Medicine Internships in Dominican Republic

It was a great experience, however I do think it is geared towards people with little to no work experience and did not meet all my expectations of learning something new in a new work environment. The best part was being able to practice my Spanish with my host family.

CIEE provided me with a great internship site, a clean and nice apartment in a good neighborhood, and gave me roommates who shared similar interests. The staff was extremely kind and helped me whenever I needed, and were good about checking in with me about my experiences

I think there's problems here and there with cleanliness of dorms and location choices, but overall I had a very positive experience. The staff and program as a whole I felt was a very worthwhile opportunity.

My CIEE internship in Barcelona, Spain is a great experience not just academically but also personally. I have learned so much about myself during these months and building connections is so important in life.

This program was amazing! The staff and faculty are always willing to help with anything. Whether it's about your internship placement or advice for fun adventures in the city, the staff is there for you. This program has great opportunities to grow as a student and a professional in your field. The field trips and activities in this program allowed us to take our learning outside and explore a new culture. I couldn't recommend this program enough!

CIEE is very well-staffed and they do everything they can to make sure you have the best experience possible. Everyone is friendly, the rules and guidelines are laid out for you, and the excursions CIEE plans are a blast!!

I have had a great experience, it is organized and comes at a good cost. The staff on-site is very supportive and helpful (as well as Brooke in Portland), but we had an emergency situation and the Portland higher-ups didn't handle it well, nor did anyone answer the emergency number provided to us.

It was a great program. I would really only recommend it for an internship because I think you get the most out of it that way. I was going to study abroad I'd rather do it at a local university where I'm studying. My only complaint is that the whole CIEE experience isn't tailored very well to internships, and a lot of things conflict with work. It feels like the intern students are an afterthought, which I understand because most people are studying here.

Being in the Dominican Republic and being able to intern at the local clinic has been a blessing for me. In so little time I've gained so much experience and knowledge professionally and personally. My life has changed tremendously and I leave the Dominican Republic with kind regards and special thanks to Aldeas to Paz.

To all future volunteers around the world: After 15 months spending with Aldeas de Paz, my stay comes to an end.So it's an occasion for sharing my experience, point of view and recommendation. My place abroad was Las Terrenas on the peninsula Samaná in the Dominican Republic. I worked mainly in the cities public hospital. It' been a long time. 1 year and 3 months is an extensive period spend abroad for a volunteer service, but for all that everyday was worthwhile. Conception of time in the Dominican Republic is different to the ones a foreign person is used to. Schedules do not work out flawlessly nor appointments will always take place at the exact planned day and hour. Gradually the progress is made. Hence you, as a future volunteer should have in mind: the longer the stay the better! You can not rapid start work in the Dominican Republic from day one on, neither will you see a terrific change and colossal impact during your stay. This can be arduous to an arriving volunteer filled with creative urges, ideas, motivation and expectations. During your stay you will face challenges. Nevertheless you will grow with each and learn about yourself and others. By and by you will master a new language, meet various people from around the world, exchange and put things into perspective and experience. Which I had the great opportunity to. Likewise myself, the organisation was growing and still is. Aldeas de Paz is a sprouting and forthcoming NGO. I am more than thankful for the opportunity of being a part of this Fundacion. It is a chance of expansion of your own horizon - and for both sides for though the dissimilar living environments and - maxims plus savoir - vivre can fertilise one another. Exceptional thanks to Vito, Coordinator of Las Terrenas, more of a friend, for always being amiable, available and keen.

