Volunteering is a very rewarding and educational experience for both parties.”
– HVO Volunteer Kirsten Kristensen, PT, MS
Every health worker has a story, and Kirsten Kristensen’s volunteer story begins with a lifelong love of travel.
Born in Denmark, Kristensen traveled throughout Europe as a young adult and even spent a year and a half living with a family in the US. After this experience, she returned home to Denmark and decided to become a physical therapist. She completed her education and moved to the US.
In 1993, Kristensen had the opportunity to visit Vietnam. Given her penchant for travel and adventure, it is no surprise that she jumped at the chance to become one of the first visitors to the country at a time when it was just opening its doors to tourists. However, Kristensen was not satisfied to remain in the role of tourist.
“I was so fascinated by the country that I was determined to return there to work,” she recalls.
Her inquiries as to how she could apply her physical therapy skills overseas led her to HVO, and in 1995 she returned to Vietnam as a part of a volunteer rehabilitation team.
“It was interesting to observe how the US orthopaedic surgeons the local surgeons worked together,” she recalls, “The visits also resulted in donations to the local facilities of much needed equipment.”
Since her initial assignment, Kristensen has been able to combine her passion for travel and her commitment to the health care profession through assignments at HVO project sites around the globe, including Bhutan, India, Peru, Malawi and St. Lucia.
“It is very rewarding to meet therapists in other countries, learn about their country and about how physical therapy is practiced there as well as being able to share knowledge with each other,” she says, “Volunteering is a very rewarding and educational experience for both parties.”