I learned to value everyone’s contribution and expertise from this experience, which is a skill I will continue to use in my future career as a physician.
My time abroad in the Dominican Republic was an amazing experience. I was given the opportunity to test the past 2 years of my pre-clerkship knowledge and put them to use in a real clinical setting. Prior to this, my only exposure was through standardized patients for testing purposes, but the feelings that came with being able to listen to and help a person with a real problem was incomparable. Personally, I feel truly honored to have been a part of this program. Being able to provide medical care for refugees ineligible for the country's health insurance, being able to help, and experiencing their gratitude has humbled me and shaped my outlook on life. I witnessed the unimaginable hardships people faced due to poverty and I have now made it my personal mission going forward to continue to serve the underprivileged both domestically and abroad.
We heavily relied on the unique abilities of each member of our interprofessional team to provide care for our patients. Me and a first year OMS-I were paired together to see patients after they were triaged, do a full H&P, and create an assessment and plan. As there was a language barrier, we required a translator from English to Spanish, and even sometimes a second translator from Spanish to Creole to obtain a full history from our patients. This was a laborious, time-consuming process that created a long chain of “telephone,” causing some things to be misinterpreted throughout the process. It was then that we relied on the local doctors to help fill in the knowledge gaps and draw some parallels as to certain conditions that are more common amongst the population we were treating. Once we obtained all the information we could, we collaborated with the residents and attending physicians to debrief them regarding our patient and their concerns. Together, we formulated a diagnosis, treatment plan, and need for follow up. For each patient to receive the best standard of care, it required a collaborative effort from every member of our interprofessional team. I learned to value everyone’s contribution and expertise from this experience, which is a skill I will continue to use in my future career as a physician.
Name: Ankita Rao
Status: Graduate Student
Major: Osteopathic Medicine
Hometown: Novi, Michigan
Program: Global Health: Dominican Republic - Clinical Immersion
