At a key transition point in their studies, occupational therapy students across all USAHS campuses participate in a meaningful ritual, witnessed by family and friends. The OT pinning ceremony marks the end of the classroom portion of their studies and the beginning of their fieldwork. For Residential MOT and OTD students, this happens in their fourth term, and for Flex, in the seventh term.
A longstanding tradition in OT practice, the pin celebrates the diversity of practice areas, the client-centered nature of our practice and the values of our profession.
“It’s an opportunity for faculty to acknowledge our students’ transition from classroom learning to clinical learning,” says Mary Zadnik, ScD, MEd, OTR/L, director of the entry-level OT programs on Read more
OTD, University of Southern California
MA in Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California
BA in Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California
Research Interests
Psychosis as a Human Experience
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy
Experience of Hoarding Disorder
Experts by Experience in Academia
Advising and Mentoring in Higher Education
Areas of Expertise
Community Based PracticeAdult Mental HealthPsychosisTraumaPeople experiencing homelessness/Unhoused communities’
Dr. McIntyre is an Assistant Professor of occupational therapy at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, San Marcos, CA campus. Dr. McIntyre completed her BS, MA and post-professional OTD degrees in occupational therapy at the University of Southern California. Dr. McIntyre’s career has focused on working with adults labelled with serious mental illness in a range of service settings, both inpatient and community based, nationally and in the United Kingdom, where she spent six years working in London.
Dr. McIntyre’s primary practice interest is working with adults experiencing psychosis in community-based mental health settings. Her scholarly work has focused on occupational therapy’s role in trauma-informed education, secondary trauma, the experience of hoarding disorder, psychosis as a human experience, and the inclusion of experts by experience in academic settings. She is the author or co-author of several book chapters related to mental health occupational therapy practice, including the recent update of Bruce & Borg’s Psychosocial Frames of Reference (2015).
She has served as a fieldwork educator in various mental health emerging practice settings, including a variety of services for individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as substance use and recovery settings. Dr. McIntyre co-facilitates the AOTA Psychosis Community of Practice, and also serves as the OTAC representative for the California Coalition for Mental Health.
