Southern Utah University requires that all of its students complete an experiential learning opportunity through the EDGE program. EDGE is an acronym that is short for education designed to give experience. This program was designed to provide structure for experiential learning opportunities that support students long-term or professional plans. For my EDGE project I traveled to San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic from December 15th-23rd with a group of 12 other students in the Rural Health Scholars program at SUU. We partnered with Solid Rock International, a local organization, to provide health screenings, medications, and food to underserved communities surrounding the city of San Juan. My experience in the Dominican Republic met my goal to holistically serve the poor, use and develop new skills in the medial field, and prepare me for a career in health care.

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            My initial motivations for choosing to travel to the Dominican Republic came from my involvement as a member of Rural Health Scholars. RHS is a program on campus dedicated to preparing students for health care professions. I joined RHS to help prepare me for medical school. I had already attended a cultural immersion trip to Las Vegas with RHS when I learned that they also offered trips to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. I chose to travel to the Dominican Republic because it was conveniently over the Christmas break, and because I had served a two-year LDS service mission in Argentina and was fluent in Spanish. I knew that by participating in this cultural immersion experience I would learn about rural health care, practice treating patients, and improve my ability to speak Spanish.

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            To complete my project, I started preparing months in advance by meeting with our trip advisor to organize and gather donated food, medications, and other requested supplies. I worked with another student going on the trip to make a list of everything that the clinic in the DR requested that we bring. Four weeks prior to the trip, we met each week to go over vaccinations and immunizations, cultural expectations, living conditions, the trip itinerary, and packed our donated items. While in the Dominican Republic, we received training on how to distribute vitamins and medications in the clinics, write patient history forms, and work with the doctors and nurses.

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            One of the main skills I used while assisting in the clinics was speaking Spanish. It was of great benefit to me and the other students in my group as I served as a medical translator. The opportunity to speak with fluent Spanish speakers helped to refine my abilities, and expand my vocabulary of Spanish medical terminology as well. As a medical translator I spoke to the patients to record their medical history including symptoms, allergies, weight, and blood pressure. At each town we visited, one of the staff from the Solid Rock International organization that we worked with went around the community advertising the clinic and promoting SRI’s initiatives to transform the body, soul, and mind of the poor and needy. One of the days I was able to visit the community of El Batista with Oto and talk to the people about simple health care practices. Along with translating some other skills I used included taking blood pressure and organizing medical supplies.

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             When starting my EDGE project, my goal was to get patient exposure hours, learn about health care, and enjoy a trip to Central America. I wanted to hand out all of the donations we brought and treat as many patients as possible. During the four days that we had clinics, we saw and treated several hundred patients. All of the donations that we brought with us were greatly appreciated including all of the medications, wound care supplies, food, toys, and other miscellaneous items. Any items that were not given out were left with Solid Rock International for later use and distribution. Aside from helping in the clinics, I really enjoyed learning about the culture, playing baseball with teenagers, and trying authentic Dominican food.

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             As a result of my experience, I learned about the local health care, practiced working with patients, and also provided health screenings, medications, and food to underserved communities surrounding the city of San Juan. ​Perhaps one of the most rewarding parts of the trip was found in the friendships I made with the members of Solid Rock International and students in my group. I now have a circle of friends at SUU who share similar interests and now experiences who are willing to help me succeed in my journey to become a medical professional.

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             SUU designed the EDGE program to give students an “edge” in pursuing their post-undergraduate goals. The friendships that I developed on my trip are part of that edge. SUU put the EDGE program in place to give students a chance to explore and gain experience in their interests. Thanks to the EDGE program, I gained a renewed desire to continue pursuing a career in the medical field. I feel like this experience has prepared me for future work and service with underserved populations. I'll treasure these memories and look back on them for motivation when the road ahead appears difficult.