We definitely recommend doing a medical elective with Aldeas de Paz!

As 4th year medical students, we had an incredible experience during our one month rotation at the public hospital in Samana! Manfred was incredibly helpful in working with us on preparation for our experience: assisting with our medical school’s required paperwork, processing of payment, and providing guidance on our arrival into the country. Our experience at the hospital was incredibly memorable and impactful. All of the staff were warm and welcoming and were very eager to have us observe and participate in their clinical activities to the extent that was appropriate given our respective proficiencies in Spanish. From our experiences participating in a wide variety of clinics (including pediatrics, adult medicine, mental health, OB/GYN, HIV/AIDS, surgery), we learned a lot about the public health issues that affect the community, how different contexts/cultures deal with similar diseases that we have in the US, the challenges that the hospital faces in terms of human and financial resources, and were also able to see a wide variety of diseases that are common here. Of course, there were plenty of opportunities to practice our Spanish while in the hospital. We also had ample opportunity to get to know more about Aldeas de Paz and their wonderful mission, learn more about the local community as a whole, and also explore the beautiful Dominican Republic in our free time! We definitely recommend doing a medical elective with Aldeas de Paz! -Joe and Courtney, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Class of 2016