Six PT Students Return From First International Elective of 2024 in Bolivia

Six second-year student physical therapists (SPTs) from the residential and hybrid pathways just returned from a two week partnership with Child Health and Family International in La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia. Students rotated through outpatient settings that focused on pediatric clients with diagnoses ranging from hip dysplasia and fracture to autism and cerebral palsy. AM clinic visits included cotreatments with SPTs from the Universidad Central, Universidad Catolica Boliviana, and Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, followed by PM Spanish classes and didactic material on the local cultures and global health considerations.

Immersions were scheduled on Friday afternoons and weekends, full of Incan history and Aymaran culture. "I have never traveled internationally or out of the US before and I couldn't have wished for a better trip to be my first," said Emily Reinhart '25, hybrid student physical therapist assistant (SPTA) treasurer. "It's a trip of a lifetime and I promise you won't regret it!"