Where Are They Now: Kaylin Magosin, MSOT ‘20

Salus University teaches its Occupational Therapy (OT) students to be flexible. Kaylin Magosin, MSOT ‘20, was one of the many who have learned how valuable a skill that would become.

During the final two weeks of her first clinical rotation, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Not only did that mean she had to pivot with the rest of the students to virtual rotation for those two weeks, but it delayed her second rotation from April to July of that year. The dominoes kept falling and tested her ability to be flexible even further as her graduation date got backed up to October 2020 instead of May.

“The COVID experience, not only was I a new grad and trying to learn everything there is to learn, but I was continuing to learn how to also be flexible and think on my feet,” she said. “COVID was one more thing to throw onto the pile. But like with any other challenge, you adapt and you learn to overcome it.”

Originally from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Magosin graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Neuroscience. Through family and friends growing up, she learned about occupational therapy, specifically pediatric occupational therapy at A Total Approach, a private practice in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. This peaked her interest in how the human brain and body work together, and how this brain/body cooperation could be interrupted with various developmental challenges. As a result, she decided to study neuroscience in college.

“I thought about OT as a potential career path, but I didn’t decide for sure until about halfway through my undergraduate,” she said.

Magosin chose Salus to advance her career in OT because of the personal relationship the University, its faculty and staff have with each of its students.

“Other places I interviewed at were very impersonal. Salus really cared about me and my interests and wanted to help me reach my goals,” she said.

While at Salus, Magosin was a member of the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) and was the secretary of Pi Theta Epsilon (PTE), the OT honor society. Through PTE, she was part of a group of students that wrote an article about emerging practice areas  submitted for publication to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s OT Practice magazine.

Magosin liked Salus for a lot of reasons, but was particularly happy the University prepared her for her OT career. She cited the interdisciplinary focus OT students were exposed to and the fact that there was an emphasis on being client-centered.

“I really liked that we were exposed to other professions in my clinical rotations [and within Salus coursework],” she said. “I now understand how a speech therapist can help. There’s a lot of overlap between OT and optometry. I feel like I have an understanding of what the other professions do and I hope they have somewhat of an understanding about what we do.”

After graduation, Magosin came full circle and secured a job with A Total Approach, the same private practice she was familiar with years earlier. One of the many things about the job that appeals to her is A Total Approach’s focus on continuing education and training.

“It’s so helpful, especially as a new grad, to have that built in so I can get that mentoring and support. I like being in the clinical setting where I have [the ability to ask] other people questions,” she said.

When she finds some time for herself, Magosin likes cooking and baking, making dishes and desserts that she can share with others. She’s also a big sports fan and enjoys college basketball and the Phillies.

She is also focused on her job and her continuing development as an OT.

“I know it takes a while to become an expert in your field but I’d like to continue to learn. There has been a learning curve for me and that’s what they told me when I started at A Total Approach,” she said. “I keep reminding myself that I’m a lot further along now than I was when I started and there is more I want to learn. It’s a process and I’ll become an even more experienced clinician over time.”