Student Showcase

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Fascinating Alaskan Clinical Experience for DPT Student

Megan Merrihew spent an exciting 10 weeks in Alaska this past spring semester, where her passions for physical therapy and the great outdoors were well satisfied.

Merrihew worked nine weeks at the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) in Anchorage – "an impressive health care system for the native population." Patients from across the state are sent there for treatment, often via air transportation. The hospital's PT clinic serves up to 30 patients each day, both inpatient and outpatient, according to Merrihew.

"I would see patients with the typical medical/surgical conditions, as well as those with the more unusual conditions – frostbite, snowmobile accidents and bear attacks." While Merrihew felt prepared for most of the problems she faced, "some of the complex cases required me to dig deep for confidence and really pull from my education. It was a diverse caseload – cardiopulmonary, orthopedic and neurological, from pediatric to geriatric."

For one week of her Alaskan adventure, Merrihew was assigned to a small village at the northern-most point of North America – Barrow, Alaska – to work in its village clinic.

"It was fascinating. I felt totally isolated and immersed in this rich native culture." She flew there with her clinical mentor and instructor from Anchorage. "The only safe way into Barrow is to fly," Merrihew says. "Not a single tree to be found in the entire town, instead, there was a vast tundra. The houses were built on stilts above the permafrost so as not to melt it." She learned firsthand the encroachments of global warming in Barrow with the thinning of the permafrost and melting of coastal ice. Whaling crews rely on the ice to tow bowhead whales for skinning.

"Life among the residents of Barrow is subsistence level. They respect their natural resources and do not waste a single piece of animal – whether bear, fish or whale." Goods found in the stores, having to be shipped or flown into the isolated community, are sparse and very expensive, she notes.

While in Barrow, Merrihew worked at Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital, a small facility that serves the village's 4,000 people. The multi-purpose clinic room within the hospital offers one week of physical therapy services every three months. Communicating with patients could be difficult at times. "There are several native languages and dialects, spoken mostly by the elders. I used a lot of nonverbal language and gestures." Merrihew saw patients on follow-up visits from the ANMC in Anchorage, as well as some new evaluations. "I had to provide patients with home exercise programs to last for three months."

"Alaska needs physical therapists," Merrihew observes. "There are no accredited PT programs in Alaska, so most PTs working there are either lifelong Alaskans or people who have relocated to the state."

"Having been surrounded by the culture and lifestyle of natives, I left Alaska with valuable lessons about physical therapy and life in general," Merrihew comments.

Invited to attend a community potluck dinner to celebrate the start of the spring whaling season, Merrihew was impressed by the respect shown to the elders by the adolescents serving their meals. "The native population has their fair share of health problems, including alcoholism, yet, at the same time, I've never met a group of people with such warmth and kindness. I felt very welcome. It was an unforgettable experience for me and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked among these amazing people."

With her new DPT diploma in hand, Merrihew, a native of Tupper Lake, NY, was not sure where she would practice or in
what she may specialize. "I enjoy every facet of physical therapy. A priority for me is outdoor adventure, so I know that I'll live among the mountains!"