Casey Fleming Accepted to TTUHSC's School of Health Professions

Ever since Casey Fleming was a high school sophomore she has wanted to attend occupational therapy (OT) school. Now as a graduating senior, she finally has that chance. After years of hard work and a lengthy application process, Casey has been accepted to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) for the Fall 2019 entry term.

Casey's interest in occupational therapy sparked at a young age after volunteering at a pediatric outpatient clinic in San Antonio. Entering college, she knew what she wanted and focused on what steps it was going to take to get there. She was determined to graduate from the Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) program in just three years before (OT) school.

Academic Advisor Tim Spees recalls some of his first interactions with Casey. "I could tell that, as a freshman, Casey had qualities that proved herself to be more mature than most her age. In her first year, she mentioned she was interested in occupational therapy and immediately looked for ways to prepare and make herself competitive in the field."

Ambitious as she is, Casey admits the application process was exhausting.

"If I could impart any wisdom to a student applying for a pre-professional health career, it is to begin your application as early as possible."

No matter what classification, Casey suggests that students knockout their mandatory shadowing hours, participate in research, and enroll in a GRE prep class. She also thinks it would be beneficial to make meaningful connections with faculty members, get involved with student organizations, and utilize the services at the Career Center.

Even though she had done all of these things, she confesses the most difficult aspect of the application process was overcoming her feelings of inadequacy.

"I often felt discouraged as I compared myself to other students and their long lists of achievements. It took self-reflection to realize that who I am is enough, everything I am doing is enough, and what I have on my application is enough."

The HDFS program played a large role in making her feel confident and prepared for OT school. She said the best class she took was definitely HDFS 3326: Families in Crisis.

"This class takes a deep look at the resources available, the perception of the family, added stressor events, and coping methods to determine the outcome of the family once the crisis has passed. As a future Occupational Therapist, my goal is to do everything in my power to make sure that the families I work with rally around my patient to give them support."

Looking at what got her to this point, Casey is pleased that she chose HDFS.

"This program provides insight into the life of the patient and their family, which is incredibly important when learning how individuals handle different crises and cultural barriers. Occupational Therapists largely impact their patients' outlook, so it is incredibly applicable that this program makes people the priority."

Congratulations, Casey! We know you will continue to go on and do great things.