Occupational Therapy Spotlight

Meet Alayna McCalley. Alayna is a third-year student in Drake's Occupational Therpay Doctorate (OTD) program and will graduate in 2022! In her last year of the OTD program, Alayna has had the opportunity to complete a doctoral capstone experience at the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, Colorado. 

Tell us about your capstone experience at National Sports Center for the Disabled. What were your responsibilities and what did a typical day/week look like?

Every day on site I would be an instructor for an adaptive ski lesson, whether that's a stand ski, ski bike, slider, or sit ski. I worked primarily on my capstone project during the weekends.

What is your favorite thing about this Doctoral Capstone?

Getting to meet all my participants, meeting all my wonderful co-instructors, and getting to experience something so unique!

What attracted you to Drake's OTD program?

The location, a new program, and contracts with so many placements outside of Iowa.

Have your career goals changed at all since starting Drake's OTD program? How so?

No, I still would love to be a neuro occupational therapist!

How has Drake prepared you for your future career as an occupational therapy professional?

Providing diverse clinical and capstone experiences.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to future occupational therapy students?

Don't sweat the small stuff and take time for yourself.