Hey y’all! I’m Sam, a Geography student here at UM, and I chose the theme of Global and Public Health within the GLI program. I explored this theme through the multifaceted challenge of access to healthcare- one aspect of which pertains to availability of healthcare resources in rural areas, a topic of relevance to us here in Montana; and another aspect surrounding the accessibility of medical knowledge and preparedness when recreating in the outdoors – another large part of Montana’s way of life. For my Beyond the Classroom experience, I took part in a 10-week Wilderness Medicine course, learning, living, and playing in the jungles of Costa Rica and the mountains of Montana; becoming certified as an EMT and in many other outdoor skills along the way.

In the first half of the program, we spent a month in the San Jose province of Costa Rica, living as a part of the small rural community of Mastatal. We were housed at Rancho Mastatal, a sustainable living, permaculture farm and education center. My class was small compared to previous years, an anomaly the ultimately led itself to a strong and supportive group dynamic, and much success with our learning and comprehension. For three weeks, we studied, practiced hard skills, and ran scenarios as part of our EMT training, before being set loose to go run through the jungles at the end of each day. We spent our evenings playing volleyball or ultimate frisbee with the ranch team and locals from the community or lounging in hammocks to read, before finally sitting down around a long table to share dinner with everyone. Those dinners were a truly special part of the experience; opportunities to connect with people from all over the world over a shared meal in such a fashion are rare and treasured. For our final week in Mastatal we were given the opportunity to participate in a series of community health clinics in Mastatal and the surrounding areas, and it was a pleasure to be able to learn from and work alongside experienced doctors while getting to give back to the community that had welcomed us so warmly. While the healthcare systems of our countries differ vastly, the challenges rural communities face in access to healthcare, whether through availability, economic means, or geographic barriers, have no nationality. The resulting resilience and connectedness of these communities is a special thing and a strength that should be fostered wherever possible.

Our departure from Mastatal was more bitter than sweet, and I had a tough time saying goodbye to many folks I’d made strong connections with. The adventures certainly continued however, and in the week-long program hiatus for us to return stateside and gear up for the second half of the program, I managed to sneak in a few days on the beaches of Costa Rica, a surf lesson (and a subsequent sprained ankle, whoopsie), and even a passing grade on the written portion of the National Registry EMT exam (Woohoo!).

Back in Montana, we spent a couple days regrouping in Missoula before heading out to roam around the western parts of our state, continuing to develop our medical skills, now in conjunction with outdoor skills and remote wilderness settings. We went through Avalanche Rescue training in the Flathead Valley, then continued on to the Seeley-Swan Valley where we lived for three weeks at the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Our EMT education continued here, with a strong emphasis on wilderness medical skills, and we paired this with training in wilderness navigation and Search and Rescue.

Throughout this entire section, there was ample opportunity for teamwork and collaboration, and thorough development of essential soft skills like communication and leadership. Getting to practice these skills under the added stress of medical scenarios was an exciting challenge, and pushed my class towards a high level of cohesion. This was also when our class took the practical portions of the EMT exam, which everyone passed, completing the final portion of our EMT Certification! Our final week was spent in Alberton along the Clark Fork River, where we completed Swiftwater Rescue training. Overall this course was a transformative experience, affording me with an incredible amount of life experience and personal growth. I feel more confident as a recreator in Montana’s outdoors and am excited about having the skills and knowledge to help introduce others to something I feel so passionate about. I look forward to continuing my personal and professional pursuits within this realm, and working towards making our outdoor spaces accessible for everyone to enjoy safely. My final thoughts are those of gratitude, for the experience, but most importantly for the friendships I made and the people I shared those experiences with.