Dr. Krysta Rives Podcast Interview

Dr. Krysta Rives has been an occupational therapy assistant since 2013 when she began her career in travel therapy. After gaining a solid clinical foundation and advanced degrees in health care management, and business, she transitioned into academia where she has held roles as a founding OTA program director and professor. She has served the profession at the state and national levels as the OTA Representative at Large for POTA, on the AOTA DEI Taskforce, and the AOTA COP where she co-authored the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework 4th Edition and the AOTA Guidelines for Supervision, Roles, and Responsibilities document. Krysta has a passion for teaching and continually works on initiatives that strive for diversity and inclusion, women’s advocacy, and creating opportunities for Occupational Therapy Assistants to work in emergent areas of practice. In 2019 she founded the SUNY JCC Valerie Rives Scholarship for Diversity in Occupational Therapy to support students in financial need. 

 

Krysta wears many hats; in addition to being an OTA and professor, she is a business owner (OT study nOTes LLC), a realtor, and the mother of a teenage son named Julian. Krysta comes from a large family with 5 younger sisters, 2 younger brothers, and too many nieces and nephews to list. She loves to sew, read, and watch guilty pleasure TV shows like 90 Day Fiance, and she credits all of her success to the grace of God. 

 

Krysta is the recipient of the 2019 OTA award of recognition by POTA, the 2021 Impact award recipient from NBCOT, and the 2021 Alumni Career Community Award from her OTA Alma Mater SUNY JCC.

 

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