I stayed in Samaná for about 6 weeks working at the local hospital, where I helped in the obstetric and pediatric ambulance, assisting the doctors by fulfilling small medical tasks or recording the patients´ medical information. Working in an hospital with a leck of medical resources and getting to know in how far the medical system is related to cultural impacts has been an enriching experience that will definitely also help me while working in the medical sector in Germany. Besides working at the hospital, I really enjoyed the living together with the other volunteers, a group of young and open-minded people who all came to the Dominican Republic to make new experiences and friends. I was welcomed very hearty and friendly and especially liked living at the volunteers´ flat share, where we often spent time cooking, chilling and chattering together. The highlight during my stay was the medical mission at the general hospital in El Limón, where a medical team from Michigan assisted the Dominican doctors by doing surgery, dispensing medicine and treating patients. Together with two other girls from Aldeas de Paz we worked as translators but also had the chance to gain a lot of medical experience like observing surgeries. Moreover, I really liked the free time activities such as the diving classes or our trips to Cayo Levantado (the `Bacardi Island´) we did together with all the other volunteers on the weekends. Even though I sadly had to fly back to Germany earlier than actually planned for medical reasons, I enjoyed my stay in the Dominican Republic. I met lots of wonderful people and new friends, gained medical such as personal and cultural experience and also improved my Spanish skills, wherefore I am very thankful to have had the chance to be part of the Aldeas de Paz-Team.

During my time in Santa Barbara de Samaná, I worked as a hospital volunteer, school volunteer at Mama Elba, as well as initiated my own project at the school Mama Elba. Although it was a short 5 weeks, I learned so much during my stay. Along with really experiencing the difference of healthcare that is found in Dominican Republic, as well as for the first time experiencing what it is like to teach, I learned a lot about myself and the culture of the Dominican Republic. Aldeas de Paz, more specifically Sebastian, did an amazing job making sure my trip went as smoothly as possible from the time before arrival all the way until the end. I really appreciated his support with everything and admired how hard he worked trying to make sure the foundation was running smoothly for all volunteers involved. My time in the Dominican Republic, is truly indescribable. The food, the people, the music and the tranquility of the town really causes you to fall in love with the country. Creating the special connections I did with some of the hospital staff, my host family, and the students of the school really tied me to Samaná and has made my Dominican adventure unforgettable. The town is easy to grow accustomed to and to really meet and enjoy the company of the community members and local population. I would recommend either hospital placement or school placement because not only will you learn a lot about Dominican life, but the students and patients you see will teach you lessons in life and patience that no other job or university class will. Thank you so much Aldeas de Paz for an amazing time in Samaná, but I can assure you that I will be coming back soon.

I had the chance to work in the public hospital ”Dr. Leopoldo Pou“ in Santa Barbara de Samaná for one year. Sent by the German Red Cross I helped out in different areas of the hospital where they needed help. That gave me a great opportunity to see how the medical system works in the Dominican Republic. I helped out for six months in the laboratory doing administrative work and helping improve procedures and the workflow. Then I had the chance to help for a few months with the digitalization of the patients' records at the HIV Station, to assist and observe a pediatrician and to assist the doctors and nurses in the Emergency Room. While the services of the doctors and surgeons from the United States took part three times while I was here, act as a translater for them and assist in surgery. That was a great opportunity and one of the highlights of my voluntary service. There were not just surgical services for humans but also for animals where I could participate in several times by assisting in the recovery station after the animals came out of surgery. Beside my work in the public hospital (mostly in the morning), I gave first aid classes to tourist guides, members of the Dominican Red Cross, disabled children, vounteers and teachers in the Mamá Elba School. I also gave a computer class once a week and English classes twice a week to the community. Regarding the organization itself, I really liked how our coordinator Sebastian supported us with everything. He was always there for us and motivated and willing to help. I really had a great year here with Aldeas de Paz! I learned a lot of things, not just of medical nature. I would say that this year in the Dominican Republic helped me become more open-minded, more mature, able to integrate myself in another culture and able to live without having access to everything I am used to. It was a great enrichment for my personality. That is why I can warmly recommend doing a long-term voluntary service at Aldeas de Paz in the Dominican Republic.

