Iván Del Toro Hernández never narrows his ambitions. From opera singer to philosopher to occupational therapist, he’s on his way to becoming exactly who he’s meant to be.
While Iván calls Puerto Rico home, he’s grateful for the support he found on the Bluff
as he transferred to Duquesne and pivoted from nursing to occupational therapy.
His first experience living in the United States was through a nursing internship
in Bismarck, North Dakota. There, Iván discovered the field of occupational therapy.
“I worked with developmentally delayed children and it was such a beautiful opportunity
seeing the occupational therapists help them,” he said.
Although Iván says progress may be slow at times, there is a great deal of satisfaction
knowing that occupational therapists can help children adjust to their different abilities
and start living more independently.
“They have a smile on their face and they’re always glad to see you,” he said. “You
go home with a smile on your face, too.”
Iván had the drive to dig deeper into his other interests as well, and he found support
from Duquesne faculty and staff who trusted in his potential.
“I wanted to pursue other passions like philosophy and opera,” said Iván. “I was able
to do that because Duquesne allowed me to explore and didn’t put me in a box. Instead,
they said ‘we will help you get it and you will achieve it.’”
Iván is a philosophy minor and member of the Duquesne Opera Ensemble. The group performs
on campus and at nursing homes.
Through the occupational therapy program, Iván worked at UPMC Magee-Women's Hospital
as a rehabilitation aide, shadowing occupational therapists, interacting with patients
and assisting with exercises.
“It's such an amazing thing about Pittsburgh and Duquesne being where it is. There
are endless opportunities to get a job or internship,” he said.
Iván recently shadowed experts at the UPMC Vision Institute, a new facility within
walking distance of campus. The Institute aims to prevent vision loss and restore
eyesight, a mission that allowed Iván to embed himself in the community and work toward
creating a future everyone can share.
“It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had,” he said. “I now want to
focus on blind and low-vision rehabilitation as an occupational therapist.”
Iván is already working toward these bigger goals. In addition to earning his Occupational
Therapy Doctorate in the John G. Rangos Sr. School of Health Sciences, he eventually
plans to pursue a master’s or doctorate in counseling.
“I would love to be a university professor or dean,” he said. “There’s no accredited
occupational therapy doctorate program in Puerto Rico. Maybe I’ll start the first
one.”
As Iván looks to shape the future of higher education in Puerto Rico, he’s grateful
to witness Duquesne’s growth with the opening of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“We are a more interdisciplinary institution with more professionals coming into the
workforce that show the Duquesne spirit,” he said. “It’s a chance for occupational
therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, pharmacy students and more to work
with each other sooner.”
Iván sees this as an opportunity to learn together and bring new knowledge to classmates.
“I've had occasions where even doctors have asked about occupational therapy, and
it’s so refreshing to help educate them,” he said. “Sometimes they say they have patients
who would benefit from occupational therapy, and it helps to start that dialogue from
the beginning in school–not just during clinical field work.”
Iván also looks forward to conducting interdisciplinary research alongside medical
students and consulting one another on best practices in patient care.
“My goal is to learn as much as possible about my own field, about my own career and
about others,” he said. “I don't just want to be a great occupational therapist; I
want to be a great health care provider.”
News Information
Published
April 05, 2024
New Medical School, Fresh Perspectives
Students from across campus will connect in meaningful, productive ways.
Rose Trimpey-Warhaftig
There’s a huge need for primary care physicians who speak Spanish. I want to use these skills in my daily work to help eliminate barriers.
Jacob Dimenbort
There will be a lot of opportunities for interprofessional work, particularly in the state-of-the-art simulation suites. This is where students start to understand the roles and responsibilities of their colleagues in different simulations such as the emergency room, birthing suite and more.
Rachel Anderson
I prioritize a holistic health approach in my own practice and consider physical, emotional and social wellbeing. It’s really exciting that Duquesne is expanding and working to train new professionals in these resources.
Henry DiPaolo
The opening of Duquesne’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is a great opportunity for collaboration. Pharmacy students can hear different patient cases and collaborate with a team of medical students, nursing students and pharmacy students–just like in the hospital setting.
Kyla Covato
With the medical students we can look at issues they might have and help them discover what we can do about them. I'm excited to collaborate and solve more health issues.
Cassidy Camp
I feel like the school and faculty will guide medical students and get them on the same positive path faculty have sent me on in the nursing field.
Kirstin Franklin
The new college will allow school psychology students to interact with medical students and learn how those teams work, while medical students get to learn how school systems work. It’s important to have these multidisciplinary teams working together so their patients–our students–can benefit.
Amelia Trello
Duquesne students in the health profession programs are already contributing to the wellbeing of our communities. Now we are putting forth more professionals in the health sphere, and that's a great thing.
Fayla Junior
Since being here at Duquesne, one of the things that people tell others about Pittsburgh is that it's one of the places where health care thrives.