March 2009

Off-Campus Study Experiences
Provide Glimpse at Real-World Careers

Several students took advantage of Austin College’s Career Study Off-Campus (CSOC) program during the 2009 JanTerm. “The intent of the CSOC program at Austin College is to bridge the gap between knowledge developed through the liberal arts academic curriculum and the application of that knowledge within the actual workplace,” said Margie Norman, Director of Career Services and CSOC.

• Students Participate in Janterm Internships

Students who engage in this self-directed learning identify goals and learning outcomes for their internships and, together with faculty, choose the most appropriate method to assess their learning. Site supervisors agree to mentor, guide, provide substantive projects, and assist students with reaching individual goals.

“We have had students come back from their internships with research papers, art exhibits, video documentaries, business plans, and presentations to peers and academic departments,” Norman said. “All these experiences serve to confirm or reaffirm a student’s chosen career. Sometimes the best CSOC is one in which the student decides maybe another career path is worth considering. Site supervisors respond to the program by asking over and over for us to continue to send bright and motivated students.”

The students featured here are just a sampling. Nearly 100 students could be found throughout Texas and as far away as California, Washington, D.C., and Nepal, working alongside doctors, lawyers, ministers, dentists, teachers, political leaders, journalists, physical therapists, veterinarians, business leaders, and psychologists, or exploring areas of event planning, retail management, human resources, non-profit organizations, equine therapy, marketing, investment, archaeology, and city planning during the 2009 JanTerm.

Maria Estela Ayala ’09

Ayala built her CSOC from a 2007 study abroad experience in Paris, France studying the country’s educational system. During her 2009 JanTerm, she returned to Paris to teach English at the Ecole de la Trinite, a small private Catholic school.

Bethel spent the 2009 JanTerm learning from the staff of Broadway Medical Center in Garland, Texas, to gain hands-on medical experience before making a decision about whether her own career path will involve medicine.

Although she has worked at the Texoma Medical Center Outpatient Rehabilitation Center for two and a half years, Bilyeu expanded her experience in physical therapy while learning under a physical therapist at Texoma Medical Center Home Health in Denison, Texas.

Ernest “Trace” Cochran ’09

Cochran worked at a Honduran Institute of Children and Family daycare facility in La Esperanza, Honduras, during the 2009 JanTerm. He played games with children, assisted with meal times, and helped transport children to healthcare clinics when needs arose.
 

Gunter took the off-campus aspect of CSOC seriously and traveled to Banepa, Nepal, to volunteer at the Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled Children. She organized her study experience at the children’s orthopedic center to help her determine future career decisions pertaining to medicine and to earn about Nepalese culture and tradition.

 
Odessa Hamidi ’11

Hamidi interned at the University of Texas Health Care Center at Tyler during the 2009 JanTerm. “I gained a lot of insight into the medical field, including a more realistic grasp of not only the rewarding aspects, but also the challenges I will face as a physician,” she said.

Justin Harris ’09

Harris spent his 2009 JanTerm studying print journalism with the Herald Democrat in Sherman, Texas. He delved into broadcast journalism too, shooting and editing video to accompany his online stories.

Samples of his work:

• Texoma art community trying to become cultural destination

• Texoma businesses get their game faces on

Alissa Luthe ’09

Luthe labeled her CSOC, “Communication in Congress,” and worked with Texas Congressman Ralph Hall in Washington, D.C. Luthe processed constituent phone calls and mail and learned about the importance of communication in federal policy making and implementation. The experience also allowed her to be in Washington, D.C, for the Presidential Inauguration and view firsthand the preparation and experience the heightened excitement in the city.

Emily McCullar ’11

Austin College’s opportunities for student-led and designed study are especially important to McCullar, who not only designed her CSOC, but also may design her own “anthropology of religion” major. McCullar obtained knowledge and experience watching physicians at the University of Texas Health Care Center at Tyler in an effort to make an informed decision about pursuing her dream to become a medical missionary.

