Day 5: Medical Education in Santiago

Submitted by Kate Ward:

“EMERGENCIA” screamed at us from a bright red sign as we crossed the threshold of La Vega Trauma Hospital early this morning. Still tired from excitement-packed adventures yesterday, the bright, open, and colorful lobby was a welcoming wake up call. We were quickly escorted into a small lecture room and patiently waited for the presentation while who seemed to be a professional photographer from the hospital took pictures of us. We were so lucky to be able to hear the Director of Medicine, Marcel Baco, speak and teach us. He was very fun and lively, and spoke in a way that assures anyone listing that he loves what he does. Dr. Baco gave us an eye-opening presentation on the extreme prevalence of traffic and transit accidents in the Dominican Republic, that embedded in me a new appreciation for those horribly long traffic lights back in the states.

After some time for questions following the presentation, and a heavenly coffee break (if you haven’t tasted Dominican coffee, you’re really missing out), we fell in line for our tour of the hospital. We were able to see everything, from the lab where they analyze tests, to the ER and surgery wing. I felt right at home within the bustling energy of the doctors. To be able to tour the La Vega Trauma Hospital, for me, was an extraordinary experience because I am extremely interested in trauma work for when I’m older and I am also very intrigued by the idea of working in a hospital abroad. Being in the facility simply refilled me with anticipation and eagerness and excitement for my future career in medicine.

Submitted by Kennedy Cavins:

Next, we visited Universidad Nacional Evangelica, a nursing school in Santiago. The director of the University discussed how there is a shortage of qualified nurses in the Dominican Republic. She explained the need for nurses is 12 per 10,000 people, but currently there are only 3.8 per 10,000. We have also learned from other in-country partners that the DR struggles with hiring under-qualified nurses who have minimal work experience and only a highschool education. Hearing this was an eye-opening experience, as it is very different from the U.S. where nurses must have qualifications. This makes the work of these educators so much more valuable because they are working to change the norms in health care and improve the quality of care that is provided. At the same time they work to expose the public to the practice and the act of providing degrees through higher education. It was very inspirational to see the dedication of the staff and how they are making positive changes in the health care system by training new sets of professionals.

Submitted by Karan Gidwani:

After the nursing school, we had the opportunity to visit the first private medical school in the country, Pontificia Universidad Católica Madré y Maestra (PUCMM). We were able to tour the medical school and meet some medical students; we even got to eat dinner with them. This was really fun because we were able to ask questions about anything health-related and get a response that we could understand and relate to. For example, the medical student I was with, Christopher, talked to us about the classes he had to take but was able to relate to us about the banal nature of some classes. The interactions I had with him in the medical school tour as well as dinner made me realize that medicine really was for me and that I would enjoy every second of my life doing it. As a pre-med student, observing these differences will serve to further my understanding of healthcare and influence my style of practicing.

We also had the opportunity to tour a pediatric hospital near the medical school. Pictured above was the 19-bed pediatric oncology ward, specifically the chemotherapy room. In the pediatric hospital, we saw how stark the differences are between healthcare service in the US vs. the DR. For one, in the DR, it is customary for the doctor to interact with the patient, touch them, play with them, because it gives the patients a sense of comfort and a sense that they feel cared for. Coming from a US perspective, I was really shocked because I was used to keeping distance and being in and out with a patient. Another difference was the way procedures are scheduled. In the pediatric hospital we went to, surgeries are conducted on an urgency basis as they only had one functioning provisional operating theatre, due to more than two years of remodeling on the main operating rooms. This has led to strikes from parents because children in need of non-emergency surgery often cannot receive it. In the US, we are used to everyone being scheduled for maximum efficiency.