Interdisciplinary Service Learning Opportunity: A Nontraditional Approach to Migrant Farmworkers Rehabilitation

Abstract

Interdisciplinary service learning opportunities are recognized as valuable educational tools for health care students. The Farm Worker Family Health Program, based on a community academic partnership model, enables health care students to treat migrant workers in rural Georgia during the annual farmworker migration. The present article describes how this opportunity has been incorporated into a graduate curriculum, including examining the challenges and successes associated with implementing this type of program. An additional aim is to explore the implications of merging interdisciplinary service learning and community partnerships with physical therapy education, specifically how student volunteers and migrant workers may be impacted by their participation.