care setting, I have come to the understanding that I must allow myself to keep an open mind. Without doing so I would have never discovered the pelvic health specialty that I am now extremely excited about. It is ok to be confused about where you want to be once you graduate. This confusion is truly a gift. Allowing yourself to keep an open mind, in turn, widens the realm of possibilities. So to those who are planners like me, know that it is all right to redo your plan. Keep your options open . . . you never know what opportunities could be coming your way!

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Why Occupational Therapy? ⟩
June 2, 2020, by Savi

What are OS/OT?

From a young age, I have been passionate about a range of interests, including sports, graphic design, leadership, and academic pursuits. When applying to college, I had to focus on which activities would interest me most in a future career. Prioritizing a narrower set of interests was challenging for me since I enjoy exploring new experiences, applying my knowledge in novel ways, and having the opportunity to continuously challenge myself to develop innovative and creative approaches to a problem. These desires, coupled with my personal experiences interacting with occupational therapists in a variety of settings, influenced me to pursue a career in occupational therapy (OT).

After injuring both my thumbs playing as a goalie for my soccer team, I worked with an OT hand therapist during my rehabilitation process. This interaction highlighted to me the importance of creativity in an OT’s approach to designing a treatment plan. My OT worked with me to set goals and develop a treatment plan that best suited my occupational needs. This OT gave me anatomy lessons to help me better understand my injuries and demonstrated ingenuity when developing activities she knew would pique my interest and motivate me. This first hand (or thumb haha) experience taught me that pursuing a career in OT would allow me to continuously challenge myself by developing specialized treatment plans to meet the unique needs of each of my clients, and provide clients with autonomy during their rehabilitation journey.

A few years later, I watched my sister conduct fieldwork immersions while completing her Master’s in Occupational Therapy at USC, and was further convinced that pursuing this profession would allow me to continue to develop innovative approaches to overcome challenging problems in a variety of settings. I witnessed her ability to work with college students to build a foundation of sustainable and healthy routines using Lifestyle Redesign® in the USC Chan Division Faculty Practice, with adults recovering from a stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and amputations in an inpatient rehabilitation setting, and with children with varying abilities in a sensory integration pediatric practice.

I came to better understand the opportunity OTs have to work in diverse environments including mental health, adult rehabilitation or pediatric settings. By choosing a career in OT, I will be equipped with the skills to develop innovative approaches to address specific occupational needs of individuals across the lifespan. I decided to pursue this career to empower the individuals I work with to feel like they can conquer everyday, every task, and every meaningful occupation with confidence and increased independence.

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You’re Studying Occupational Therapy . . . huh? ⟩
June 1, 2020, by Nmachi

What are OS/OT?

As an Occupational Therapy major in the Bachelor’s to Master’s Program, I constantly get the same two questions asked by friends and family: What exactly is occupational therapy and how did you get into it? Since information about what occupational therapy can already be found on this site, I’ll just expand on why I chose to pursue OT.

From a young age, I have always been passionate about direct service and improving quality of life. Being a teacher, pediatrician, and physical therapist have been past career goals for me because each of them were rooted in helping others with their livelihood.

In high school, I began to narrow my interests down to what I actually could consider making a career out of. I came across the field of occupational therapy upon researching different academic programs at my top schools, browsing the USC website, and talking with my sister (an ‘SC alumna).

I became interested in OT because of the opportunity to provide the longitudinal patient interaction needed to help individuals reclaim their health. Because I cannot imagine losing the ability to perform seemingly simple everyday tasks, my desire is to be in a position to give others the hope of regaining their independence.

The day that I received my acceptance package and found out that I was going to be an Occupational Therapy major was probably the most exciting moment I’ve had thus far! Out of all of the universities I applied for during my senior year of high school, the only one that really stood out was USC. I knew that attending USC would completely prepare me for a career in OT (couldn’t pass up the #1 school for OT in the nation!).

With the countless resources that USC provides their students, I continue to look forward to building an educational foundation in OT and taking advantage of service experiences outside of the classroom to ultimately change my community for the better. I am more than ready to make my dreams a reality.

