International Rotations - Dominican Republic

Submitted by
Dr. Vitalii Iakovliev
(2nd Year Highlands Resident)

I took a two-week trip to the Dominican Republic with HeartFire Missions and the Christ Health team that included family medicine physicians, an ENT surgeon, FM residents, PA students, an anesthesiologist and CRNA, med students, pharmacy residents, and people with no medical background. We served in rural areas of Barahona and in an ENT OR. The majority of our patients were children. We did medical exams for children at local schools arranged by Children of the Nations in the communities and treated those children on the spot if feasible.

During the OR days, we received a lot of hands-on experience, thanks to the group's leader, a US-licensed ENT physician who left his private practice and is now conducting full-time missions. Putting IVs, intubations, LMAs, tonsillectomies, turbinate reductions, and septoplasties are just a few of the procedures I had the opportunity to participate in over those two weeks.

In addition to the medical aspect of the trip, we presented the Gospel and prayed for our patients, their families, and each other. We spent long evenings with the team, exchanging testimonies, studying the Word of God, sharing devotionals, and worshiping together. Every day began and ended with worship, devotion, and prayer. This mission would be appealing to those who wish to push themselves out of their comfort zone. Prepare for a lack of sleep, to be vulnerable, to be flexible, and to learn a lot. Speaking Spanish is advantageous but not expected.