Roane State Community College

Niccole Rowe

Sept. 28, 2016

By Bob Fowler
Staff Writer

Niccole Rowe was well on her way to obtaining a bachelor's degree in communications at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga when she was assigned to do a story about the school's occupational therapy class.

"After 30 minutes in the (occupational therapy) lab, I thought, 'I should have majored in this,'" Rowe said.

Fast forward seven years in what Rowe said was her immersion in the high-stress, low-paying world of television news followed by starting a family and staying at home with her new son.

"I decided I wanted to go back to work, and I wanted to do something that was fulfilling and helps people, and I came upon occupational therapy," she said.

But there were no master's degree programs in OT near Knoxville. There was, however, a two-year occupational therapy assistant program nearby, at Roane State Community College's Oak Ridge campus.

Rowe graduated at age 32 with an associate degree in that field in 2012, and then worked jobs in acute care and skilled nursing settings. For the past year-and-a-half, Rowe has been employed part-time at the multidisciplinary clinic in Knoxville titled Pain Consultants of East Tennessee.

Rowe is also an adjunct professor at Roane State and teaches an online course for occupational therapy assistant students.

Now, she's been selected — one of 15 people nationwide — for an Emerging Leader Development Program sponsored by the 56,000-member American Occupational Therapy Association.

"It's really an honor," she said. "They looked at what I had done, where I had worked and my teaching, and they saw something in me that they thought could further benefit my profession."

According to the association, the program "recognizes and invests in students and practitioners who have demonstrated dedication and commitment, through service to the profession, at the start of their career."

The program is a yearlong commitment that includes a two-day training program in Bethesda, Md., and the pair-up with a mentor who is currently an association leader.

Rowe said the yearlong program focuses on imparting leadership skills, resolving conflicts and empowering occupational therapy assistants "in having a voice at their location"

Rowe said she's happy in her current career.

"You take the goals that the occupational therapist sets and you work with clients," she said. "It's a respectful working relationship."

Tennessee’s Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. All colleges in the system offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit tncommunitycolleges.org.