Fanshawe students heading to Guatemala for medical mission

A team of students and faculty from Fanshawe College are heading to Central America on Saturday to take part in a week-long medical mission.

Fourteen third-year students from the Respiratory Therapy Program, along with four faculty, will be traveling to Guatemala to work in rural clinics and provide a range of care for patients.

“The biggest issue is just low resources and there’s just not as much money to pay for resources,” said Lydia Quick, a student who is part of the mission team. The country is one of the poorest in Central America and residents have limited access to healthcare.

Quickly said she’s excited to learn about the innovative ways practitioners have found to provide care.

Students will assist with pediatric vaccinations, and work in a senior care center, an urgent care center, as well as a family medical facility that provides dental care.

LISTEN | Lydia Quick talks about the upcoming medical mission to Guatemala with Afternoon Drive hosted Allison Devereaux:

Afternoon Drive7:08Fanshawe students and faculty heading to Guatemala for medical mission

Students and faculty from Fanshawe College’s Respiratory Therapy Program are heading to Guatemala for a one-week medical mission to help in rural clinics. Third-year student Lydia Quick joined Afternoon Drive to talk about how they’re going to help.

The trip abroad will count toward students’ clinical placement as part of their required competencies.

“The medical mission is a unique opportunity for students to practice the clinical skills they learn in the classroom while providing much-needed care for communities in need,” said Yvonne Drasovean, professor and clinical liaison in the School of Health Sciences in a statement.

The team will be in Guatemala from June 10 to 17.

Quickly said she hopes the ideas exchange with people in Guatemala will provide a new perspective for providing care.

“For me, personally, just being vulnerable. I’m going into their culture,” she said. “To come back and apply that and understand a different perspective β€” the patient side of it a little more and what they tend to experience when they are hurting and vulnerable and they’re coming to us.”

The first team from Fanshawe that traveled to Guatemala for a medical mission was in 2019.