USI Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

09/04/2026

We love our buddies!

08/20/2026

We love our buddies! ❤️

The OTA Class of 2027 jumped right into the action on Orientation Day with our annual Buddy Pairing Day at Solarbron! Students met their buddies and started building connections that will continue throughout the year.

We don’t waste any time! A huge thank you to Solarbron for this awesome partnership and for continuing to support our USI OTA students!

08/19/2026

Job Posting Alert!

Providing mobile, outpatient, telehealth. No age limit. OT, feeding therapy, lactation services.

08/07/2026

Job Posting Alert!!!

Now Hiring in North Manchester, Indiana!

Reliant Rehab is growing in the North Manchester area and we’re looking for passionate clinicians to join our rehab team!

Current opportunities include:

Occupational Therapist (OT)
Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA)
Physical Therapist (PT)
Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)

If you’re looking for a supportive environment where you can make a meaningful impact while continuing to grow your career, we’d love to connect with you.

Great careers start with great benefits:
Flexible PTO (with rollover!)
NEW grad tuition repayment assistance
401(k) with company match
Paid licensure + CEUs
Maternity & paternity support

Join a team that values collaboration, compassionate care, and clinician
growth.

Already a Reliant employee? Don’t forget about our Employee Referral Bonus!

Email [email protected]

08/06/2026

Professor Sean Weir and colleagues from Encompass Health (Tanner Daniel, Lindsey Martin, and Laurie Hargis) were honored to present "The Do's and Don'ts of Stroke Rehabilitation" at the Mid-America Institute on Aging and Wellness Conference at the University of Southern Indiana on August 6, 2026.

Thank you to everyone who attended and to MAIA Health for the opportunity to share evidence-based strategies for improving stroke rehabilitation outcomes.

07/30/2026

Thank you, Councilman Trockman, for taking the time to share your inspiring story with us. We truly appreciate your openness and the impact your experiences had on our students!

There's nothing I enjoy more than spending time with students — especially those preparing to enter healthcare.

I recently had the opportunity to spend 90 minutes with the University of Southern Indiana Occupational Therapy Assistant program. We skipped the formal presentation, took questions, shared stories, and before I knew it, our time was up.

Whenever I speak with future healthcare professionals, I share my story — from my spinal cord injury, to my time at Deaconess, to the months I spent at the Shepherd Center and the Kennedy Krieger Institute learning not just how to live with a spinal cord injury, but how to believe in myself again.

Why share so much?

Because I wouldn't be where I am today without healthcare professionals who refused to give up on me.

I still remember lying in a hospital bed at the Shepherd Center, connected to a ventilator, scared, angry, and convinced I didn't want to get out of bed. The PTs and OTs had other plans.

They believed in me before I believed in myself.

They got me out of bed. I fought them. I complained. I probably said words I'm glad they chose to ignore. There were tears. There were setbacks. But every day they helped me move a little farther from my bed and a little closer to the therapy gym.

Looking back, they weren't just rebuilding my strength. They were rebuilding my confidence, my independence, and my belief that my life could still have
purpose.

That work didn't end after rehab. Over the last 20 years, countless nurses, therapists, physicians, aides, and caregivers have helped make it possible for me to live the life I live today.

That's why I love speaking to students like this.

Every person in that classroom will someday meet someone on what may be the hardest day of their life. They may never fully realize the impact they have, but I hope they remember this:

Never underestimate the impact you can have on someone who feels like they've lost hope.

Sometimes the greatest thing you can give a patient isn't a treatment plan. It's hope. It's believing in them before they believe in themselves.

Thank you to the University of Southern Indiana OTA program for letting me spend the afternoon with you. One day, one of you will be the reason someone like me believes in themselves again.

P.S. If you're wondering, yes... I was the only one who missed the "navy polo and khakis" email. 😄

07/16/2026

USI OTA Class of 2026

07/09/2026

Another great day in OTA 344! Our OTA students partnered with the University of Southern Indiana Food & Nutrition program to create simplified, healthy, easy-to-read recipes while blindfolded, highlighting the importance of accessibility and adaptive strategies.

We wrapped up the day with a yoga session led by the USI Recreation & Wellness Center. A great reminder that self-care is an essential part of becoming a healthcare professional!