The application is located in the bottom section of Application, where there are two Qualtrics survey links (the unofficial one goes to Dr. Watson directly, which helps Dr. Watson to know your background immediately, and the official one goes to WCU Global, which is required for your admission into this travel course). A short interview will be arranged after Dr. Watson gets your unofficial application and you will be informed soon whether you will join this course.

The full application is due on Jan 15.

However, the estimated costs are based on early booking (buying flight ticket 5-6 months prior, etc.), and the later it goes, the higher the costs will be. Meanwhile, booking flight tickets requires your passport number. If you want to join this course, you need to get your passport ready by early January, which means that you need to apply for the passport in Nov or sooner if you don’t have one yet. You might as well apply for this course asap.  Beginning December 1, the deposits open, and close February 1. You are highly encouraged to talk to Dr. Watson in person to make a decision on whether you can/want to join the travel course as soon as possible.

At this time there is only opportunity for DPT students, although as our program changes we are looking to partner with other health related programs. Alumni are encouraged to consider as well, as larger groups need more mentors.

Course enrollment is limited. Our Honduran partners could not possibly accommodate your entire class of 48 students. First, housing capacity limits the number of students and our local partners graciously allow us to utilize a facility with bunks for approximately 20. Secondly, enrollment is capped to maintain a maximum of about a 6:1 student to faculty ratio.  Students are chosen through an application process that includes academic criteria, a student questionnaire, and an interview with the primary instructor. Note that the proposed budget is based on 12 students. As long as 8 students are going, the trip will happen. When there are more students, the budget per each student will be lower.

Can I still take this class if I don’t go to WCU, if I’m graduating in May, or if I graduated already?

Yes, you can but it is complicated. First you would need agreement by Dr. Watson. Then you would need to apply to WCU as “transient student,” and there’s a $50 charge to the Admissions Office to do that. For more details, see the Admissions Office’s information about transient students. For WCU grads, your 92 number will basically be reauthorized for summer session and you’ll be registered/billed for the course just like anyone else. For non-WCU students, the process is a little more involved, but it’s mostly just paperwork.

Reach out to: Financial Aid

Potentially there are some study-abroad scholarships from multiple organizations, but at this moment there is no such scholarship (free-money) from WCU. One option is to check with WCU’s Office of Global Engagement. They have a list of common scholarships for which students may qualify.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is required by February 1 (you can pay beginning December 1) to be paid on the Faculty-Led website. Airline tickets are purchased once enrollment is closed and course deposit has been made. Payment to 3rd party for room/board will be due at that time. All remaining travel costs are due by mid-March (unless covered by financial aid; Financial aid payments are typically made 9 days before trip departure).

Details will be provided once the number of students is set. For money going directly to the school, you will pay $500 by Feb 1 and the balance by mid-March. Other funds will be paid in March & April, and airplane tickets will likely be bought no later than mid-Feb. Your food money won’t be spent until you’re in Honduras.

As the trip approaches, Dr. Watson will explain where payments should go. It is paid at OneStop.

• Gifts – buying souvenirs for yourself or for others
• Extra activities – what you do in your free time
• Breakfast and lunch – evening meal is provided and you will need to pack snacks/lunchables or purchase once in country.
• Excess travel – The amount budgeted for travel will be enough to get you to/from all required activities. However, anything you do on your own time will need to be covered by you.

See the budget for a list of what is covered, which will help you determine what isn’t covered.

Course Objectives:  At the completion of this directed study course, the student will be able to: address the following:

1. Differentiate the typical struggles facing the majority (non-industrialized) world, both material and non-material from those in North America.
2. Define health promotion and provide rationale for how a multifaceted, evidence-based health promotion program with community participation, can positively modify the complex socioeconomic determinants of health.
3. Describe global health and the specific health conditions encountered in the field
4. On the basis of their interdisciplinary learning experience in health and wellness describe:
   • How this course experience will guide their future clinical practice.
   • What perspective shifts regarding their world-view occurred, and what are their changes in ABC (affect, behavior, and cognition).
   • To what extent they hope to “pay it forward” (i.e., share new ideas and insights with other students in classes across the curricula), public speaking opportunities (i.e., present to interdisciplinary audiences across campus and at national and international conferences), and networking opportunities (e.g., ongoing interaction with friends and colleagues in Honduras).

