Operation Walk Experience

When Amanda Jepson looks back on her experience in Peru with Operation Walk, she remembers one patient in particular.  While recovering from joint replacement surgery, the woman's entire family came in to thank the medical staff.

"It made me realize that we were not only helping her as a patient, but we helped her whole family by giving her a surgery that made her more functional and able to do things with her family she had not done in years," Jepson says. "It was great to watch every stage of her experience in the hospital. It made me appreciate the entire process, from screening, to the surgery, to recovery."

Jepson spent much of her time assisting patients with physical therapy following surgery. But she also had the opportunity to scrub in on several surgeries where she held retractors, closed incisions with stitches and staples, and assisted the anesthesiologist.

Jepson says the entire experience, including the application process, gave her a great deal of confidence, an appreciation for volunteerism, and new insights into her career plans

"I originally wanted to go into physical therapy, and after going on the trip, I realized I loved physical therapy, but that my real calling is to be a doctor.  I think I want to be a pediatrician, but my experiences with the anesthesiologist were unforgettable and is another area I am interested in."

Jepson is majoring in exercise science with a minor in biology.