Program Reviews

The days blended together so well - the staff did an amazing job with integrating our group into the local culture and helping along with our clinic activities. I would go as far as to say that every moment of my trip was a highlight, there really isn't anything that I would change about the week!

One minor difficulty that I could point out would be the lack of communication between us volunteers and our homestay families. As entertaining as it was to learn a new language, at times it was a little awkward and slightly frustrating to not be able to understand what our homestay family was trying to communicate with us.

I heard a lot about the trip from people who attended it before but it still managed to surpass all my expectations. The actual clinic days were great. Being able to interact with patients and understanding the kind of medical issues they face on a day to day basis helped me understand the different kind of problems faced by people around the world. Coming up with a hypothesis with other volunteers gave me a glimpse into the day to day life of a physician and has helped convince me that I am on the right track career-wise. The sort of patient interaction I faced is unique and I definitely won't be able to find such an experience here in Canada. The VIDA staff were phenomenal in keeping us safe, comfortable. They were all very approachable and easy to talk to making the trip feel like I was with friends the whole time. The organization was top notch and I can't imagine the trip going any better

I participated in this program as veterinarian from the US. The program was well organized and provided an excellent experience for me and for the students. The students gained real world experience to help with grad school admissions and a life changing experience helping those less fortunate than themselves. The home stays allowed a more indepth exposure to the culture and the recreational days showed off the country and were great fun. I would certainly recommend this program to any veterinary, medical or dental student.

This was a truly awesome program, while a bit unorganized every once in a while, you feel very safe and are rewarded with incredible experiences. Definitely worth your time and money.

I went on the Veterinary Trip through VIDA and was so impressed with how involved, knowledgeable and helpful all the staff was. I was also pleasantly surprised by how quickly we were all joking around with each other and how at home I felt. I was also super impressed by how hands-on my experience was. Rather than standing next to a vet and watching them give an injection, prepare an animal for surgery or preform surgery, a vet was standing next to me and watching ME do all these things. They do a phenomenal job of making sure that you understand what you are doing and why you are doing it that way. The only thing that was a bit confusing is that some of the vets had different techniques, so you have to remember which ones to use around each vet. The recreational days were a lot of fun as well (though we all missed clinic on those days, haha). Recreational days were jam packed with traveling around to local markets, historical sites and activities like zip lining. Home stays were also really cool because we got to experience everyday life in Nicaragua. It was so much fun chatting with my host mom and wandering around town with my host brother and the rest of the VIDA volunteers with whom I was staying. I can't wait to go again next year!!

VIDA enables volunteers to get real clinical experience in the culturally rich environment. In the clinics, I learned how to take patient histories, take vitals (including blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, and heart and lung sounds), give abdominal exams, witness PAP smears, and even begin to diagnose and recommend medications. In addition, VIDA immerses students in the Nicaraguan culture by placing students in host families and side-trips to local tourist sites. The staff was enormously helpful with translating and informing our group on local customs and history. I felt that I left Nicaragua with a much broader sense of their culture and greater wealth of clinical knowledge. I highly recommend this trip to any pre-med student with a sense of adventure and interest in other cultures!

Volunteering with VIDA was one of the best decisions I made. The experience was more than I could ask for. It truly was a hands on experience in clinic because we sat with the patients, took their medical histories, talked about their complaints, and worked with the doctors and our peers to come up with a diagnosis. This program definitely gives you an idea of what being a doctor/physicians assistant/nurse would do during their job so even if you are not sure if the medical field is for you, it's a great experience to learn whether or not it is! Not only did you get hands on experience, but the cultural enriching aspect of the trip was something I'll never forget, and I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

I was so worried to travel down to Central America and I thought I was getting myself into something I would regret, but as we progressed into the trip in Guatemala, I realized this is something I want to do again. I enjoyed spending time in the clinic helping all of the people that came to get dental help. I liked how the dentists I shadowed wanted to teach me something while I watched what they did. I learned more from the 4 clinic days than I did by shadowing dentists here in the USA. The friendships I made on the trip were strengthened by the experiences that we endured together. Not everything on this trip was perfect, as 8 of my travelers got Salmonella, but this experience makes you realize that there is a whole world out there to be discovered. I am happy to have helped the people I helped. I really feel like I made a difference in their lives because VIDA gave me a chance to interact with them and learn about their lives. This trip has ignited the flame in me to really work hard to get into Dental School so that I may help others in this world.

I had a terrific time on this trip. I learned so much, not only about patient interaction, but about disease and medicine itself. The staff was patient, knowing that each student was at a different level in their education, and always teaching with every opportunity. I felt safe, but not smothered by the trip leader. Every problem that happened on the trip was handled wonderfully by the leader. Activities were planned during our time off so we weren't wandering aimlessly, but free time was also given.

I went to Guatemala not expecting much, but what I experienced while I was there was beyond anything I could have imagined. The VIDA staff was wonderful and all of the people that went on the trip were amazing. I arrived there not knowing any of the other volunteers personally and we all left as good friends. I would go on this trip again tomorrow if I could.