Vida Medical, Dental & Veterinary Programs in Costa Rica

Overall super amazing trip! If you’re social and like to make friends then this trip is good for you. It was very hands on and educational. Within the matter of 6 clinic days I learned more than I ever would in Canada. This trip allowed us to have so many new experiences and try new things that we would’ve never imagined before. Although we do get freedom on this trip to go to restaurants etc. There was never a time I felt concerned about my safety on this trip. All the staff members are super fun, helpful and, will never make you feel dumb for asking any questions. Not only that but the homestays were my favourite part of this whole trip. Although I speak no Spanish, my Spanish mom made me feel welcomed and had amazing food (and wifi). I can honestly say this has been such an amazing experience.

The Veterinary Program through Vida is absolutely phenomenal! I learned a bunch through hands on experience with veterinarians and program directors. The veterinarians I worked with were very patient and kind while teaching me how to place catheters and ET tubes in our patients. Caring for my patients from registration through recovery allowed me to provide quality services and comfort for the animal. Over the course of the trip I experienced a variety of aspects of veterinary medicine including surgery and working with owners. I really enjoyed immersing myself in the culture and having the opportunity to travel around a large portion of the country. I would recommend a Vida trip to anyone seeking new adventures and leaning while having a good time!

This was the best experience. I had no previous experience being a veterinarian, and I learned so much from these two clinical days. The first day was hard trying to figure out everything, but the staff was always there to help. We were busy, but the work was so fulfilling that no one wanted the day to be over. I would definitely recommend this, and I am considering doing this program again another year.

the most difficult part of the trip were the long days of travel, however we took frequent breaks and for the most part it was nice to relax. All the staff were really friendly and interactive with us, very willing to help us learn any skills.

The hardest part with the clinics was that there ended up being 5 doctors so we rarely repeated sx with the same doctor. This was difficult because even if we had done the same sx several times, if we'd never done it with that doctor before, they didn't really know our experience level.

I had a wonderful time on this trip and am definitely thinking about going back next year. Getting real hands on experience in my field was wonderful. The homestays were a great experience as well. I felt that I learned about Costa Rican culture as well as made a difference.

Very well organized and executed trip. I especially enjoyed the home stay portion. The clinics were well run. There was a good mix of clinic days and recreation days and the recreation events were fun.

I really enjoyed the efforts that VIDA makes to immerse us in the culture while we were traveling. The home stays and night activities were wonderful and very genuine, which was great!

The clinic days were excellent learning experiences and the local vets we worked with were very helpful and patient.

Overall, a solid international learning program. VIDA has some wonderful relationships with communities around the country and that is priceless.

As a volunteer in the Veterinary program, I found it very eye opening to see how animals are viewed/treated in Central America and how clinics are set up to offer medical services for them. It was also very eye opening for me to see how people in this culture live in rural communities. The food was always so fresh and the people were always warm and friendly. And the country itself was absolutely gorgeous. Although awkward if you don't know Spanish and the family you stay with doesn't know English, it was definitely worth staying in a homestay because it really gives you the full effect of the culture. As for highlights, it felt so good to help out needy communities and to send dogs home with brand new collars and leashes who had come in to the clinic with rusty chains around their necks. Knowing you are not only providing a service for the community, but educating them so that they may make better decisions for their animals makes you feel like you are making a real difference in the world. I experienced a couple of difficulties on this trip. Not knowing much Spanish did make it difficult to communicate with people there; however, there was always someone in my group to help me out. Another difficulty was the fact that they don't use gas anesthesia on patients. All of the anesthesia was intravenous so this made it quite stressful (for me, at least) when monitoring the animal during surgery. But in the end, I would definitely do this trip again!!