OTD Admission, Personal Statement Example

My parents have always encouraged me and gave me absolute freedom to discover my interests and strengths. I had the opportunity to visit many countries including Singapore, Indonesia, England, France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany at an early age. These international trips improved my cross-cultural knowledge, expanded my thinking horizon, helped me identify biases and cultural stereotypes, and turned me into a rational and pragmatic thinker.

I did my undergraduate in Cognitive Psychology from University of California, Irvine (UCI). I chose this major to better understand human behavior and thinking patterns so I could use the knowledge to be an effective professional in the healthcare industry. At UCI, I worked at both the Pathology Department for Stem Cell Research as well as the Cognitive Science Lab for the Brain Waves verses Different Sounds. These lab experiences helped me acquire strong project management and leadership skills and I also improved my investigative, analytical, and problem-solving skills. During my undergraduate years, I also worked at a Chiropractic Clinic as well as in the Hand Therapy Department at the Long Beach Memorial Hospital. Later, I joined Pharmacology Department at the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital. It was at the Long Beach Memorial Hospital where I observed my friend’s work who is a hand therapist. I witnessed how hand therapists didn’t only improve the quality of lives of the patients but also lifted their spirits. I also observed occupational therapists tending to children with developmental disabilities and all of this sparked my interest in occupational therapy (OT). I also realized my background in cognitive psychology will be an asset as an occupational therapist because it will allow me to better communicate with my patients and understand their needs.

I am currently pursing my Masters degree in OT at the University of Southern California (USC) and would like to further advance my academic credentials by pursuing a PhD in OT at USC. I am specifically interested in contributing towards USC’s Lifestyle Redesign programs. USC’s Lifestyle Redesign initiative is the first of its kind in the world and reflects USC’s commitment to stay at the leading edge of the OT field. As population ages, there will be growing demand for programs to help seniors regain control of their lives and adopt healthy and enjoyable activities.

I believe one should pursue a career where his/her interests lie and the career is also compatible with one’s strengths and skills. I have diverse academic background as well as work experiences which have allowed me to discover my interests as well as understand personal strengths and weaknesses. I am now convinced that not only my strengths and personal values are a great match to the field of OT but I will also be a high performer over the course of my professional career.

Currently, I’m also taking an OT research course at Rancho Los Amigos Rehab Hospital in which I have the opportunities to engage in clinical research and practice. I am involved in an OT department-wide study which utilizes the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and my responsibilities include data collection, data analysis, and suggesting recommendations to improve OT practice at the hospital. The experience is also helping me develop leadership and presentation skills because I hold discussions with the hospital staff and make formal presentations to the hospital management.

The data I have reviewed as part of the course has gotten me interested in developing a lifestyle redesign program aimed at the geriatric population that suffers from orthopedics/ TBI symptoms. What I like about COPM is its focus on the subject itself and I believe that COPM’s principles can be used to improve the OT practice by making greater efforts to understand the patients and their own perceptions of the progress. This is very similar to the philosophy that has been adapted by for-profit organizations where the value of good or service is not determined by the actual quality but instead the customers’ perception of the quality. I desire to further advance the research body in OT area and a PhD in OT will provide me access to both research resources and industry professionals that could help me incorporate the best parts of COPM in OT. PhD programs in OT do not only take academic approach to the challenges but also prepare candidates for leadership responsibilities in the clinical setting environment. This is why I am attracted to the program because I believe that best theories take both ideas and real world observations to arrive at solutions. My past work experiences have provided me a foundation in leadership qualities and I believe a PhD in OT will help me further develop them.

I have always been inquisitive for as long as I remember. Even though my future goal is to be an occupational therapist but I try to read on different subject matters including business, politics, history, and humanities in addition to science, healthcare, and psychology etc. I believe having knowledge in multiple areas improves our ability to understand the world as well as predict future trends. The aging population is a phenomenon not only limited to America but most developed countries as well as emerging economies such as China. This means that the demand for services required by geriatric population including occupational therapy will only grow over time on a global scale. This puts me at an advantageous position because I have strong cultural understanding of numerous countries especially U.S. and China/Taiwan and in addition, I also have work experiences in both the U.S. and Taiwan. This broad perspective will be an asset in my quest to make further contributions towards the growing field of occupational therapy.

I want to further advance my education at USC because not only I will remain a part of one of the best Occupational Therapy programs in the world but also will have the opportunity to work with some of the best minds in the field. USC is a pioneer in Lifestyle Redesign program which means I will have all the modern research resources at my disposal and will be working with the pioneers in the Lifestyle Redesign area. I look forward to taking advantage of all the learning opportunities the university has to offer and making valuable contributions in the area of Lifestyle Resign.