{"id":117700,"date":"2024-12-04T14:31:37","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T20:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=117700"},"modified":"2024-12-05T09:49:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T15:49:12","slug":"dentistry-students-have-life-changing-service-learning-experiences-in-the-dominican-republic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2024\/12\/04\/dentistry-students-have-life-changing-service-learning-experiences-in-the-dominican-republic\/","title":{"rendered":"Dentistry students have life-changing service-learning experiences in the Dominican Republic"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Fourth-year dental students Kim Pierre, Gisselle Perez and Gabe Crocker traveled to the Dominican Republic during the summer to provide dental care to underserved communities through the Somos Amigos program, which operates a free medical and dental clinic in the rural area of El Naranjito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of a week, Pierre treated around 60 patients for various procedures, including fillings and extractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe patient population was very diverse; many were Haitian immigrants, and as a Haitian myself, it felt like treating my own family, which was a beautiful experience,\u201d Pierre said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students worked alongside other volunteers, including dentists and hygienists from the Dominican Republic and Richard A. Williamson, DDS, an associate professor at the UNMC College of Dentistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crocker valued the supportive and collaborative team environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe worked long days that were full of patients. Our team showed great camaraderie as we worked to complete everything in a timely manner. All the volunteers shared the same goal of figuring out how we could best help the team take care of the patients,\u201d Crocker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perez experienced a boost in her self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTreating patients outside of the classroom, in a setting that I’m not familiar with, helped me realize that UNMC does a really good job at preparing us for what we do, and I came back a lot more confident in my work,\u201d Perez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students said the lessons they learned will stay with them forever. For example, Crocker appreciated the helpfulness and patience of the other volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know Spanish, so the language barrier was challenging for me, but everyone was so encouraging. They helped me learn new words so I could communicate with the patients,\u201d Crocker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pierre said she experienced first-hand the importance of being culturally sensitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone has their own story that makes them unique, and it\u2019s important as a health care provider to take your patients\u2019 stories into account when you’re treating them,\u201d Pierre said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crocker spoke about the benefits of stepping outside your comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing able to step into that position where it’s different and being in an uncomfortable scenario is great for anyone and helps you realize the importance of what you\u2019re able to accomplish through helping the underserved,\u201d Crocker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pierre said the memories of this experience will stay with her forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am thankful and feel very privileged to have had this opportunity. I\u2019ll carry this experience with me when I start practicing after dental school, and it\u2019s something I\u2019ll always talk about – being able to help others,\u201d Pierre said.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students provide care to the underserved in the rural area of El Naranjito.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":117705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"92216,116537,112388,116452,116613,116815","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-college-of-dentistry"],"yoast_head":"\nDentistry students have life-changing service-learning experiences in the Dominican 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