OT students gain professional, cultural insights on Thailand trip

Surrounded by lush, tree-covered mountains and the Mae Klong River, graduate occupational therapy student Alexis Hague peered up the hundreds of stairs leading to the centuries-old Wat Baan Tham, or Dragon Cave Temple, in Thailand.

As she ascended, Hague took short breaks to appreciate the view and reflect on the opportunity afforded by the study abroad trip with 12 Radford University classmates. Eventually, she reached a daunting see-through spiral metal staircase. Left with a fear of heights from a previous accident, Hague began turning back before thinking to herself, "I haven't come this far to only come this far." Step by step, she climbed 511 stairs, growing in confidence as she went.

She channeled this confidence a few days later in Bangkok as the group attended the World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress, a large international conference held every four years. They joined 2,300 attendees from 100 countries to watch presentations, network with other professionals and exchange ideas.

"Sitting in the same seats, hearing the same lectures and contributing to the same discussions as professionals really made OT feel real," Hague said. "I felt like a colleague, not just a student."

The study abroad trip was part of the elective course Global Health Special Topics, taught by Assistant Professor Sarah Garrison. The course explores health systems, social determinants of health and professionalism in a globally connected workforce. Garrison said there were ample opportunities for professional growth, and sessions covered a range of topics, including mental health and pediatrics.

The course also highlighted evidence-based practice, which involves understanding a patient's values, experiences and culture. "Occupational therapists need to take into account that the way we do our basic activities of daily life is vastly different from somebody in another country," Garrison said.

To help students understand the role of culture in OT, Garrison took them to a Thai cooking class. Participants sat in a circle on the floor, wringing milk from coconuts by hand and using local spices to make traditional dishes like pad thai and sticky rice with mangoes.

Hague said the trip bolstered her confidence as a future occupational therapist and offered meaningful perspectives on patient-centered care.

Reflecting on the experience, Hague said it "opened my eyes" to patient challenges across environments. "Often, health professionals do not understand how it feels to be in a world or system that wasn't built to accommodate you," she said, adding that she hopes to carry that understanding into practice.