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Why OT? ⟩
June 1, 2020, by Liz

Diversity What are OS/OT?

As I reflect about my time thus far at USC Chan, I come to appreciate the diversity in the program and everyone’s unique story in finding occupational therapy. It’s always great to know that no matter the “why,” we all hold a special love for OT. Some learned about OT through their family members, others have had loved ones receive OT services, and some have personal stories about their journey as the recipient. As for me, the story is a little different!

As the proud daughter of a landscaping gardener and housekeeper, growing up I wasn’t introduced to professions outside of what my family knew. However, when I was about 12 years old, my grandmother obtained a traumatic hand injury while in the passenger’s seat of a terrible car accident. She was an undocumented, uninsured individual in our country and could not afford the care she needed. Due to these barriers, my family could only afford to pay for her pain medication. Over time her injury healed, but her wrist permanently remained curving in towards her thumb — radial deviation. The accident negatively impacted my grandmother’s ability to engage in activities she found meaningful. She found it challenging to dress herself independently, make tamales, and walk her dog. This took a toll on my grandma’s self-esteem and created a deep feeling of frustration. I took it upon myself to help my grandma by doing some of those things for her, but what I discovered was that she wanted to do them herself. So, I tried helping my grandma find ways to participate in those activities as best as she could. Sure, it wasn’t the work a 12-year-old should be doing, but it was so fun! I loved seeing my grandma smile every time she was able to put on her favorite red lipstick by herself. Of course, we still had a bit of cleaning up to do around the edges, but it was amazing!

Years later, I ended up at CSUF with the hopes of pursuing a career as a Spanish teacher. I was taking a kinesiology course to fulfill one of my GE requirements and one day a few seniors came in to present on their internship experience. One of those presentations spoke about occupational therapy! Of course, I went home and did my research and was immediately converted when I knew I could work with individuals recovering from hand injuries. However, as time went on, I discovered that my passion went beyond wanting to help people recover from such injuries. My interest flourished into a love for wanting to provide culturally sensitive care for those from lower-socioeconomic statuses, a barrier faced by my grandmother and many others from similar communities. I am grateful that OT provides me with the opportunity to do so. The best part is that I get to work towards my goal with the support of my amazing academic mentors and supportive peers. I look forward to continue representing the Latinx community and am excited to continue growing as a future OT!

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Why I Chose the OTD? ⟩
May 31, 2020, by Daniel

Diversity First-Gen What are OS/OT?

For me, pursuing the OTD means much more than just pursuing an education. It represents years of overcoming systematic barriers and paving the way for more first-generation Latinx students. Along the way, I have been fortunate to have a support system that believed in me, which I call my village (family, friends, mentors). As a first-generation Latinx student, pursuing an education comes with many other responsibilities. Personally, my entire college career I’ve had to work almost full-time, financially help my family, deal with imposter syndrome, and felt lost along the way since I am the first in my family to pursue higher education. My dream has always been to earn a doctorate degree, however, I never thought it would be financially possible. During Fall 2019, I began contemplating my options and whether it was possible to pursue the OTD. I struggled with constant questions of, “How can I pay for this?”, “Should I just start working after graduation to help my family out?” This was a time full of emotions and feeling stuck. Fortunately, I was able to ask questions, lean on my support system and this provided clarity. I reflected on my future goals of wanting to teach someday, starting my own non-profit organization, and promoting Latinx representation and leadership in OT, and decided the OTD would better prepare me to pursue these goals. Furthermore, I reflected on the communities I seek to make an impact on and decided to pursue a USC Chan Residency in primary care. Now that I am starting my residency training at the LAC+USC Adult West Primary Care Clinic, I truly believe I made the right choice. I am excited to continue to grow working along my faculty mentors Dr. Beth Pyatak and Dr. Jesús Díaz, and learn the necessary skills to expand OT services in primary care. I look forward to sharing my OTD journey with you and helping you find yours!

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