Several students in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program, including Dave Buhler, Lauren Stanford, Beth Bueler and Phillip Vogler volunteered to go on a medical service trip to Ecuador for two weeks in August, with the group Charity Anywhere. Their group also included several dentists, a physician and an optometrist.
“It was a great trip, a lot of fun and very beneficial to me as a PA student,” said Volger. “We went down there to work and serve. It wasn’t a vacation, but we still had an enjoyable time.”
The group spent the first several days in the Andes region providing medical care to dozens of people as well as distributing wheelchairs and other medical supplies. Even though they are still students, they were able to work closely with the supervising doctor to provide much needed care to a wide variety of patients.
“It was a great experience and reminded me why I chose to study medicine.”
“I learned a lot from the doctors we worked with, especially in regards to treating patients without all the resources we’re used to in the United States,” said Stanford. “The hands-on experience solidified my classroom knowledge and helped me feel more comfortable seeing patients. It was a great experience and reminded me why I chose to study medicine.”
For the remainder of the trip they traveled to an area by the coast, which was badly damaged by an earthquake in April of 2016. They traveled to a new town each day, working with people who had been directly affected by the earthquake.
“Our experience doing medical service in Ecuador was everything I hoped it would be,” said Buhler, who helped organize the trip. “We spent all of our time seeing and treating patients. Regardless of circumstances, they were so humble and grateful that we had come. I would definitely recommend this organization to anyone interested in doing international medical service. It takes a little bit of work and planning to set it all up, but the four of us that went will always cherish the time we spent there.”
