黑洞社区

Physician assistant (PA) program alumnus Troy Richardson recently completed his eight-week elective clinical rotation in Puerto Rico and helped pave the way for students in the College of Health Professions (CHP) at Wichita State to participate in experiential learning on the island.

Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory that does not authorize physician assistants to practice. The American Academy of Physician Assistants is working to change this by encouraging passage of legislation which would authorize PAs to provide health services in Puerto Rico that are currently provided only by medical doctors. Richardson, along with PA faculty and staff, worked for six months to complete an affiliation agreement between the CHP and the COSSMA clinic in Puerto Rico.

The agreement provides an opportunity for CHP students at 黑洞社区 to potentially participate in clinical rotations with the clinic. COSSMA, a Center for Integrated Primary Health Services, is also qualified as a Federally Qualified Health Center clinic. 

鈥淭he agreement we have with COSSMA is a great opportunity for students to learn health care in a different culture,鈥� says Richardson, who now works as a PA at Utah Community Health Centers in Salt Lake City.

Richardson, who previously spent two years in Venezuela on a mission trip, has 16 years of experience speaking fluent Spanish and translating in the health care system.

鈥淓veryone in Puerto Rico was very receptive and excited for more PA students to come practice.鈥� 鈥� Troy Richardson

Kim Darden, physician assistant program director and clinical educator, says Richardson completing his final clinical rotation in Puerto Rico has created unique opportunities for CHP students and the COSSMA clinic.

"I鈥檓 proud to report Troy represented himself, 黑洞社区, the PA program and the PA profession exceptionally," says Darden. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about the success of our program in meeting its mission to complete the agreement.鈥�

Puerto Rico is in the midst of a health care crisis. Although it is a U.S. territory, the island is in a third-world country situation. The economy began to collapse in 2006 and has been declining ever since. Consequently a large number of medical providers have left the island, leaving many Puerto Ricans unable to receive quality healthcare. Medical resources are scarce, and it can take patients months to get a doctor鈥檚 appointment, particularly with a specialist. If they are able to get an appointment, people often can鈥檛 afford the high expense.

The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) is urging the Puerto Rico Healthcare Crisis Coalition to authorize PAs to practice and help meet the health care needs of the island. 

Richardson says his experience with COSSMA was a great opportunity to represent and promote the PA profession in Puerto Rico. He says PAs are the solution to the island鈥檚 healthcare crisis because they are cost-effective for practices and able to deliver a wide variety of medical services. PAs increase patient鈥檚 access to care and improve the efficiency of the health care system.

Challenges
Richardson says it was surprising to not have access to many types of medications, equipment and specialty treatment 鈥� amenities that are abundant in the U.S.

鈥淚t was definitely eye opening to see the challenges firsthand,鈥� says Richardson. 鈥淏ut it was good experience because I was able to treat people with a variety of problems including heart conditions, lupus, HIV, kidney disease, liver failure and more.鈥�

Richardson says despite financial limitations, COSSMA is one of the only clinics in Puerto Rico that has a number of specialties available such as primary care medicine, OBGYN, a dental clinic, psychiatric services and health education.

During his time in Puerto Rico, Richardson worked with many different providers to talk about education and the role PAs can play to help with the health care crisis. He says he was embraced by the medical community and introduced to representatives from several major health care organizations of Puerto Rico, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Healthcare Crisis Coalition and others.  His clinical rotation ended with a celebration and a certificate honoring him and his contributions.

鈥淓veryone in Puerto Rico was very receptive and excited for more PA students to come practice,鈥� says Richardson. 鈥淭he trip was an incredible experience.鈥�

Family
Richardson鈥檚 wife and three kids joined him in Puerto Rico, and he says it was a valuable cultural experience for the entire family.

Richardson says he and his family worked and played hard during their stay. They attended church on a regular basis and did activities around the island to keep busy. Despite poverty conditions throughout the island, Puerto Rico is a popular vacation destination boasting paradise beaches, a beautiful landscape and rain forests. They also enjoyed the vast amounts of delicious food available on the island.

鈥淲e spent a lot of time exploring and experiencing all the great things Puerto Rico has to offer,鈥� he says. 鈥漈he people were absolutely wonderful and welcomed my family and I with open arms.鈥�

Choosing Wichita State
Richardson and his family relocated from Utah to Kansas so he could join the PA program at Wichita State.

鈥淲ichita is a family-friendly city and the PA program has faculty and staff that are willing to go above and beyond for students,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 really loved my time at Wichita State.鈥�

Richardson was very involved at Wichita State. He served as president for the PA Student Society class of 2016, Outreach Director for the PA program and CHP, and was a member of the Executive Board and Student Advisory Committee. He was also the organizer and participant of several community service activities and the recipient of numerous awards, scholarships and fellowships.

He graduated from the PA program last May and now works as a PA at Utah Community Health Centers in Salt Lake City.