Musoke shadowed a cardiologist at the New York Heart Center and a pediatrician at the Port City Family Medical Center in Oswego, New York, for his CSOC. Musoke learned about stress echocardiography and the importance of gathering a patient’s family history from his site supervisors.

Kaley Roberts ’09

Roberts created an off-campus learning experience at the City of Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce in Mount Pleasant, Texas. She used her time there to familiarize herself with the everyday activities of the city’s event coordinator and learn to successfully combine the skills of creativity and organization (often seen at odds) to be successful in the career.

Sanford shadowed Dr. Pamela Egner at her dental office in Van Alstyne, Texas. He was able to witness dental operations, view x-rays, study dental books, and assist on some procedures. “Watching her do extractions was my favorite part,” he said.

Jannica Schmoeker ’09

Schmoeker studied the field of real estate asset management with alumnus Chris Stallsworth ’01 in Dusseldorf, Germany at the Archongroup.

Katie Peterson ’10, Rebecca Rawlings ’09, Alissa King ’09 and Angela Wheeler ’10 spent the month at the Rafiki Village in Uganda, East Africa.

Katie wrote the following comments as part of her reflection on the experience.

“The Rafiki Foundation is a Christian organization whose goal is to help Africa’s orphaned and vulnerable children become godly contributors to their communities and the world. Rafiki, the Swahili word for “friend,” captures the vision and purpose of the Rafiki Foundation. Since 1985, Rafiki has answered God’s call to be that friend to the needy in Africa in various ways. In 2001, Rafiki received its first orphan, and has made orphan care and Christian education its top priority since that time. These children — all orphaned because of famine, war, and illness, mainly HIV/AIDS — are being rescued from starvation, disease, hopelessness, and despair. They are given a healthy future filled with laughter, promise, security, learning, and love. Rafiki Villages provide living and educational facilities in African countries where there are many orphans. 

While serving at the Rafiki Village in Uganda, Rebecca, Alissa, Angie, and I spent the first couple of weeks helping the other Rafiki staff prepare for the beginning of school.  We unpacked 41 boxes of brand new literature books and textbooks, labeled them, numbered them, and made sure they got to the correct classroom. We also moved lots of furniture, making sure that there were enough tables, desks, and chairs in each classroom for the students. We made nametags and put together handbooks for the kids, and during the last three days of their Christmas break, we helped run a camp for the kids, called G.A.M.E.S. (Games, Art, Music, Enrichment, and Sports), where we did numerous activities with the kids and just helped them enjoy their last few days off.  When school started, we had the opportunity to serve as teachers and teacher aides with kids ages 3 to around 15.

This part — being able to teach — was one of my favorite parts of the whole experience.  My dream here at home is to complete the master’s program in Elementary Education and become a teacher, and working with kids in the classroom in Africa played right into this.  It truly cemented my love for kids and planted a renewed passion for education deep into my bones!

The children at the Rafiki Village (and the African people in general) touched me deeply during the month of January, and I feel truly blessed to have experienced something so life-changing and inspirational. I feel refreshed, both emotionally and spiritually, and needless to say, I brought back some things with me in my suitcase, in my memory, and in my heart that I'll never want to let go of!

March 2009  

Feedback?

Clinic of Promise Provides Lessons

Four Austin College students took part in the annual “Medical Mexico” JanTerm course, which receives support from the Trull Foundation of Palacios, Texas. Ashley Marie Rodriguez ’10, Lida Shaygan ’10, Kenan Ince ’11, and Stephanie Mathew ’09 worked with Dr. William Perez at the Clinica Prometa (Clinic of Promise) in Pisté, Yucatan, during the 2009 JanTerm.

These students’ experiences were quite different from their peers who interned in typical medical clinics and hospitals across the United States. “This experience has opened my eyes and made me appreciate the things we would all call ‘basic’ such as vaccines and medication,” Rodriguez said. “Many people, especially children, there were suffering from illnesses that could have been prevented. This opportunity further solidified my desires to become a pediatrician in an underserved area.”

