In December, 10 participants from the University of Mount Union’s Physician Assistant Studies Program traveled to Guatemala and provided primary medical and general surgical care to villagers in the Sarstun region of Guatemala, near its border with Belize.

This is Mount’s second trip to the region and its third trip to Guatemala. The PA program continues to partner with Refuge International, a humanitarian group based in Texas, who has been on the ground in Guatemala caring for its people for 15 years. Eight PA students under the direction of two faculty members saw over 250 patients and assisted in 12 surgeries. The service-learning trip affords students to gain invaluable cross-cultural experience while caring for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. 

PA students increased their clinical practice confidence while treating a wide variety of conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory, orthopedic and gastrointestinal disorders, skin conditions and a number of parasitic infections. Mount’s PA program looks forward to ongoing cross-cultural service opportunities in the coming years.