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
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Northern Illinois University
Master of Science in Nursing – Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist, Governors State University
Post Masters Certificate – Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, University of Massachusetts-Boston
Doctor of Nursing Practice, Troy University
Dr. Janice Dunlap is nurse practitioner, academic nursing professor and researcher. She focuses on the holistic care of the adult gerontology population and began her career in 1995 in critical care in Joliet, IL. Next, she completed an advanced degree as a clinical nurse specialist in 2003 from Governors State University and was awarded the College of Health Professions Outstanding Graduate Student Award that same year.
Soon after she relocated to the Florida panhandle and implemented award-winning programs for Stroke and Cardiac care. During this time, she pursued a post-masters adult gerontology nurse practitioner certificate from the University of Massachusetts-Boston in 2009 and transitioned to clinic-based neurology care. Dr. Dunlap then obtained her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2016 from Troy University completing her doctoral synthesis project pertaining to Parkinson’s disease. Her research awarded her the Troy University Outstanding Student Research Award in 2016.
Dr. Dunlap’s academic experience includes an adjunct position at the University of South Alabama working with both clinical nurse specialist doctoral students and family nurse practitioner students, teaching various courses. Additionally, she was a visiting professor for Chamberlain University in the family nurse practitioner program. She joined the nursing faculty at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 2019.
In 2021, Dr. Dunlap was accepted in the Sigma Theta Tau New Academic Leadership Academy with a research topic of academic microaggressions. A pilot study is in progress, and she hopes to expand this research nationally. Professional activities include mentoring, reviewing scholarly journals and textbooks and volunteering for children’s sports activities.