You will receive three (3) credit hours under the PT 880 course number, which will be designated as Service Learning on your transcript.

The three credit hours of the PT 880 course are determined based on the contact hours and course contents. A student can not elect to receive zero or less than three credit hours by doing fewer or none of the coursework nor to receive more than three credit hours as there are no further coursework to warrant it.

Yes, you will need a passport.

If you do not have a passport, apply for one at any post office. The cost is $135 altogether (https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/information/fees.html). Allow for 6-8 weeks . If you have a passport, make sure that it is valid until 6 months from the day we leave USA. To get the best deal in flight ticket, you should have your passport ready in December.

Whatever you do, pack lightly! Plan to take a carry-on and a backpack – for personal items. You will use a couple duffle bags [your checked bags] to transport your clinic/donation/humanitarian supplies. This will be discussed during the pre-trip class sessions.

• I can’t stress that enough (but I’ll try).
• The website One Bag is a good resource that goes into detail about one-bagging it for trips abroad.
• This YouTube video on bundle packing that shows how to get 16 garments into a carry-on.
• Scan through Lifehacker.com’s packing-related posts to get more tips. Some are geared more toward frequent business travelers (like this YouTube video, which is way beyond my packing abilities), but the tips still might be helpful.

In Honduras, the Lempire (or lemp) is the official currency that is traded with US Dollars under restrictions. Students typically bring between $100 to $200 cash. At the airport you can change USD into lemps easily, but it may not be as easy the other way around. Many, but not all businesses will take dollars [ask before attempting purchase]. In the estimated budget plan, the student responsibility in Honduras includes some meals. Some extra spending money is also recommended. The credit card you use at home, is typically accepted but you will need to notify your credit card company of your travel plans. It is recommended that you bring some USD, and exchange part of it to lemps to see how much more you need to exchange later, instead of exchanging all your cash at once.

• We don’t include flight costs in the required payment to WCU  (added in the budget, though, to give you an idea on the overall cost and allow it to be covered by financial aid) because of students taking different itineraries home, using frequent flyer miles, leaving from a different city, etc.
• For the flight over, we will try to go as a group from WNC (e.g. from or through AVL/CLT/ATL, etc.). Dr. Watson will provide students with the flight numbers as it gets time to book tickets.

The lodging is provided by our community partner, Fuente de Vida.

• The mission house is air conditioned, sleeps ~20 and has separate quarters for men and women.
• The bedrooms have bunk beds with linens, pillows and towels.
• There is a washer/dryer [this minimizes the number of outfits to pack]
• There is a small kitchen with typical appliances such as microwave, coffee machine, stove, etc.

None is required to join this travel course.

Please maintain your routine immunization, and you may also check out the Health Information for Travelers to Honduras for more details.

We will travel by ourselves. However on site there will be many children. The Fuente de Vida campus is 14 acres and has a K-12 school with 350 students daily, a girls orphanage home and a transition home for teen girls attending the school from a distance.

We will try to have several interpreters available during clinic operations. Occasionally we may have another clinician from one of the clinics we will visit accompanying us during the day. We will not join tours that are rushed by a guide.

Location: Taulabe, Honduras – Fuente de Vida mission school/orphanage and medical clinic (U.S. partnering agency www.hondurasfountainoflife.com)

• Housing – Homestay at Fuente de Vida mission home
• Meals – evening meals provided
• Tours – available but not part of program fee (e.g. zipline, waterfalls, caves)
• Travel arrangements – airfare 3rd party available; ground transportation provided
• Security – crime for the area is relatively low, and the residence has 24hr security

Needless to say, owning a phone in Honduras would be very useful and give peace of mind, but it is not necessary. It recommended as an opportunity to unplug from electronics and just live in the moment. 

If you activate the international roaming service of your cellphone to use in Honduras, you can maintain your regular phone number. However, it can be expensive. Please contact your cellphone provider to understand the terms and rates.

If you do not activate the international roaming service of your cellphone to use in Honduras, you can utilize wifi calling via WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype, etc.

Also, please keep the phone numbers of the instructor and the contacts at activities (which will be provided when the activities are confirmed), in case you ever need to use a public phone to get in touch with us.