Content area
Amanda Mulcahy - India
For my final physiotherapy student practicum, I was fortunate to travel to West Bengal, India and spend a month working at Anandaniketan Society for Mental Health Care. The Anandaniketan Society for Mental Health Care houses approximately 300 Indian residents severely disadvantaged in their community by various physical and mental disabilities. A group of occupational therapists and myself as physiotherapist provided allied health services including assessment, treatment and health education to the Institute. There were many challenges to be faced during our time at the orphanage. First of all, hardly anyone at the institution spoke English, which meant we had to rely on gestures, expressions and imagery. ‘India time’ also meant things would happen in their own time, and our Western concept of hours, days and weeks had to be left in Australia! Another major challenge was to make our interventions sustainable, and think laterally about what we could leave behind as longer-term evidence of our visit. For example, it was fine to treat back pain with hands on therapy, but teaching routine exercises to prevent reoccurrence of the problem was somewhat more difficult. Resources were limited, we were in a small isolated rural town, we relinquished daily black-outs and meal after meal of dhal and rice!
The opportunity to work as a student physiotherapist in India was amazing and so rewarding. I enjoyed the challenges of working in a remote Indian village and relished the positive impact we had on residents of the Society. I feel the experience was invaluable to the start of my career. Returning back from a developing country to the Australian healthcare system, I was much more open-minded with patients and conditions due to a broader clinical perspective. This certainly provided valuable experience which has been looked upon favourably by potential employers.
Overall, the experience has broadened my horizons both on a personal level and professionally. Never again do I complain when we lose power at home, or have rice for dinner – and the knowing you’ve contributed to healthcare on a global level is a unique and amazing feeling!
Amanda Mulcahy
BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy
Faculty of Health Sciences
Curtin University of Technology 2007
___________________
Note: The Go Global: Curtin Health program is an international service learning initiative for students in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Long term relationships with four host sites across India, China, South Africa and Ukraine allow students to participate in a sustained work integrated learning experience that fuses cultural exposure, clinical experience and interdisciplinary learning while fulfilling the Curtin University mission of serving the wider region. The learning experience focuses on the common professional skills across the diversity of health sciences students while matching professional clinician skill sets with the needs of the host sits from a development perspective.
For further information on the Go Global Program please contact:
Trevor Goddard
Director of International Relations
School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work
Curtin University of Technology
GPO Box U1987
PERTH WA 6845
Ph +61 8 9266 3651
t.goddard@curtin.edu.au