Program Reviews

Volunteering at the FIMRC clinic in Alajuelita was an amazing experience. The staff was really nice and helpful in getting me started. The doctor and psychologist would translate their conversations with her patients to English for volunteers that couldn't speak Spanish. In the clinic their were plenty of different tasks such as working in pharmacy to give the right dosage of medicine based on the doctor's order and explain the medicines to the patients. Checking patients in was my favorite job, here we would ask patients their medical history, measure their weight and take their blood pressure. It was a phenomenal experience where I really understood the importance of prolonged patient interaction in healthcare.

Will I feel like Made a difference? Will we learn from the experience? Are a bunch of basically unqualified undergrads going to be able to d anything that actually matter? Will the people we see as patients actually need our help? I was asking myself these questions and more and I discovered that the answer is- the clinic/community/people need and strive with our help. The staff and patients alike have a love for life, a passion about family and community, and spirits that rub off on those around them (specifically visitors that are as skeptical and inquisitive as we were). The families were happy to have us and teach us about their homes a lives and the patients and staff seemed to glow when we were there. The students began to see a worldly view instead of a clinic/hospital/facility in the U.S. view and that was one of the most amazing things that happened in my opinion. If I had the time and resources I would make it a point to travel to Costa Rica (or anywhere else that FIMRC provides service) every chance I got and I recommend a trip like this to every person for growth, experience, and knowledge.

I spent 2 weeks volunteering at the FIMRC clinic in Costa Rica, and I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life. Not only were the staff and patients so welcoming, but they also made you feel very appreciated and wanted. I went with a group of 6, and we were pretty much the only volunteers there at the time. They had 4 stations for us to observe: Clinic, Pharmacy, Psychology, and Front desk. At the front desk, we greeted the patients and found their file our of the file cabinets. We then took their vitals (height, weight, and blood pressure) and document them on the chart for the doctor. It was really great interacting with the patients and talking with them. We also got to play with some of the kids in down time! In the pharmacy, there are all kinds of medication, sent from the FIMRC headquarters in the US. The pharmacy has sliding window that looks into the clinic so that the doctor, Natalia Fernandez (Nati), can just walk over and hand us the prescription and give some verbal instructions on what medications to bag. Going off of her instructions in the chart, we would find the medication and put them in plastic bags, writing instructions on an index card for the patients. Then we would find the patient in the waiting room, and read the instructions to them. They do this because there have been instances when the patients don't understand how to use the medication. In the clinic, we had the opportunity to shadow Nati as she performed checkups on the patients. She would lets us listen to heart and breathing sounds, as well as take blood pressure. It was especially great because she would sit us down and explain to us why the patient was in the clinic and how she made her diagnosis and treatment plan. I didn't have the chance to go on the psychology rotation because it was added relatively late. Since I was there during Christmas time, another great thing that the clinic does for the locals is hold a Christmas party on Christmas eve. They had traditional Costa Rican deserts, drinks, and piñatas! It was a great time, and all of the people seemed so happy! They also had presents for every single one of their adolescent patients. When I was there, it seemed that the clinic was a integral part of their community. The staff was so accommodating, and they all spoke relatively good English, so knowing Spanish is not required (I didn't know any Spanish). FIMRC has many approved homestay families in the area, and they were all amazing. My friend and I stayed with a couple with 2 kids, and they were all so welcoming and happy to see us. The parents didn't speak English, but the kids did. They were so kind and pretty much let us go in and out freely. They told us some pretty hilarious stories about other volunteers that they had hosted as well. The homestays are pretty close to each other so that if you go with a group of people, you'll all be pretty close. There is a decent amount of down time when you're not in the clinic, but it was a great opportunity to explore Santa Ana. Also, the driver (FIMRC approved) can drive you to many tourist attractions (San Jose, Manuel Antonio Beach, and more) for a small fee. If you're there on the weekends, there are so many day trips to choose from! Our first weekend there, we did an all day trip that started with a tour of the famous coffee plantation, a hike up/around a volcano, and a self-led trek through the waterfall gardens that also had a zoo! The second weekend, we took a trip to Manuel Antonio beach, which was just amazing. There was so much wild life around as well (monkeys and lizards). The monkeys would walk up to you and steal your stuff, so be sure to hang on to it all. Overall, this trip was simply amazing. It was an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything, and I highly recommend it, if you have the opportunity to attend!

