HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM Basic Information Full Name: Kristen Francis UC Email: franciki@mail.uc.

edu College: Allied Health Sciences Major: Advanced Medical Imaging Technology Title of Project: Medical Mission Trip to Guatemala Thematic Area: Community Engagement Expected Project Start Date: December 10, 2014 Expected Project End Date: December 20, 2014 Project Information 1. Provide a detailed abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project. The project is a mission trip to Guatemala, near Pacaya Volcano. It is medical trip in which clinics will be set that will provide basic medical assessments, as well as eye assessments, and prenatal assessments for the indigenous villagers who live in the fields near the volcano. The clinics will be set up in a local church. The trip is through Caring Partners International out of Franklin, Ohio. This trip is meaningful to me because it allows me to take two of my greatest passions and combine them into one trip. These passions are my faith in Jesus Christ and my passion to work in the medical field helping those in need. In addition, this trip allows me to travel to a new country and see new parts of the world that are different from anywhere I have ever been. The trip will last approximately ten days and these days will almost all be spent, setting up, operating, and taking down the clinic. There may be one to two days that will be spent on free time to explore the city.

Clearly and thoroughly address how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work: 2. Connection to Learning Outcomes within the Honors Thematic Area (identified above) The medical mission trip will fall under the thematic area of community engagement. The trip will allow for the relation, communication, and effective work with others toward a sustainable social(healthy) lifestyle. An example of this will be in the running of the clinics and showing the villagers healthy lifestyles including personal hygiene, basic medical assessments, and optometry while working with Doctor Adam and Nurse Rhonda (the directors of Caring Partners, who head up each trip). In addition, the trip will possess awareness of purpose for service, understanding social issues, and seeing these issues in multiple perspectives. An example of will be providing the villagers with a reason to make changes in their lifestyles that will allow for a healthier life while using local resources and products. This clinic is just a stepping stone and start for these villagers to have a healthier, and hopefully better, lifestyle.

3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories (include reference list, as appropriate) A. While I want to become a Physicians Assistant that works with oncology, this trip will allow for a different perspective of the healthcare world. If it very easy to see all of the resources that are offered here in the United States and forget that those resources are not available worldwide, yet the medical problems faced by those in other countries are not too different from the problem that Americans face. This trip will allow for the ability to see new perspectives of healthcare and emphasize the idea that healthcare is needed worldwide.

B. i. World Health Organization: Guatemala- This website will allow for the research and statistics of the current health and lifestyles in Guatemala. It can provide information about what are the leading medical issues faced and can provide an idea of what is the greatest medical need in Guatemala. (http://www.who.int/countries/gtm/en/) Culture and Customs of Guatemala- This book will allow me to read up ad understand more of the beliefs of the Guatemalan people. It will aid in my talks with them about Jesus Christ. It will help me to compare and contrast what they believe with what I believe and will provide a preliminary source that explains a bit of who they are and what they believe. It could also help to explain some of their customs and reasoning for why they have the health problems that they do in the current day. Practice Makes Perfect- This theory is one that will never too old to return to. With this trip, I will be able to obtain clinical experience that will expand my knowledge and contribute to future success in healthcare. By having the opportunity to works with people who have different medical needs, it will allow me to experience working with all types of people to ensure that I can provide the best care possible for them and hopefully, improve their lifestyle.

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4. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity The unique quality that I will bring to this trip is that I will be the youngest member of the team. While I do not have my degree quite yet, I will be bringing fresh knowledge from the classroom and applying it to the clinical setting. In addition, I bring a unique major with my name. The field of medical imaging is not one that is commonly sought after. I will be able to bring my knowledge of medical imaging to the clinic and will be able to help with ultrasounds that will help with prenatal care, as well as other types of diagnosing. I also bring my passion for Christ to the team. This trip is unique in that it combines the medical field with the mission field. I am able to take my love for Christ and share it with these people while providing them with medical help. This combination of my two biggest passions truly is an ideal opportunity for me to take advantage of.

5. Reflection Throughout the trip, I will be keeping a very detailed journal. During breaks and/or as each day draws to a close, I will take time to look back on the day and document my experiences, as well as what I was able to learn from the day. I will also be taking pictures as often as possible while on this trip. I want to have these pictures in order to be able to keep the trip fresh in my mind even after it is over. I want this trip to be one that allows for academic growth, as well as personal growth. These pictures will allow for me, as well as others, to hopefully see exactly what happened and how I was able to grow from it throughout my time in Guatemala. When I return, I will use the journal and pictures to create a quick look into the trip (what I did and what I learned)

6. Dissemination My plan is to create a trifold and/or scrapbook once I return that can be displayed for others to see my journey and what the results were. I will include pictures for visualization, journal excerpts for opinions, and results of how successful the clinic was, as well as the number of individuals

who received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This trifold/ scrapbook will also hopefully include a few small trinkets that signify Guatemalan culture for decoration. I hope to use it to show my church the result of the trip, as well as a resource that Caring Partners can use to recruit more people for their medical mission trips by seeing the results of a past trip. 7. Project Advisor (list the persons name, title, and contact information) Dr. Adam and Rhonda Reed Directors of Caring Partners International 601 Shotwell Dr. Franklin, Ohio 45005 Phone: 937-743-2744

8. Budget (if applicable)

The stated cost of the trip is $1800. This includes the plane trip and hotel stay. An additional $200-$300 dollars is needed for transportation, food, and extra activities that are planned once we arrive in Guatemala.