OT Students Gain Real-Life Experiences in Ghana

Lisa McEvoy

Date

January 29, 2026

Topics

Student Life

Area of Expertise

Global Health

Interprofessional Education

Six MGH Institute students gain new perspectives on patient-based care and working in interprofessional teams

‘Meeting a patient where they are at’ means a healthcare professional provides care that considers the particular needs and circumstances of that person. During a two-week trip to Ghana during the break between semesters, six occupational therapy students challenged themselves by practicing that concept with patients whose beliefs, resources, and situations are different than what they would encounter at home.

“I have learned a lot about approaching each interaction with openness and flexibility,” said Lyndon Pelmore, a second-year OT student. “This trip reminded me that it is more important to maintain the ability to meet a person where they are at instead of where you think they should be. It is important to leave biases and assumptions at home when interacting with clients and patients, as there are many socioeconomic, infrastructural, and interpersonal factors that contribute to a person’s worldview, personality, and needs.”

Pelmore joined fellow second-year students in the Entry-Level Occupational Therapy program Brendamaria Cuadra-Arguello, Caitriona Rocco, Ana Sofia Siqueiros, Emily Zerofski, Savanna Pendergraft, and Assistant Professor Colleen Muse for the journey. Four pharmacy students and a professor from Western New England University as well as a medical doctor, a nurse practitioner, program manager, a physician assistant were also part of their group.

The group began the trip with cultural immersion in Cape Coast to understand the historical and cultural needs of their population. They then went to the University of Cape Coast to meet with a professor who leads a team that does breast cancer screenings using an ibreast exam device. Breast cancer is a big issue for African women and there is a lot of stigma around it in Ghana so it tends to not be detected until it is too late.

It is such an important health issue that breast cancer screenings were added to the community events that they held during the remainder of the trip to help address the populations’ health and wellness needs in the Akuapem South Health District. In addition to the breast cancer screenings, more than 500 people from children to elders received services such as blood pressure checks, body mass index assessments, cervical cancer screenings, laboratory testing, and medical consultations. At a local school, they provided oral hygiene education and toothbrushes.

The events took place in three different villages and at a grand opening of an OT Clinic which showed the students how OT is put into action in Ghana and let them help screen clients for needs such as rehab services and reading glasses as well as general health and wellness.
Muse was making her third trip to the area and it was the second time she brought MGH Institute students.

Adults pose for a photo while children in the background hold up their hands — At a local school, Lyndon Pelmore, Maya Estrela, Savanna Pendergraft, Dr. Colleen Muse, Maddie Clark (front to back on left)) and Brendamaria Cuadra-Arguello (front right), provided hygiene education, teeth cleaning, and toothbrushes to students at a local school.

A woman points to a book held by the woman sitting next to her as three women look on — OT students Cait Rocco (standing on right) and Brendamaria Cuadra (standing left) and pharmacy student Maddie Clark (standing center) during a home visit with community nurses.

Three women sit at a table in a small room with a screen — Brendamaria Cuadra and Lyndon Pelmore co-consulted with a client during the opening of an OT clinic.

People stand outside a concrete structure — A team with OT students visited a home as part of its work while they were in Ghana.

Two women wearing rubber gloves and sitting at a table smile for the camera — Brendamaria Cuadra (l) and Cait Rocco (r) conducted rapid lab tests to test for HPV and STDs.

A child plays on the floor while another sits in a chair at a table while a woman in a chair watches them and another woman talks to a woman sititng in a chair — Dr. Colleen Muse (l) OT student Brendamaria Cuadra (c) during a consult in the pediatric room of the OT clinic in Ghana.

A group of people walking away from the camera on a dirt road — (l-r) Cait Rocco, Lyndon Pelmore (c) and Brendamaria Cuadra walk to one of the community clinics.

“We've built a nice relationship based on mutual trust and respect which allows us to help them meet the needs of whatever is going on in the moment,” explained Muse. “They know that we are going to show up when we say we're going to show up and they can count on us to help without pushing our US systems or beliefs on them. We learn so much from each other in these two weeks.”

In addition to the community events, they also broke into smaller teams for home visits with community nurses. For Brendamaria Cuadra-Arguello, the experience highlighted the strength of Ghana’s community-based healthcare system.

“Walking through the jungle to reach families and seeing how care is delivered directly to patients to improve access was one of my favorite parts of the trip,” said Cuadra-Arguello. “Collaborating with Ghanaian community nurses and healthcare workers was impactful. Their deep knowledge of their communities, focus on prevention, and commitment to accessible care demonstrated the importance of community-centered and interprofessional healthcare models.”

Not only did the students learn how to meet patients where they are at, they also learned from meeting healthcare professionals from other countries and those in other professions where they were at.

“This trip was an amazing opportunity to understand the different roles of healthcare professionals from the US, other countries, and how roles may change depending on what the situation calls for,” said Pelmore. “I was able to interact with physician assistants from the US, Liberia, and Ghana and talk to them about their priorities when approaching problems. It was also amazing to learn and trade information with physician assistant students from Ghana and pharmacy students from the US. I felt that I was able to gain more perspective about the strengths, similarities, and differences of the roles of non-OT professionals from diverse backgrounds during the trip.”

During the home visits, each team had a mix of OT students, pharmacy students and a practitioner, giving each of them the opportunity to learn about working with other healthcare professionals and a better idea of what they brought to the table.

“In the group I was leading, one visit comes to mind as we encountered a man with wounds and falls who was struggling to manage their health conditions, everyone on the team showed mastery of their roles and learned in this example how each professional added value and perspective,” said Muse. “The nurse practitioner addressed the wounds and medication review, and the OT student and I focused on the impact to his daily life, logistics of navigating the village, fall risk, food prep and intake, and medication management. The pharmacy students were initially surprised OT considered medication. In team debrief, pharmacy shared they were focused on metabolism of the medication, where OT focused on the clients understanding of adherence, logistical ability to take meds and awareness of medications role to improve life skills. All parties saw how important each role is to the clients bigger picture safety and compliance”
The interprofessional conversations the team members had about patients in Ghana, already have the potential to impact the care that future patients in the US will receive.

“One of the nurse practitioners on the trip told me he had only referred to OT twice in his entire career,” said Muse. “He shared that he now really understands the value of what we do and how we can help when he refers”

Even experiences with other OTs on the trip promise to influence how the students care future patients. While assisting Dr. Muse with a nonverbal client with autism, Cuadra-Arguello had a meaningful moment.

“Through sensory regulation and connection, Dr. Muse began singing a song, and the child began singing along and copying her hand gestures, a moment that deeply shaped how I envision practicing occupational therapy.”