Unm Occupational Therapy Students Train in Guatamala

>> [intro] [pause] [pause] [pause] >>NANCIE FURGANG: This came about with the intent of providing an international practice area for both graduate occupational therapy students and undergraduate anthropology students so they could learn and practice together in an international environment. It allows students in occupational therapy to have a global field work experience and take the clinical skills that they’ve learned in the North America environment and translate them in the Central America, almost third-world environment. [pause] [pause] >>JOSIE GILBERT: It was kind of as raw an experience as you can get - really able to just work directly with families and directly with these children in the hospital. As an occupational therapist I’m trying to help individuals of any age participate in those activities of their daily life that they find most meaningful and most want to participate in. In graduate school we talk a lot about occupation happening where environment and the individual and occupation all come together and that as a therapist if you can bring those three things and combine them, that’s where you’ll be most effective. And I think the amazing thing about being in a different culture is that you really get to see how environment is influencing the occupation of an individual in a way that you don’t necessarily get to in the United States or in an environment where you’re more comfortable. >>NANCIE FURGANG: In pediatrics we look at normal development of children, so we look at what are norms. North America norms tell us one thing, but what about Central America? What happens with babies in different environments and different cultures. And the idea is that students get to look at occupation in a very different context. [pause] [pause] >>JOSIE GILBERT: If you’re interested in this connection between environment and occupation and the individual and how those three things relate and interact there is no better setting to see that happen than in a culture and a city like Antigua, Guatemala. The people are some of the most beautiful, generous, amazing individuals, and the ability to look at how they live their lives and how they define occupation is invaluable. [end]