Four Marquette Physician Assistant Studies students are in the middle of a clinical rotation they will never forget as they hone their physical exam skills in South Africa.
Associate Program Director Dr. Michael Toppe says he was inspired to implement a rotation in Africa thanks to a transformative experience during his own clinical training in Zambia 20 years ago.
“There are many things to learn from a rotation of this kind,” Toppe says. “Medically, they enhance their clinical and diagnostic skills because there is less reliance on technology there. They also are exposed to diagnoses that are not as common in the U.S. In addition, learning there is an exercise in cultural humility as students are exposed to people with widely different backgrounds.”
Marquette Today spoke to three Marquette PA students — Kristine Cranford, Joanna Gao and Gabriella Medeiros Ducheny — about their rotation placement halfway around the globe.
Marquette Today: What are your feelings heading into this rotation?
- Kristine Cranford: I am incredibly excited, but also nervous for this rotation. I have never traveled internationally so that alone will be a new experience for me. I’m also feeling immensely grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to taking care of patients in a new environment while learning medicine from a different perspective and while exploring a new country.
- Joanna Gao: It feels surreal heading into this clinical. We were busy on our most recent rotations before we left so we didn’t have a chance to pause and mentally prepare before hopping on our flight. Still, we are all very excited and I’m confident we will grow as persons as well as practitioners over the month we will spend there.
- Gabriella Medeiros Ducheny: As the start of this rotation approaches, I find myself very excited but at the same time anxious. We have had over six months of clinical experience in the United States and will now experience applying it within a country with different resources, patient populations and culture. While I’m sure it will be challenging, I see it as an amazing opportunity for personal and professional growth. I’m thankful this group of providers, nurses and patients are open to welcoming us to this clinical experience.
MT: What are you hoping to learn while on rotation? What are you most excited to learn about during your rotation?
- KC: I am looking forward to honing my physical exam skill and taking care of patients with conditions that are not often seen in the United States. Because we will be practicing in an environment with limited diagnostic testing, the physical exam portion of our assessment will be crucial and the health care providers we will work with are experts in physical assessment. In the United States, we have extensive access to diagnostic testing options (blood tests, imaging, etc.) to guide our clinical decision-making, and we often rely heavily on these tools in everyday practice. I am excited to challenge myself and increase confidence in my physical exam skills to better serve my future patients and reduce the use of unnecessary diagnostic testing.
- JG: I’m most excited to dive into cross-cultural care! Of course, we see patients from all diverse backgrounds in the United States, but I’m interested in having my conscious or unconscious preconceptions about patients challenged in a foreign environment. I’m crossing my fingers that the patients and providers there are as excited to see us as we are to see them and hope to listen to their stories and learn from them. I’m specifically interested in working with kids on this rotation, both by seeing pediatric patients in the hospital and meeting the children at the COFA (Christian Outreach for Africa) orphanage! It’ll also be interesting to work with conditions that we don’t see as often in the U.S., like tuberculosis, advanced HIV/AIDS and others.
- GMD: I am hoping to learn how to rely less on the abundance of resources that we have in the United States while putting problem-solving skills into practice and refining history-taking and physical exam abilities. I am also excited to work alongside very experienced providers who may think through clinical scenarios differently than we do, as this will undoubtedly broaden our perspective and enhance our skills as future providers.
MT: What does it say about the Marquette Physician Assistant Studies program that you’re able to embark on this type of rotation where you can learn so much in a new environment? Do you think you would’ve had this opportunity elsewhere?
- KC: This is a unique opportunity and not something I expected to be part of my PA school journey. I’m certain that this experience will make me a more compassionate, confident, and well-rounded health care provider and human. MUPA offers a variety of other specialty/distance rotations, and I think the opportunity to learn in South Africa is a fantastic addition to that lineup. The MUPA faculty are invested in both our personal and professional development as PA students, and I believe offering this rotation is a testament to that mission.
- JG: I think it’s great that this rotation is one of a few offered by the program that is set in an unexpected place, with this one being the furthest out of the country. Although every rotation in this past clinical year has been challenging in different ways, being a student in an unfamiliar environment will add another dimension to the whole clinical experience.
- GMD: I’m grateful that Marquette offers international clinical rotations, making the PA program competitive with others that offer similar opportunities. As both an immigrant and future PA, I believe there is a lot to learn from immersing myself in another culture. It is a unique opportunity to grow personally and professionally, and something I wish more people had the chance to do, even if not health care workers.
