PT Students Complete Study Abroad Trip to Oaxaca, Mexico

The trip was led by Dr. Jacob Burtch, ASU assistant clinical professor, in partnership with the University of Lynchburg’s Physician Assistant program. The students worked out of a local school in Huayapam, where they set up multiple treatment rooms in the classrooms to conduct their evaluations and treatments.

Dr. Jacob Burtch “This trip is a great way for our students to get hands-on training with classmates in a low-stakes, but highly rewarding, environment,” Burtch said. “Additionally, because we partner with the Lynchburg PA program, our students learn how other disciplines practice while also providing education on what we can do as physical therapists. And potentially most important is the chance for our students to serve an underserved region and people.”

Most of the patients that the ASU students treated would normally have to travel hours to get to a hospital and would likely have to wait for days to see a doctor. It was also not uncommon for the patients the students saw to travel from up to six hours away to see them and receive treatment.

“Exposure to this not only makes us thankful for how blessed we are, but also humbles us and compels us to provide outstanding care for these individuals,” Burtch said. “Plus, part of our profession’s Code of Ethics states that physical therapists shall participate in efforts to meet the health needs of people locally, nationally and globally.”

The ASU students also had the opportunity to experience a local traditional healing practice called a Temazcal – basically a sweat lodge ceremony for spiritual healing and purification. A local physician also gave them a presentation on the Mexican healthcare system.

There was also a cultural component to the students’ trip. They toured the archeological ruins at Mitla and also visited Teotetlán, a community known for its textiles, where they watched the workers hand-string fabrics, mix hand-made dyes and weave the fabrics into final products.

The ASU students who participated in the study abroad trip included:

• Ashira Budd of San Antonio
• Aurora Emmons of San Angelo
• Shae Harris of Brownwood
• Brittney Hoenshell of Irving
• Lindsay Krabbenhoft of Kyle
• Krystyn Irby of Odessa
• Josie Linson of Austin
• Molly Voskamp of San Angelo

“I think this annual trip really offers multiple opportunities for our students,” Burtch said. “But most importantly, part of our mission in ASU’s Archer College of Health and Human Services is to enrich people’s quality of life, especially for individuals in underserved and vulnerable populations. This trip gives our students opportunities to fulfill this calling as professionals.”

“My hope is that this trip fosters in our students a lifelong desire to serve using the skills and experience they gain as physical therapists.”