Launch of the USC-PKUHSC Peer Exchange
October 17, 2020
23 students from both USC and PKUHSC engaged in the three virtual Peer Exchange events this fall to learn about occupational therapy in cross-cultural settings.
China Initiative Community and Partners Global Initiatives International
As the China Initiative partnership between the University of Southern California (USC) and the Peking University Health Science Center (PKUHSC) continues to grow, so too have efforts to expand the connection between the two occupational therapy (OT) programs. With monthly events that virtually bring together students from the Master’s programs of both USC and PKUHSC, the Peer Exchange aims to help students learn about how cross-cultural contexts and perspectives shape occupational therapy practice, and provides opportunities for students in different countries to connect and learn from each other.
Planning for the Peer Exchange started as early as April 2020. Together, representatives from both institutions collaboratively discussed the goals, format, and plan for the Peer Exchange moving forward. This joint representation remains central to the Peer Exchange: every semester, student volunteers from both institutions are recruited to be a part of the Peer Exchange Planning Committee. The Peer Exchange Planning Committee meets at least monthly to plan each exchange, ensuring the Peer Exchange remains a student-driven and student-centered collaboration between both schools and offers opportunities to share perspectives from various cultural backgrounds.
For the Fall 2020 semester, the Planning Committee consisted of the USC China Initiative doctoral residents, the USC Global Initiatives doctoral residents, as well as three PKUHSC students across Cohort 1 and Cohort 2. Together, they planned a total of three events for this semester, each with a different focus.
The first Peer Exchange event occurred in October 2020 and focused on introductions and empowering students to envision what they wanted to gain from the Peer Exchange. Students were sorted into small groups consisting of on average 2 PKUHSC students and 2 USC students. They stayed in these same small groups throughout the three peer exchange events.
PKUHSC and USC students wrote about their goals for the Peer Exchange.
The November 2020 Peer Exchange was centered around cross-cultural differences in OT education, workplace culture, and lifestyle using a virtual game of Jeopardy to encourage discussion within small groups. The categories were Culture and Health, OTs at Work, Meaningful Occupations, OT Curriculum, and Research. Culture and Health included questions such as “What does it mean to be healthy in your culture? What health services are most commonly used?”. Such questions allowed students to understand and probe deeper into cultural perspectives on health. The OTs at Work category was centered around what the occupational therapy career looks like in each country, including an understanding of the minimum qualifications for OTs, common areas of practice, and the perspectives of OT within the healthcare system and greater public. Meaningful Occupations was a category that allowed students to engage in occupations together, such as sharing their favorite song, or learning how to say “occupational therapy” in a different language. Finally, questions in the OT Curriculum and Research categories afforded an opportunity for students to compare and contrast their academic programs, and discuss their student experiences and educational opportunities.
During the second exchange, PKUHSC and USC students played a trivia game in small groups to discuss differences of OT practice and societal/cultural contexts across China and the US.
The December 2020 Peer Exchange, the last of the semester, revolved around a discussion of occupations across the lifespan. Students used Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development as a framework to guide their discussion of how occupational therapy practice might look at different stages across a client’s life. They were also encouraged to share how their culture may influence the occupations engaged in at each life stage, and to critically analyze and consider the applicability of the Erikson Stages in their culture.
For the third and last exchange of the Fall 2020 semester, PKUHSC and USC students used Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development to participate in a discussion about occupations across the lifespan.
Following the Fall 2020 Peer Exchange, both PKUHSC and USC students shared sentiments of a growing worldview and understanding of OT. One PKUHSC student commented, “I’ve learned a lot about OT in America, but I realize there’s a whole other world of information on the international scale.” Another stated, “I more deeply understand the differences and similarities between OT development in the US and in China”, and observed she had grown closer to her Peer Exchange small group members over the semester.
A USC student shared, “definitely having the opportunity to meet our PKUHSC peers was, and still is, the best part [of the Peer Exchange]! It’s not a common occasion that we can meet like this, so that’s been a true silver lining from the given circumstances [COVID-19 pandemic]. I’ve found that the PKUHSC students are very welcoming, kind, and have provided me with a plethora of insight into how they understand OT/OS. It’s also very exciting to know that some of these students will be joining the division in-person relatively soon!”
The Peer Exchange will continue into next semester with new opportunities and a new Planning Committee. We look forward to another exciting series of Peer Exchange events in Spring 2021!
PKUHSC and USC students “Fight On!” during the Peer Exchange.
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