"Good Morning, Miss!"

“Good Morning, Miss!” was quickly replaced with the Bhutanese greeting of “Kuzuzangpo La” as soon as I requested that my 1st year physiotherapy technician students provide me with a Dzongkha word of the day. Adding a “la” and bowing, the students show me respect every time they see me. I have immediately taken a liking to each and every one of them, and look forward to this semester together.

Drukpa, Sonam, Tshering, and Kinga had received the appropriate merit marks in grades 11 and 12 to attend the Royal Institute of Health Sciences. They were given a list of approximately five areas of study appropriate for them to pursue, and they have chosen physiotherapy. Not being able to explain what physiotherapy is upon being questioned of this, my students’ first homework assignment was to come back the next day and explain what this profession is that they’ve entered school for! They are quickly picking up on the roles physios have in healthcare and appear to be enthusiastic about their future profession the more they learn about it.

While the four physiotherapists in Bhutan received government scholarships to attend university in India, the remaining individuals who work in physiotherapy are considered technicians. Upon completing this two-year program, the techs will either stay to work at the National Referral Hospital, or more likely, will be transferred to the district hospitals throughout the country where they must evaluate and treat patients independently. Thus, the goals for these students in the technician program currently taught by myself as well as two of the local physios are lofty. I’m excited to have the opportunity to teach the students within their first clinical semester in order to help establish the fundamentals of physiotherapy. We discuss the roles in life patients have, and how as physios or physio techs we decrease pain, enhance mobility, and improve quality of life.

On our first day of class, the students presented themselves in a very formal manner and took seats opposite me at the cold, square table in a room adjacent to the outpatient physiotherapy gym. However, after inviting them to join me next to the space heater, we’ve bonded over viewing either my laptop screen or a piece of paper I’ve handwritten that day’s objectives and key concepts on while sitting in a very tight circle with one towel spread over the heater and each of our laps. The students rarely receive handouts in school due to shortage of printers and copiers, and are thrilled to be able to take home the paper I’ve prepared to make copies for one another as study aides. We’ve also bonded over stories of our families, songs about California, and the similarities and differences between the trees in Bhutan and Muir Woods after viewing pictures on my computer. Needing to prepare this week’ss lessons now, I look forward to seeing Tshering, Sonam, Drugkpa, and Kinga, as well as meeting my class of 2nd year students tomorrow ... and, learning the next Dzongkha phrase of the day!