Occupational Therapy
Current Student News
General News
During the 2022 World Federation of Occupational Therapy conference in Paris, Andrea Tyszka, OTD ‘18, MS, OTR/L, SIPT, was stationed next to a faculty member from Rotterdam University in the Netherlands during a daylong poster session.
That gave the two educators ample opportunity to talk about many things, one of which was the International Peer Buddy program Dr. Tyszka’s colleague had started with Oslo Met University in Norway 10 years previously.
“It’s really an interesting program and I thought we could do it here,” said Dr. Tyszka, associate professor and director of the Post-professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OT) program in the College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) at Drexel University, Elkins Park campus. “We’re a global society and we need to understand our own profession not only in the context of how it fits into the Philadelphia region but also in the context of how it fits into the United States and how it fits in the world.”
One of the debates at the time in the OT profession was should universities offer an entry-level OT doctorate.
“The rest of the world offers an entry-level bachelor’s, so what is it about the U.S. that requires an entry-level doctorate?” said Dr. Tyszka. “I wouldn’t know to have that informed opinion if I didn’t know what was going on in the rest of the world when it comes to professional preparation. So, it’s really important to not only know what goes on in your own back yard, but to have a broader view of the profession you’re entering.”
Dr. Tyszka believed the Peer Buddy program - a collaboration between universities throughout the world (U.S., Europe, Asia) to connect students studying OT and aims to provide those students with the opportunity to develop their cross-cultural communication skills and broaden their global perspective of the profession – would be useful for the students at what was then Salus University before its merger with Drexel in July 2025.
“I thought wow, this program would really help our students to understand the differences in how OT is practiced and how OT practitioners are prepared if they make these personal connections,” said Dr. Tyszka. “And, I thought our students could learn those very subtle nuances by talking to these international peers.”
The first year the University rolled out the program at the former Salus University, in 2023, it was for second-year students who were completing their fieldwork. But that became a logistical challenge because those students had limited time to connect with peers. The OT faculty members then decided to offer the program to first-year students because their schedules are more flexible and it was a better fit with their international peers, who were also first-year students.
The other important benefit, according to Dr. Tyszka, is that the international program prepares first-year students for Level II international fieldwork placements that some of them choose to pursue as second-year students.
This year, 16 Drexel OT students participated in the program, and faculty member Ashley Anderson, MS, OTR/L, joined the program as a mentor. Students were matched with peers from India, Canada, France, Norway, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Matched peers have been meeting through video conferencing platforms to discuss topics such as similarities and differences in how OT is practiced and defined, what their educational programs look like and even sharing pictures from their culture and daily life.
The response from students has been positive.
"I really enjoyed getting to learn about my peer buddy Aparnaa, her culture, and the differences between our program and her program. I definitely recommend continuing this program in the future,” said Kaylin Goodling ‘27OT.
Dr. Tyszka believes the OT students on Drexel’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania campus learn about the universal struggles facing the profession and that the focus of OT in the U.S. may be different than the focus in other countries. For example, she said there is a big mental health OT focus in France, which is not as elevated in the U.S.
Also, it’s a chance for the Drexel OT students to practice their cross-cultural communication skills. “That is, for me, the big thing. As OT practitioners in the U.S., they are going to work with people from all different backgrounds,” she said. “So, to understand those cultural nuances is really important. OTs make deep connections with their clients and you can’t make a deep connection with somebody without understanding their culture, their background, their language and their values.”