My name is Leonard Bargfeld and I was working in a public clinic, with Aldeas De Paz, for one year. In Las Terrenas I was living in a flat with another volunteer which was perfectly fine for two persons. Even though powerouts appear time by time, welcoming colleagues, dream beaches and perfect weather indemnify such situations. Getting used to the Dominican culture was at first not easy for me. Norms and values are not the same as in western countries, resulting of different circumstances. I had a couple of problems to deal with. However, I learned that a problem is there to be solved. Comparing cultures is not the solution. After some time I realised that no culture is better or worse than another, there is just a difference and if you understand that, it will become easier to deal with all the things you normally could not deal with. I’m grateful that I met so many people from all over the world, which were interested to broaden their horizons, like me. Additionally I gained a lot of experience, which is the most valuable thing to take back home. The project in the UNAP Clinic in Las Terrenas was really interesting, the doctors and nurses were really welcoming, even though we had some communication problems in the beginning. During my year not only my Spanish developed but my knowledge about medicine and the health system too. As you are able to discover the whole country I would recommend a stay of at least two month. The organisation is still developing and tries to implement lots of projects. Everyone is really committed and passionate about their work. I gained a whole variety of experience and I want to give a special thanks to: Vito (coordinator Las Terrenas). He is a hard working coordinator and helps out whenever help is needed. Vito tries to improve the organisation every day. My friends and I had a wonderful time with him and I ́m really grateful that I had this opportunity in my life. Thank you Aldeas De Paz!

I spent nearly 12 months in Samaná working in the medicine and healthcare program. Because I stayed here such a long time I got to experience various workplaces. At first I helped at the HIV station of the local public hospital “Dr. Leopoldo Pou” and I gained an insight of how HIV treatment is organized. In the afternoons I started to accompany a dentist in the beginning in the local hospital and later in a private practice. During the second half of my volunteer service I worked in the private clinic “Los cubanos”. My work was very varied. Most of the time I supported the medical staff as far as I could. Sometimes I was even allowed to assist during a wound treatment or I translated for the doctors when a foreign patient came. Having the opportunity to stay in a foreign country for such a long time was great luck for me. Even now I do not have the feeling that I fully understand the Dominican culture but I definitely learned a lot here. Not just about the Dominican Republic, I was also able to improve my Spanish and I gained a few medical experiences. Already these benefits would have made the year unforgettable. But in addition the Dominican Republic offers a beautiful nature. It starts with the view of the Samaná Bay right in front of our apartments. Around the Samaná peninsula are furthermore various paradisiac beaches and at some point it became a luxury problem having to decide to which beach to go on the weekends. All in all I am really happy that I volunteered here and grateful for the opportunity. The advantage of being a volunteer with Aldeas de Paz is that you can profit from numerous contacts which could help you for instance if you want to initiate a new project. Moreover our coordinators in Samaná were always available for our problems and very supportive. And last but not least you can profit from other volunteers! In the last 12 months I met very interesting and friendly people who broadened my horizon and with who I made a few unforgettable experience. And what else could you wish for than an interesting country, beautiful nature and amazing people?

My name is Ümmühan and I’m 22 years old. I participated in a medical project from the organization Aldeas de Paz in the Dominic Republic. I worked in a clinic, which is called CLINICA ESPECIALIZADA INTERNACIONAL in Las Terrenas for 6 weeks. I’m currently doing an apprenticeship in the 3th semester as a nurse in Germany. I thought it would be difficult to change the way I work in the hospital because of the have different guidelines in both countries. For example: In Germany we have to use disinfection solutions after each contact with patients. But that doesn’t exist in the clinic, so you have to wash your hands with soup after each contact with patients. The nurses showed me everything in the first few days. After that it was easy for me to work, I gave injections, prepared medicine etc. I didn’t only learn the work in the hospital, I learned to think and act like a Dominican. And I liked that. The whole personnel of the clinic were like a family to me. They cared about me every single day. It was a good feeling. I can only recommend being a part of this Project. I got a lot of experience and I improved my Spanish skills as well. These were the goals, that I reached. I want to thank the clinic, Aldeas de Paz, the director and the coordinator, ¡Gracias por todo!

