CHS Continues to Strengthen International Relations in PAS
By Ella Rosner
CHS Contributor
Four representatives from the Department of Physician Assistant Studies traveled abroad this summer to further strengthen a partnership with HAN University in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and provide an opportunity for future students and residents to travel abroad and observe international healthcare.
Virginia Valentin, DrPH, PA-C, and Leslie Woltenberg, PhD, MSEd, along with alumni Asna Patel, PA-C, and Onieta Stewart, PA-C, made the trip.
Valentin, an Associate Professor who serves as the Chair for the Department of Physician Assistant studies and the Program Director for the PA Academic Residency, has been working on the partnership since 2017, with the goal of paving a path for the UK faculty and student exchange. By learning from other healthcare systems and PA faculty, Valentin said she also hopes to “provide an avenue for our learners to see how to improve the U.S. health system in their lifetimes.”
Woltenberg, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies for the UK Department of Physician Assistant Studies, believes the trip was significant to developing UK’s PA department. The opportunity to work with colleagues from PA programs in the Netherlands, London, and Germany was “a joy,” she said. She believes working with health professionals from international countries, “meaningfully informs our teaching and research efforts.”
This trip also allows faculty and students to observe the similarities and differences between the U.S. healthcare system and other international healthcare systems. Asna Patel, a UKPA alumna, was abroad for three weeks, observing a variety of clinical settings and rotations in the Netherlands.
She noted that Dutch healthcare is very efficient in their patient care. For instance, PAs and NPs can travel in emergency vehicles and provide care in the field. She also described a setting, similar to an Urgent Care, near the emergency room that is set up for triage. This ensures that patients being seen in the ER are more serious cases, and overall, helps prevent the unnecessary burden on emergency rooms, reducing the number of emergency patients that need to be seen.
Additionally, Valentin noted how the Netherlands does not address something the U.S. calls “The Social Determinants of Health.” The Dutch healthcare system is already built in a way that addresses these issues, allowing providers and PAs to solely focus on giving care to their patients.
“Two memorable moments from the trip were participation in a didactic learning activity with HAN students and the opportunity to provide a presentation about healthcare in the U.S. and the role of PAs,” Woltenberg said. “I am particularly thankful for the opportunity to observe their teaching and assessment strategies as well as visit the different medical centers.”
“There are so many differences, yet we are also so similar,” Valentin said. “People are the same and it is fun to see how PAs work in both countries to address health care needs. I look forward to many more opportunities for expanding our internationalization.”
