Global Health in La Paz, Bolivia

In August 2019, I participated in the Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Program in La Paz, Bolivia. It was the best trip of my entire life. I was able to shadow many different doctors and nurses, make new friends, try new foods, and travel to amazing places in Bolivia. I grew as a person. My career choices were narrowed down as well. Before going on this trip, I was unsure about if I wanted to be a doctor and go to medical school. While shadowing the doctors in the hospitals, I realized how much joy it brings me to help alleviate the pain of others. I also realized that I want to be involved in global health and continue outreach work. Before departing for Bolivia, CFHI made sure I was well informed on my accommodations, health, safety, and exactly what to expect. My homestay was amazing and each day for lunch and breakfast we had the best Bolivian food. The program directors in La Paz are very nice, available at all times, and super accommodating. La Paz itself is a beautiful and unique city that I miss so much. I grew very close to the girls who were also staying in my homestay. On the weekends, I would travel around Bolivia to amazing places such as Isla del Sol and Salar de Uyuni.

I participated in the Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine program in La Paz, Bolivia for four weeks and loved it! I liked that I was able to see healthcare in La Paz in different settings: I had two weeks of rotations at two different local community clinics and two weeks at the city's largest children's hospital (one week in surgery and one week in the pulmonary unit). The physicians I worked with were patient, kind, and very willing to work with me. I saw patients with cases that I would never see in the United States such as echinococcus granulosus. Not only was the clinical experience great, but the cultural experience was even better. My group and I were able to visit a new tourist site every weekend and our language facility made it so easy to plan the weekends. I also loved my homestay mother. The homestay experience was key in helping me practice and improve my conversational Spanish. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to combine their interests in healthcare and experiencing new cultures!

I participated in the Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine program in La Pax, Bolivia this past June 2015, and it was an extremely beautiful and illuminating experience. My time spent working with doctors and nurses in varying specialties was invaluable in giving me a chance to learn more about the health care field, as well as about intercultural medicine. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who wants more exposure to the medical field, or to those who aren't sure if this career is right for them. As for me, as a result of this program I have decided to continue along my path into medicine. CFHI does a great job finding inspiring and intelligent doctors to shadow during our time at the program. Before I left, they were extremely helpful, accommodating, and answered all questions and concernsi I had about my trip. They also provide many resources to fundraise for the program. During the program itself, we are connected with a coordinator who lives in the country, in my case the kind and wonderful Gonzalo Claire. He was available for us whenever we needed him, and worked with us to give us each experience we desired. With his help I was able to shadow a doctor in a women and children's clinic that no other student had worked in before. Overall, I would recommend this program, and CFHI specifically, for anyone who desires to expose themselves to global medicine.