While in Pisté, the students learned about numerous illnesses like bronchitis, hepatitis, salmonella, and diabetes from the patients they saw. “I didn't expect Dr. Perez, our host, to be as kind and personable as he was,” Ince said. “He would personally sit down and explain the biology behind several different medical conditions to us.” The students also gained experience giving injections and stitching wounds under the watchful eyes of Dr. Perez.

“The experiences that I gained from this JanTerm have allowed me to learn, grow, and change,” said Shaygan. “It has helped me realize the true feeling of satisfaction that a doctor feels at the end of the day from helping those people who are really in need.”

Stephanie Mathew wrote the following paper upon her return from the medical experience.

The Promise at “La Clinica Promesa”
“The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered”
--William Mayo the founder of the legendary Mayo clinic

During our time in Mexico we learned that in order to truly put the patient first, we first need to understand what kind of environment and circumstances the patient comes from, how that affects their daily living, and in turn their health and well being. We learned that we need to be able to communicate with the patient and have a clear understanding about varying cultural beliefs and an understanding of typical diet habits within in the region. Being in Piste allowed us the opportunity to do this by immersing us in the culture of the Yucatan. No one spoke English, which forced me to really draw on my knowledge from Spanish classes and actively apply it every day.

By sitting in on the consultations, we caught a glimpse of how attitudes about medicine are heavily influenced by culture. Some people did not believe that medicine was the only route of treatment and thus, also placed their illnesses in the hands of other healers and/or trusted their spiritual beliefs in God or other entities to heal them. It’s very interesting to see how these two worlds coincide and how to tread this delicate balance between respecting culturally influenced beliefs and still giving your professional medical opinion on what should be done.

Lastly, our immersion in the culture allowed us the unique opportunity to experience firsthand the typical cuisine of the Yucatan. We soon found out that this plays a significant role in the advice that Dr. Perez often give his patients. For example, he would often ask his diabetic patients about how many tortillas they ate for lunch and dinner, and when they answered somewhere between 5 and 10 per day, he told them to limit their intake to 2 or less. We gained all of these subtle understandings as a result of being able to live and observe in Piste.        

Understanding the culture and language, however, is not enough. It is a start, but is beneficial only when coupled with a deep knowledge about medicine and healthcare technique. The best interest of the patient can be assessed properly only by those who have a broad understanding of how the body works, those who have studied the basics, and have practiced medical technique. Our time in Piste really opened the doors for us to engage in experiential learning. We spent hours upon hours with Dr. Perez and his daughter, watching and learning how to do different kinds of sutures. We practiced endlessly on table clothes and oranges, and when Dr. Perez felt that we each had reached a level of mastery, he allowed us to do stitches on a man who came in who had fallen down the stairs and had sustained several lacerations.

We also had the opportunity to learn how to give injections and how to assess vitals without the more high-tech equipment that physicians in the United States often use today. In addition, we learned from our observations about the symptoms of various illnesses and how to differentiate between closely related illnesses that often present with similar symptoms.

However, my experience in Mexico was far more than just learning proper suturing technique, how to give an injection, or even how to identify the difference between a patient with asthma and a patient with bronchitis. I learned the most through the casual conversation that we had with the doctor. Dr. Perez showed us what it meant to be a real physician. He explained to us why medicine was so fascinating to him, and most importantly, how choosing the life of a physician is a sacrificial one. Here was a man who chose to become a doctor because he truly loved every aspect of it and ultimately because it is a large part of who he is and how he wishes to affect the world. He showed us through his actions how to be attentive to detail, how to connect with patients, in essence, he showed us why he chooses to put the patients’ best interest first.  He gave us some really great advice that will stay with me through my studies. He told us to always be curious and to put your whole heart in every endeavor. He told us to let this inquisitiveness and passion, combined with a never-ending love for learning, guide us through the rest of our training. This is the promise we must keep to our patients.

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