Vida Medical, Dental & Veterinary Programs in Costa Rica

Traveling to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with VIDA was a truly amazing experience. Our group leaders were very helpful, welcoming, and shared with us so many great facts about the area and the people. They were very easy to work with! Having the opportunity to travel to travel to Central America was amazing. The people were very kind, welcoming, and friendly. Working in clinic was an eye-opening experience with learning what a strong patient-physician relationship looks like, learning about the common diseases/illnesses seen in the area, and having a hands on experience with taking vital signs, etc. The doctors were all very knowledgeable, friendly, and really took the time to teach us.
The host families were great; they took care of us and I felt safe while staying with the families! Also, the fun adventures like zip-lining and dance classes were very enjoyable!
I have grown as a person from this experience from learning about another culture, learning more about their accessibility to resources (i.e. medical), and the the increase of awareness about medical issues.

Hi there,

This summer will be my third time participating in a VIDA trip to Central and South America. My experiences with VIDA have been absolutely amazing. I am an aspiring dentist and when I heard that VIDA offered trips to aspiring dental, medical and veterinary students I hopped on the bandwagon right away. I am so glad I did because I have learned so many great skills that I probably won't learn until I am in my 3rd year of dental school. I have provided flouride to patients, assisted the dentist in extractions, put on temporary fillings and taught the less fortunate how to keep up their oral hygiene.
Outside of the clinic days I have been surfing, zip-lining, rock climbing, climbed volcanoes, walked through the rain forest, and white water rafted. VIDA provides you with the right amount of volunteer work and fun. I reccommend this trip to anyone who wants to learn more about medical practices and loves helping the less fortunate.

VIDA provided hands on medical experience while also serving the local communities of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The homestays were wonderful - our host mom patiently sat through our attempts to speak Spanish while making sure we were always full and comfortable. Never did I ever feel unsafe while in Central America. The food was delicious and having a few days off in between clinics allowed us to experience the culture as well. One of my highlights was seeing wild monkeys swinging in the trees while we were traveling to the ocean in Nicaragua. The trip is a little spendy, but totally worth it. Working alongside the physicians made me realize how much of a difference I could make in somebody's life by simply listening to them.

The VIDA program was an amazing volunteer experience. We had a mix of clinic days and free days, in which we went white-water rafting and zip-lining. The clinic days were so useful in gaining experience in the healthcare field, as we worked directly with the doctors in Costa Rica, and were able to see different cases of tropical diseases. We were also able to serve many different patients in the communities on the clinic days. We traveled in a bus together, and were given time to explore the cities and towns we visited, sight-see, and experience some amazing sights of Costa Rica!

Like everyone leaving the country with people you don't know I was afraid of what was going to happen. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that every person I met (even the natives on the street) were nice, patient, and overall really happy to see you! We travelled to Masaya in Nicaragua as well as a few cities in Costa Rica. I the poorest cities in America parents don't let their children leave the house, however in Central America the cities that VIDA takes you to are so safe the the kids are running around all over the place. And no we did not spend every day in a run down hotel with no hot water (just 2 or 3 ;)). My homestay family were super sweet people and the two sisters are on my facebook now. The only thing not so great about the trip for us Americans was that the Costa Rican's eat dinner around 7 or 8 at night, so we were always really hungry. They also don't have quite the same strictness with scheduling as we do, so when you go don't expect to follow the schedule exactly. But, you should definately go! I hope to go back again before my college experience is over!

As a trip coordinator I was in constant contact with the VIDA staff in Costa Rica and they are great people to work with! The planning of this trip went extremely smooth because of them. They helped make it possible for many students to have the experience of a life time! I would recommend participating in a trip with VIDA to anyone who is interested in traveling abroad to gain great medical and dental volunteer experience.

I went on spring break 2012 to costa rica. It was the most amazing trip I've ever been on. I loved our home stay family,friends we met,and medical knowledge I gained. If you have an opportunity to take a vida trip take it immediately.

Volunteering with VIDA was such a wonderful experience! I've volunteered with them twice (2 summers in a row). I got a lot of hands-on experience spaying/neutering dogs/cats. I learned a lot from their veterinarians. They were so helpful and so friendly! The housing was great. The families were stayed with were very hospitable. We also got to do fun activities, such as zip-lining and white water rafting, which were tons of fun! I would LOVE to go on another trip with VIDA!