My name is Caroline Neite. I worked with the organization Aldeas de Paz in Las Terrenas for six weeks. I worked there as a volunteer in a private hospital because I participated in a medical project. In Germany I am currently doing an apprenticeship as a nurse, so I can to study medicine afterward, therefore I saw the project as a great opportunity to improve my medical knowledge and to get more working experience in the professional field. What I can say after six weeks in the hospital is that I really learned and saw more things, which I did not learn or see in Germany before. It started with measuring blood pressure and later I was allowed to give intramuscular and intravenous injections. In addition to that I could assist in small operations, most of the time caused by accidents with “motoconchos“. When I had questions the Doctors and nurses always helped me a lot. That’s the reason why I have learned so many things about the effects from medicine and of course I could improve my Spanish a lot in speaking with the staff. My highlights definitely were to see bigger operations like a c- sektion or an ablation from an uterus. Of course the standards are a little bit different in comparison to Germany but the clinic is very modern and the methods they are using in the hospital are working very well. About the organization I can say, that they always had time to help me when I had something I wanted to speak about. Additionally I really enjoyed the time with the other volunteers and that we all had our apartments in the same house. Every week on Monday we had a group meeting to speak about everything that is going good or bad. I liked that kind of exchange with the group and I would work with the organization again anytime. But not only the people I worked together with are really friendly, also the Dominican people are really openhearted and try to help whenever they can. I am sure that I will come back to Las Terrenas one day. Thanks for the great time!

I had such a good time here in the Dominican Republic. Mainly due to the many nice people I met and friends I made during my time with Aldeas de Paz. They all amazed me by their incredible heartwarming attitude. My workplace at the hospital was really interesting because I had the opportunity to work with HIV patients and experience the medical system of a developing country. The only disadvantage was the fact that there was sometimes not enough work for me and my coworker because we did not have any qualifications a nurse or a doctor would have had. However, the people we worked with were very supportive and willing to get in touch with us and because of that I made some good friends in the hospital. I also enjoyed the free time activities we did together. There are so many things to do, especially going to the beaches and the bars! A huge thank you to the Foundation which gave me the opportunity to be part of a great team and also to my coordinators who treated us like friends and supported us during tough times. Greta

I am not the average volunteer for Aldeas de Paz because I came to Samaná with my husband and two children (ages 8 and 10). I am a nursing student and ADP was one of the few organizations I could find through which I was able to volunteer in a hospital without already being a fully trained medical professional. During our 2.5-month stay, my husband worked at his regular job (online from our apartment). Our kids had a local Dominican nanny in the mornings and I home-schooled them in the afternoons. Overall, we enjoyed our time in Samaná immensely! We loved exploring the town and surrounding attractions, eating Dominican food, meeting the friendly local people, and improving our Spanish. Manfred and Julia were very responsive and helpful with any issues we had--whether small (the electricity was out) or large (a brief hospital stay for my husband due to Dengue Fever.) I highly recommend ADP! It turned out to be a fun, safe place for our family to be immersed in a different culture while I was able to volunteer and gain valuable experience in the medical field.

