Program Reviews

Never though I would get so much hands on experience and have the chance to help so many animals in need. Absolutely amazing experience!

I definitely learned a lot. The vets were amazing, really took the time to explain everything and make sure we had a chance to learn and try everything we wanted to.

We were given the opportunity to carry out consults, give vaccines, prep for surgery (inserting catheters, endotracheal tubes under vet supervision), and even assist during surgery while the vets explained exactly what was going on.

It was also really great to be able to interact with the people. Staying with our homestay families and seeing how different their lives are was really an eye opener! I could not have asked for a better "mom" in the homestays!

Overall wonderful experience. You won't regret it if you choose VIDA!!

The trip was a fantastic, life changing experience :) Got to try new food, make new friends and experience how people live in Nicaragua by living with homestays. I learned quite a lot from others, the vets, and from my own mistakes. Will definitely come back again in the future!

I thought this trip was fantastic. overall definitely a great experience that is making me want to come back every year! At first, I was a bit skeptical of the minimal amount of review for the clinic days and the homestays. But it turned out that we had more than enough help from the staff that it was a smooth transition.

This experience offered by VIDA really was a great one, that allowed me to learn while also teaching individuals from the region where the clinic was held. I will most definitely consider coming back next year for a second time.

It was a great learning experience. The veterinarians were very helpful and explained everything very well. We were exposed to multitude of animals and were able to watch and assist in many spays and neuters.

The vets were very knowledgeable and were very good teachers. The amount of hands on experience was just what I needed before I started my last semester of vet school.
The communities were thrilled when we showed up to help them out. Very friendly.
The hotel accommodations were wonderful. In very beautiful locations. Also seeing a new country was great.

The highlights of this trip were definitely getting to work with fellow VIDA volunteers and VIDA staff. Everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming. Also, it was very nice and fun to have free time at night to spend with friends.

I loved the trip. It taught me a lot of information on dentistry. I liked how the dentists would have use check the patient before and report to them which teeth we thought were problematic. They would then go on to tell us all the problems we found or missed with the patient and what we needed to perform on the patient (extraction, scaling, or cleaning/flossing/fluoride). It was nice that the dentists were patient with us because we did not know much, if anything, about dentistry coming into the trip. It was wonderful working with and interacting with the patients. I enjoyed that we did the cleanings on our own but had the dentists to help us with the scalings if needed. The days we had off and could tour Nicaragua were also wonderful. The zip-lining, tour of Granada, boat trip though the islands, and shopping around the towns were very memorable.

Going to clinic days and playing with the kids during our lunch breaks or after we were done seeing patients was my highlight. We brought them toys and little things but every time they got something they were so unbelievably happy. They have so little in comparison to us and they were always so happy, and most of the kids were sick with something. It was a life changing experience. I met so many new people from other colleges that I will no doubt visit and helped so many people in serious need. I also got medical experience that I would never have gotten in the US.

I have never had such a wonderful experience as I did on my spring break trip to Nicaragua with VIDA. I learned SO much! Pre-vet people: this is seriously SUCH a good use of your time.
I don't want to ramble, but below is the link to my blog post about the trip where I list all of the hands-on stuff I got to do.
http://prismpuppies.com/vida-veterinary-volunteer-trip-to-n…

If you aren't good with slightly adverse conditions, don't go on the trip.This trip WILL put you outside of your comfort zone- but that's definitely a good thing!!