{"id":117887,"date":"2024-12-13T01:58:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T07:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=117887"},"modified":"2024-12-20T12:01:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T18:01:41","slug":"dentistry-students-take-service-learning-trip-to-dominican","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2024\/12\/13\/dentistry-students-take-service-learning-trip-to-dominican\/","title":{"rendered":"Dentistry students take service-learning trip to 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,” Pierre said. “Many were Haitian immigrants, and as a Haitian myself, it felt like treating my own family, which was a beautiful experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students worked alongside other volunteers, including dentists and hygienists from the Dominican Republic and Richard 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,” Crocker said. “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<\/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,” Perez said, “and I came back a lot more confident in my work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students said the lessons they learned will stay with them forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Said Pierre, \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<\/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<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UNMC College of Dentistry students provided care in the rural area of El 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