Three months ago, I decided it was time to leave home and experience the rest of the world, but the question then became, where do I go? My original thought was to go to a country in Africa, but after talking with my family about this possibility, the idea would be shot down for two reasons. First, it costs a lot of money to go to Africa. Second, the culture shock may have been too much for me to manage, as I’ve never travelled alone before. My next thought was to travel to Central America; it’s close to home, and relatively affordable. The next step would be to find an organization in Central America that is not only reputable and safe, but also where my actions would have a positive impact on the people in the community. After quite a bit of online researching, I came to the conclusion that I would head to the Dominican Republic and volunteer with Aldeas de Paz (ADP). What really solidified my decision to volunteer with ADP was their belief that “learning through service prepares our volunteers to be role models for change worldwide.” Knowing that my heart and this volunteer organization were both in the same state of mind allowed me to feel comfortable making the decision to leave home. After two months of awaiting my departure date, the time had come, and I was headed to the airport. Prior to beginning this trip, I told myself that throughout this journey I would make sure to never have expectations. The reason behind this logic is my belief that without expectations, you enable yourself to adapt to the culture far more easily. With this in mind, I said goodbye to my family, pulled my luggage out of the trunk, and headed to my flight, but while boarding the plane to Samana, flashes of doubt began to surface and a nervous feeling began to grab hold of me. My mind raced as I thought about how I was about to leave my family for an entire month and spend it in a country I’ve never been to before. Even more terrifying was the fact that I knew very little Spanish, and had no clue what the culture would be like in Santa Barbara de Samana, the town I’d be volunteering in. Nonetheless, I kept my composure, cleared the negative thoughts, and carried on. After two plane rides, a taxi to a bus stop, and a 3 hour long bus ride, I would arrive in Samana. Shortly after arriving, I would be picked up by the director of the organization, Manfred, and driven to my new home. After dropping off my bags and meeting my new housemates, Henrik and Christian, they would take me to the Malecon to get pizza, as well teach me about the town and culture. The key point, or should I say word, they stressed throughout our dinner conversation was “Tranquillo”, meaning tranquil. This word is not only the normal greeting between men in the Dominican, but also describes the lifestyle of the people. They stated that everything here moves tranquilly, which in Dominican terms meant that everything moved at an incredibly slow pace. This slow lifestyle would prove to be my greatest challenge. During the first days in the program, I created a schedule with many activities I wanted to do throughout the week. While the amount of activities planned may have been normal in USA time, it was completely unrealistic in Dominican time. It wasn’t that I couldn’t move fast enough to get to each activity, it was that each event involved the local people, who were living the tranquillo lifestyle. This first week would be my learning week, not just about the pace of the town, but other cultural aspects as well. Much different than the US, here there are very few people that drive a car, instead everybody drives motorbikes. While the motorbike aspect seemed sound, the part that seemed strange to me was the fact that nobody wore a helmet. After some research, I found out that the single greatest cause of death in Samana is motorbike accidents. Another part of this culture that is completely different than the United States is the friendliness of the entire town. Everybody here greets me with “Hola!”, and nobody ever seems mad or upset. The inhabitants of this village always seem to be happy. With the average salary here of $120 a month, it just goes to show that money does not buy happiness. Without the friendliness of the people, I don’t think I would have been able to adjust to the slow pace of the village. While the culture in Samana may have surprised me at times, the one thing I knew would have a familiar feeling to home would be practicing medicine. In the United States, I work as a scribe in the Emergency Department of my local hospital, and love the environment associated with the fast paced work. I actually enjoy it to such a great length that Emergency medicine is something I am really considering pursuing once accepted into medical school. With that in mind, it was quite easy to select the program within Aldeas de Paz that I wanted to volunteer with; the medical volunteering program. I figured that this would allow me to be able to keep the fast paced lifestyle I had at home; I was mistaken. I would volunteer at the “Dr. Leopold Pou Hospital” in the heart of Santa Barbara de Samana, where the Tranquillo lifestyle had taken a firm hold, and medicine moved at a pace that reminded me of the blobs of wax rising and falling in a lava lamp. While not as fast paced as the US, medicine in the DR was still quite amazing to say the least. To compensate for their lack of modern medical technologies, they used their fingers and eyes as medical machines that could locate medical problems with each patient. Also different than the United States, here patient medical history is a huge component of the doctors’ medical decisions. Since many inhabitants of Samana are very poor, they cannot afford x-rays or ultrasounds, or even proper labs for that matter. For this reason, a patient’s history is crucial to the doctor’s decision to prescribe certain medications or have the patient carry out certain orders. While observing the Dominican patient-doctor interaction was an incredible experience in itself, the most extraordinary part of my medical volunteering experience was helping the