Important Dates
Tentative Travel Dates: May 6 -16, 2025
Interest Meetings: View on Office of Education Abroad event calendar here.
Scholarship Application Deadline: October 15, 2024
Application and Deposit Deadline: January 15, 2025
Program Description
Through this international education abroad experience, students will learn how well-being, health, and longevity stems from lifestyle and occupational patterns made along the life course. The Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica is one of five areas designated as a “Blue Zone”, a place where people reach age 100 at rates up to 10 times greater than in the United States. The longevity of “Ticos” (native Costa Ricans) in this region is due in large part to their lifestyle, which centers around having a reason to live, a focus on family, meaningful social connections, healthy diets, hard work, physical activity, sunshine and spirituality. Using these lifestyle dimensions as a guide, students will explore contributing occupational factors that promote longevity and “pura vida” (the pure life).
At specific locations, students will focus on infusion of occupation throughout the occupational therapy process. Students will acquire unique insight regarding multicultural healthcare through hands-on activities, tours, observation and dialogue with local residents, health care professionals and researchers who promote the peninsula’s healthy/happy lifestyle. Students will spend meaningful time at select locations where they will engage in occupation based evaluations and interventions. Outside of the scope of coursework, all students will enhance their cultural competency by visiting sites of historical, cultural, and contemporary significance. This experience will meet the profession’s related educational fieldwork accreditation standards.
NOTE: Enrollment is limited to 20 participants.
Health and Safety
Students registering for programs should carefully read through all health and safety information provided during the application process. In addition, students should honestly complete the ‘Health and Safety Form’ so that any health related concerns may be adequately accommodated on study abroad programs.
Participants will be enrolled in comprehensive international insurance for the duration of programming. It is the student’s responsibility to extend insurance cover if they stay abroad beyond UCA’s planned program dates. For information about international insurance coverage: https://uca.edu/globalstudy/health-and-safety/
Students must attend one health and safety meeting during the spring semester. Meeting dates will be announced after the application deadlines.
Faculty Leaders and Course Offerings
Dr. Brittany Saviers, Assistant Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator for the UCA Department of Occupational Therapy, is a dedicated leader in international occupational therapy fieldwork. She has co-founded international fieldwork experiences to countries including Costa Rica and Tanzania. The Costa Rica program has been interprofessional in some years, including collaborations with the UCA School of Nursing, highlighting her commitment to comprehensive healthcare education. Additionally, Dr. Saviers has mentored students completing their doctoral capstone experience in Costa Rica and Tanzania, with a focus on occupational therapy practice, occupation and health, and education abroad. Dr. Saviers enjoys forging intercultural relationships and learning from fellow occupational therapy practitioners, health care professionals, and people around the world.
Currently, Dr. Saviers is conducting research on the teaching and learning processes related to global engagement in occupational therapy. Her work explores the professional and intercultural competencies essential across diverse settings, the relationship between occupation and heath, as well as the importance of play and creativity. She has disseminated her insights through national presentations and publications, highlighting the value of education abroad and international fieldwork. Dr. Saviers was honored in 2022 as a Global Faculty Fellow for UCA’s Global Learning Institute, which focused on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and internationalizing the academic curriculum. Dr. Saviers is passionate about leading international fieldwork experiences that provide students with opportunities to adopt occupation as a vehicle for learning about different health professions, cultures, and countries. These transformative experiences facilitate future global health leaders; shaping how students view the world and its people, and underscore the inextricable link between the occupational therapy profession and global culture.
Courses offered by Dr. Saviers:
- OTHY 6212 Level I Fieldwork: Analysis of Human Occupational Performance
Deborah Gangluff, Sc.D. OTR/L says “Costa Rica is fabulous! I enjoy traveling with students through the country side while we visit various clinics and medical sites, interview centenarians living in the area, and sightsee with our knowledgeable tour guide. I am a faculty member in the UCA Occupational Therapy Department, learning the Spanish language and increasing my cultural humility for the beauty and splendor of the people and surroundings. My previous travel and therapy knowledge have helped prepare me to be flexible, adaptable, and ready for the unexpected. This is my fourth trip to Costa Rica and I hope our students will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.”
Courses offered by Dr. Gangluff:
- OTHY 6212 Level I Fieldwork: Analysis of Human Occupational Performance
Mrs. Erin Garrett, MSN, RN, CPN, CHSE is a faculty member for the School of Nursing at UCA. She has been a registered nurse for 16 years, specializing in Pediatrics nursing. She currently serves as the Simulation Quality Manager for the Nabholz Center for Healthcare Simulation. She enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends. “As a nurse, our role is to continuously learn about the people we serve, so that we may better care for them. Costa Ricans have a unique culture that provides a sense of purpose that can result in longevity that is beyond what we see in the United States. This trip provides the opportunity to learn from not only these centenarians but Costa Ricans of all ages which will result in a lasting impact on our life, family, and practice in healthcare. UCA Nursing and OT students work together to explore this way of living. The rich experiences encountered in this program will influence the way we live in the United States and the way we care for our patients.”
Courses offered by Mrs. Garrett:
- NURS 3V13 – Special Studies in Nursing
Program Cost
Click here to view the 2025 program cost for ‘UCA Occupational Therapy and Nursing Abroad: Keys to Well-Being in Costa Rica’.
Learn Spanish
Practice some Spanish before your trip with our Basic Spanish Translations cheat sheet.