I was lucky enough to travel to Nicaragua in July 2014 to work on a Practicum project for school I had been working on for a few months prior at FIMRC HQ. I worked on implementing a program that would benefit the community in learning about the most prominent prevalent diseases in the area. I do not speak much Spanish (something I recommend), but I was able to get by.

Clinic experience:

I had no expectations going down to Nica, but working in the clinics was such a incredible experience. I got to oversee and educate young woman on being pregnant, I played with kids and took their vitals in the clinic, I educated students at the local school on certain diseases, like UTIs.

One have my favorite days in clinic was when the most of the volunteers got split up to go to an American Singing Competition at a local high school and three of us decided to go to Los Pipitos Development Program. I decided to go to the program because I wanted to get experience working with kids in physical therapy; it was such a humbling experience working with the kids.

Host Family & Weekend Experience:

My experience was absolutely wonderful. I stayed with a host family, something else I highly recommend rather than staying at the lodge, and my siblings were so kind and fun. I chose to live with a big family to replicate my own family back in the States---- it definitely made my experience much more fun! Although I was their first guest staying in the house, It did not take long for the family to warm up to me. I quickly became good friends with my siblings and cousins-- we played baseball several times a week when I got home from the clinic. I had two weekends in Nicaragua, and was fortunate enough to travel to Ometepe Island (I did a 3-4 hour hike to the top a waterfall near the top of a volcano) and Granada (I took an island tour and a evening/sunset volcano tour).

I found out that some of the locals who moved from the States did yoga at Jiquelite Beach almost every other day at 7AM--- I took advantage of participating and then went straight to clinic after!

Overall Experience:

Overall, my experience was unforgettable. I still talk to my family a few times a month and the food was amazing (I still crave for rice and beans!). One thing I realized I needed on this trip was patience. Without patience, volunteers may not get the experience they want---- you must let go of everything negative in your life and come with a smile on your face to clinic. Enjoy and immerse yourself in every way possible in the culture!

The Ambassador program immersed me for 3 months into the community of Alajuelita, Costa Rica, home to impoverished, medically underserved Nicaraguans and uninsured Costa Ricans. My daily responsibilities in the clinic included: checking in patients by recording medical history, height and weight, preparing medications in the pharmacy, shadowing the pediatrician Dr. Fernandez, and creating health education talks. Weekly, I also worked in a soup kitchen and disability clinic. Ambassadors also design and implement sustainable programs within the community. For my project, I taught a ballet class for girls aged 4-12 to encourage exercise, instill self-confidence, and create positive body image. Shadowing Dr. Fernandez this summer gave me the opportunity to witness her tireless dedication to serving this community and learn from her. Apart from my clinical duties, one of my favorite parts of the week were days I worked in the soup kitchen a tiny ill-equipped kitchen that feeds 200 kids a day. The local women that run it are some of the best examples of selflessness I have ever met. I also taught ballet class for 15 little girls. Watching them having fun, improving every week, and gaining confidence has been so fulfilling. Seeing their excitement to wear their new ballet slippers and having community members express appreciation for the classes, were some of the most rewarding parts of my summer. Overall, most important to me were the relationships I formed with the people I met. The Ambassadorship has allowed me to connect with the people and reach a level of acceptance within the community.

In the Dominican Republic, I spent most of my mornings observing in the hospital at Restauracion. This hospital was much smaller than American hospitals, and it seemed more like a small clinic or doctor’s office. For anything other than minor treatment, the doctors sent patients on to the bigger hospital an hour away in Dajabon. Many of the patients are from the DR, but there are also many who cross the border from Haiti seeking better healthcare. Last summer (2014), there were many cases of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease, and other routine maladies. One of my favorite parts of this program was running mobile clinics. For those, we brought Dr. Ricardo (the Dominican doctor who works with FIMRC) and medicines to isolated communities and saw nearly every member of each community. These clinics are a great way to provide care to those without much access to healthcare and to teach preventative medicine. I am particularly interested in infectious diseases, and I saw a broader variety of these diseases while running clinics. We
also taught a health class for pre-teen boys and ran a diabetes club (teaching about diabetes and its effects and then doing a blood pressure and sugar check the next morning). I felt a strong connection with the
community and efforts of FIMRC DR so returned for my fall break. Another of my favorite opportunities as a French-speaker on this trip was the opportunity to travel to and teach in Haiti. We wrote and gave a lesson plan about germs for preschoolers in Tilori, Haiti. We also visited the health center and a witch doctor’s home. Diana is a very dedicated and great leader and role model. She is great at translating and explaining everything going on. Since I was only in the DR for a little more than a week last summer, I didn't expect people to remember who I was since there are so many volunteers rotating in and out. But, everyone remembered me and was so excited to see me back in the fall! My Spanish went from nonexistent to a basic, functional level from the language immersion.
Overall, it was an amazing experience and I learned so much from going outside my comfort zone. I have a much better idea about what global health work is and what needs to be the focus, which, in my opinion, should be education and the creation of a sustainable system for the people who live there (rather than just doing things for them and then leaving).