American Medical Mission Group who came to Samana to give free medical care to the community. For one week, they provided free surgeries and free consultations for children and adults; during this week my encyclopedia of medical knowledge would grow far beyond what I had ever imagined. Throughout each day, I was able to watch and scrub into various surgeries such as Hysterectomies or cyst removals, as well as help examine patients in the pediatric consultation center. At the end of the week, we must have had seen every single inhabitant of the town. I’m extremely fortunate that this group had come down to help the people of Samana, for they further confirmed my desire to pursue a career in medicine. In addition to the medical aspect of this volunteering experience, I also got to help with something I never would have thought was so rewarding; construction. In the earlier weeks of my stay in Samana, the hospital was still being built, therefore most of the work in my first days here involved assisting the construction workers in the building of the hospital. This was quite possibly one of the most meaningful jobs of the entire trip, as my life goal is to build a hospital in a community in the United States which lacks adequate medical care. After hours of volunteering, I began to realize the extraordinary amount of time, effort, employees, and patience it takes to build a hospital. Throughout the construction, the director of the hospital would show me newly finished areas of the hospital, and with an almost childish like gleefulness in her smile, tell me how happy she was to see her hospital transforming into a beacon of hope for the entire community. After the construction was complete, the president of the Dominican Republic held a massive induction ceremony, and thanked Flor, the director, for all of her efforts. He was so proud of her and the entire staff for working tirelessly in their pursuit to make Santa Barbara de Samana a great place. Not only did I get to help with the construction aspect of the hospital, shadow Dominican physicians, and assist and shadow the American Medical Mission Group, but I also got to help create a patient record documentation system for the hospital. Previously, the hospital lacked any organization involving patient records. There was one single room filled from top to bottom with folders of patient’s records that were mostly covered in cobwebs and dust. My job throughout the process was to help create a computerized patient record, so that if a patient returned to the hospital, all we had to do was enter in their name or social security number and we would have all the information of the patient at our finger tips. While this seems quite standard in the United States, this concept was brand new to the DR. With over 30,000 patient records, I did not get to finish entering in all of the data, but I’m sure that this will be completed soon, which will allow them to be one step closer to a paperless future and a greener hospital. While my passion in the Dominican was medical volunteering, I also found it quite joyful to assist the other volunteers in teaching at the Mama Elba School for special needs children. Although the school was founded to help special needs children, some of the students had other medical conditions, and were considered outcasts to society. Unfortunately, some these kids were not attending the regular community school because other children may pick on them, or simply because they cannot be taught in a similar manner as most other kids. Fortunately, at the Mama Elba School, we are more than happy to assist these children, and strive to make them want to learn. Each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon, I would go to the school and assist Henrik and Christian in teaching lessons about the environment, Dominican Republic Independence Day, as well as other various topics. You could tell from the joy on the children’s faces that they were incredibly happy to be here. This school provided them with time to be free and creative, as well as to laugh and learn and play. One student in particular, Yanet, was very interested in learning math, but because she was deaf it was difficult for her to understand the lessons taught in school. I decided that if her school doesn’t want to take the time to teach her, then I will. After a few quality hours, she was an addition and subtraction master. She was incredibly happy to be solving all of the problems she once struggled with, but I was even more overjoyed for two reasons. First, I was happy to see Yanet was smiling as she was completing math problems, second, I had just taught a little girl a skill that she will use for the rest of her life. Helping people like Yanet is the reason I choose to volunteer. The whole experience provides me with a priceless joy that is unlike any other feeling. Although I may have come to the Dominican Republic to learn more about Central America and how medicine is practiced, my time here has also given me the opportunity to learn more about myself. One of the most important things the Dominican has allowed me to discover about myself is what drives my happiness. In the States, it was becoming difficult to decipher what made me happy. After being away from Maryland for some time, I realized my happiness stems from my family and friends, as well as my work and research. Through the Tranquillo culture, I also came to realize that I had little patience. Everything at home was a rush and each day had to follow a plan; it seems as if often times I would not get to fully enjoy one activity because I was in a hurry to get to the next. Fortunately, my time here allowed me to recognize that not everything in life is a race. Sometimes in life, you need to take the backseat and watch events unfold, rather than always try and run into the storm. As I leave Samana, I hope to carry these lessons, as well as all the memories, with me as I grow into adulthood. One day, I will return to Samana, but this time as a changed man because of the teachings in happiness, medicine, and life Samana has taught me.