Hola Badgers! Are you Pre-Med, Pre-Dental or Pre-Vet? Are you interested in getting hands on clinical experience while also traveling and enjoying the culture of a different country? Then come to one of our VIDA-Volunteer Travel Information Sessions this week to learn more about how you can help provide free healthcare to some of the most underserved areas in Central America! You will learn more about VIDA and get one step closer to hands on, resume building, unforgettable experience! Our organization is about providing free healthcare to some of the most impoverish countries in Central America including Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama while allowing Pre-Health students to get lots of hands on clinical experience. On each trip we have a medical team, a dental team and a veterinary team. It is an amazing opportunity for students to do what they love, get hours of hands on clinical experience, provide free healthcare to countries in Central America that need it the most and also experience different cultures while traveling.
Medical Team: If you come aboard as a part of our medical team, you will be learning how to record a patient’s medical history, perform vitals (pulse, blood pressure, listen to heart and lungs, and do ear/nose/throat checks), and write medical prescriptions correctly. You will be working in groups of three volunteers and one Spanish translator. The groups will examine patients and give a potential diagnosis, and then they will present the case to one of three doctors to make sure everything is correct. Once the doctor confirms the diagnosis and writes a prescription, volunteers will explain the diagnosis to the patient, and explain how the prescribed medication is to be used. This is a great opportunity to work directly with patients, learn important medical terms and procedures, and also learn from and establish lasting relationships with local doctors.
Dental Team: If you come aboard as a part of our dental team, you will be doing a lot of scaling and cleanings. Our dental team plays a very important role in educating the local adults and especially children. Many of the patients that you will see do not even know how to brush their own teeth. As a part of the dental team you will also be helping a tremendous amount by teaching children how to brush and take care of their teeth. Along with the cleaning and scaling, dental students will be able to work alongside a licensed dentist and observe lots of extractions and root canals. This is a great opportunity to work closely with a dentist and also get lots of hands on experience with cleanings and scaling.
Veterinary Team: If you come aboard as a part of our vet team, you will be working with both large and small animals. Volunteers will be doing a wide range of surgeries, which range from spaying and neutering to removing tumors. As a part of the vet team you will be working alongside a licensed Veterinary and assisting with check-ups and surgeries. Because volunteers are not licensed individuals, the degree to which they are able participate in the invasive aspects of surgeries is left to the licensed vet’s discretion. That being said, the majority of the time, the veterinary will feel as though the volunteers are well-informed, passionate individuals and allow them to participate in the majority of the surgeries. This is a great opportunity to get hands on experience with both large and small animals and see what surgery is really like.
You should come to learn more about these wonderful opportunities at one of our information sessions in Union South. Room numbers will be posted on the monitors in the main entrance. Information sessions are Today, Thursday, February 27th at 8:30pm and Friday, February 28th at 6:00pm.
Amanda Suller is the president of VIDA. You may contact her at suller@wisc.edu. Please send all additional feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
