Gary Hill, clinical coordinator of lhe physician assistant program, works with his students in thefielcl ofoplometry. The purpose of Haniiny's physician assistant program inclHded developing compc1ssio11. competence and patient-centeredji1rns with motii•ation, professionalism wzd life-long learning as c1 strong basis. according to their website. I Photo courtesy of Jefl Montgomery \V O H L. D \V I D E OPPOHTCNITY By l\.Jichucl ])cSaluo The Harding Physical Therapy Program, a three-year graduate program leading to a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, began in 2010 under the leadership of Chancellor David Burks. One primary aspect of the program focused on shaping students into Christian servants by allowing them to participate in a two-week medical mission practicum in Zambia, Africa. The practicum allowed physical therapy students to provide their services at a two-day clinic. They also toured hospitals and a prosthetic limb-making shop and worked at a rehab pediatric clinic. In 2013, the group worked at the Namwianga Mission in Monze, Zambia, but due to the Ebola crisis during the following year, the department chose to go to Nicaragua in 2014 rather than Zambia. The goal of the medical missions practicum was to introduce students to a new environment and perspective related to their area of study. According to the department's website, the students stayed in the Harding University in Zambia facilities and traveled to villages in the nearby areas. Director and associate professor of physical therapy Mike McGalliard believed the medical mission practicum provided students with not just a cultural experience, but an opportunity for them to observe medical methods in foreign countries. "We wanted to do something that would help the Zambian people but also do some more long-term development," McGalliard said. "We also wanted our students to have a fantastic experience in terms of seeing a different culture and seeing what healthcare is like in another country to broaden their worldview." Nearly 800 Zambians came to the clinic offered by the Harding physical therapy faculty and students, and local Zambian radio stations advertised information about the clinic. Brian Odom, assistant professor in the physical therapy department, believed the patients who attended the clinic were able to find the assistance they needed because of the physical therapy the students provided. "Since PT (physical therapy) is not well known in that area, people are always seeking help, and many came just to receive medical attention, but once they figured out what we were doing, their eyes were opened," Odom said. "I hope some return to see us again." Michael Pruitt, a student in the physical therapy program, attended the medical missions practicum in December 2013. Pruitt said physical touch played an important role in providing relief to patients' ailments. "Touch is a language that everyone speaks," Pruitt said. "It is multi-cultural and international. As a physical therapist, I get to spend so much more time with a patient than most other medical professionals. That is something I love about my job is being able to communicate with my patients in more than just words but to show them the love of God by touch. I feel PTs get a great opportunity to be able to show people the love of Christ by touching them rather than trying to keep our distance." The program also established long-term goals to assist the people of Zambia in the future. "We have established relationships with physical therapists in Zambia, and we are trying to develop the profession in that country," McGalliard said. "We are also in the process of trying to start a physical therapy school in Zambia, so our goals are not just a short-term experience for our students." (;H .\l>l'.\TE PHO(;H .\,\IS 107 ::i f ll ... 11( It f •I i, ti ; ,,, I 11 . ,1 ~ I II
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