Global Rotations

Several students from the Pace Physician Assistant (PA) Program recently returned from rotations in India and Ecuador with a new perspective on inter- national health care.

“Entering a land that’s overpopulated with people and in short supply of every- thing else makes one realize how fortunate we are here in the U.S. and reinforces one’s appreciation for all that is available to us,” says Lauren Cardinal ’11, who believes her experience in India taught her volumes about medicine and ultimately herself.

Kristin Lieber ’11, who also visited India, spent two weeks in a government hospital that saw as many as 100 patients an hour. Her experience in the rural area included hiking for up to three hours to provide basic health care to rural villages, while carrying medical supplies, and establishing makeshift clinics.

Another PA student, Maria Bosch ’11 worked on the labor and delivery floor of a public hospital located in Quito, Ecuador. “It was interesting to see how drastically different the birthing process is for some of these young girls compared to what we see in the U.S.,” says Bosch. “No private rooms, no husbands or family members helping to coach them through, and no pain-killers!”

Dominique Igoe ’11 also worked in maternal health in Quito. “In Quito and the surrounding areas, health care facilities operate on the bare minimum, examining patients with old equipment in run-down facilities and reusing gloves. I often discovered that rather than prescribe multiple expensive and confusing medications, the physicians compassionately encourage feasible lifestyle and diet changes with great outcomes for the patients,” she says. “Not only has the international experience made me fully appreciate all that we have in this country, but it has also taught me that it is still possible to successfully treat patients without it.”

But the hard work didn’t faze the students—if anything it made them more dedicated. Lieber’s experience in Ecuador has inspired her to pursue a career practicing international medicine. And for Cardinal, it confirmed her career course: “This experience affirmed that I made the right choice to enter the wide, ever- changing world of medicine.”