In Peru, I spent most mornings shadowing in two hospitals, a general one and one focused on maternal health. Both hospitals were large hospitals so that means I got to see a variety of cases. I had the opportunity to observe surgery and a live birth. We visited the medical school and learned about the Peruvian health system from medical students and took a short class on suturing there. In afternoons, we taught classes at orphanages about dental hygiene, and did a dental hygiene campaign at an elementary school. We each cleaned one kid’s teeth and then helped with filling cavities. We also did some general service projects, like helping care for a tree reforestation farm and volunteering in a soup kitchen that serves hundreds daily (and is normally run single-handedly by one woman). Natalia, the assistant FOM, made all the logistics run smoothly and she arranged a great homestay. I was with a large group of volunteers and it was great working with them and making new friends from around the US.
I also got to spend a weekend day in the Amazon, which I would highly recommend doing!

I loved going to Nicaragua with FIMRC. I loved it so much that I chose to return for my second year in a row. Everything about the experience is incredible. My first trip to Nicaragua was my first time ever doing anything related to medical missions, and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed everything that we did from going into the community and educating the locals, to shadowing the pediatrician and taking the vitals of all the children in the clinic.

I chose to return to this site for a second time in order to see how things had progressed, and it was amazing to see how far things had come in just one year! In just the short time between my two trips, the average blood pressure of the people in the community dropped below 200 for the first time, which was a huge accomplishment that they had been working towards for a while. Also, they were able to add an OB/GYN part of the clinic, which is greatly needed for the community where there is so little knowledge about pregnancy and everything that goes along with it.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone. Everything about it is fantastic. Both groups I went with loved the FIMRC workers, the local people, the food, and everything else, and I may just have to go back for a third time next year!

This was my first medical mission trip and it truly was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the FIMRC staff and the community we served. Some of my favorite memories from the trip were the visits into the schools, going into the community to do diabetic and pre-natal home visits, shadowing the pediatrician who travels from Rivas, and of course all of the delicious meals!! FIMRC does a great job with carrying out their mission and it is easy to tell how much they have impacted the community through Project Limón. The staff is truly passionate for what they do and it is a really positive atmosphere to be in. Something that I thought was really neat was that in the group of 12 I was in, everyone was studying something different back at their schools- and they were not just wanting to go into health-related fields. As a nursing major, I, of course thought that everything I was able to do and see was unforgettable and I loved learning day-by-day through the people we were serving. Some of the friends I made on the trip in the group, who were studying business, education, and others, got just as much out of this experience as I had! My point is, this trip can really be for anyone!! The people in Nicaragua were by far some of the kindest and most giving people I have ever encountered. I learned a lot about global healthcare, a lot about a country I had previously never been to, and a lot about myself through this wonderful experience. My goal for my next trip with FIMRC is to learn Spanish and I already can't wait!! I would highly recommend Project Limón in Nicaragua to anyone,

Seeing how FIMRC has made differences in the access to care for children is so inspiring. Jessica and Delaney have done a great job involving the community, too! I especially enjoyed working with the community through the home visits. It was a great way to understand the culture and see the barriers to healthcare the community must deal with. My other favorite activity was interacting with the kids at Los Pipitos. They're so wonderful to be around, and it's a great project! Also, I absolutely loved my homestay. Getting to know the family was an experience I'll never forget.

I'm excited to see the new projects the group is working on to get underway. It was a great reminder what we can do for our world and our fellow humans.