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DENTAL HEALTHCARE - Work side by side with Dentists at a neighborhood dental health clinic

This Dentistry observation and experience opportunity offers you hands-on dentistry work experience and is aimed at current professionals and aspiring dentists. This program offers you hands-on dentistry work experience. It provides an opportunity to work in the local hospital-based dental clinic or a neighborhood health clinic, where you will experience the stark contrast between Western dentistry practice and the day-to-day realities of dentistry at a public dental clinic in a developing country.

Your level of possible involvement will largely depend on your professional and Spanish language skills, as well as your motivation and willingness to get involved. Your work schedule will be created in a meeting with the departmental director, the volunteer coordinator and supervisor. As with any medical service, volunteers should recognize that their schedules may be subject to sudden changes and are dictated by patients’ needs.

During this observation and experience program, you will be shadowing the doctors and nurses and you will also be able to get hands-on experience in accordance with your qualifications and language skills. In order to get the most out of your involvement – or if you have a specific healthcare goal – please contact us in a timely manner to discuss your options in detail.

Activities can include but are not limited to

Observing, shadowing and assisting the dentist
Encouraging and teaching prevention of oral diseases through proper hygiene and regular check-ups for professional cleaning and evaluation (special prevention program for pregnant women)
Providing oral health services support when needed, including dental assistance, dental hygiene and dental therapy
Assisting the dentist according to your skills and experience with dental treatments: dental restorations, crowns, bridges, dentures, root canal therapy, periodontal therapy and extraction of teeth as well as dental examinations and diagnosis
You are also welcome to work in other Aldeas de Paz projects such as the English and computer classes for the locals

Requirements

This program is suitable for dentistry students and electives. The key requirements for a medical volunteer/intern are initiative, enthusiasm and readiness to work in unfamiliar circumstances. The dentistry program is available for elective students, dentistry students with free holiday time, and pre-university students, as well as students taking, or planning to take, specialist dentistry courses. More specialized skills will allow for more specialized activities. Basic Spanish skills are needed, but an advanced level of Spanish experience will open up more opportunities. However, we offer free Spanish language lessons every week in order to enhance your experience as a volunteer/intern.

Guidelines on medical Issues of the Dominican Republic:

WHO reportcon health care reform in Dominican Republic, 2010
Health System of the Dominican Republic, 2011. The website provides an excellent overview of common medical issues in the DR and the government health system. Only available in Spanish.

Volunteer placement or internship

Most of our participants join as volunteers and are free to commit from between 10 to 40 hours per week. That's up to you! As an intern, however you probably have to fulfill requirements set by your school or university. Please inform us of your school or university internship requirements in advance so that we can work out your personalized work plan together. Also tell us about your personal expectations and goals and we will see how we can help you achieve them.

Availability

This program is ongoing throughout the whole year

Time Commitment

A minimum time commitment of 2 weeks is required. For volunteers and interns with little experience, a 4 to 8 weeks time commitment is encouraged.

Placement Locations: Hospital and neighborhood health clinics in Samana and La Pascuala

Financial Contribution & Benefits

Aldeas de Paz works hard to keep the required financial contribution to an absolute minimum and to offer financial transparency by practicing an open book policy. The calculation of your financial contribution or donation is set up so that the longer you stay the less you give per week. We do this to encourage longer stays, recognizing that longer stays lead to more significant volunteer work and more energy contributed in the form of donated time in place of money! The minimum contribution starts at €175 per week and includes Spanish language classes, double room at one of our fully equipped guesthouse apartments, a special program donation as well as a personal welcome service and pick-up at the airport, transfer to the bus, bus fare and free transfer to your placement location in Las Terrenas or Samana. If you wish a single room upgrade add €50 per week and an all in Host Family homestay upgrade is €150 per week, including a private bedroom and two meals per day. For more information about costs and benefits check out our webpage .

What is included

Welcome Service at the airport and transport to your placement location
Volunteer or Internship placement
Accommodation of your choice
Placement introduction, training, supervision, briefings and meetings
Free regular Spanish lessons throughout your placement
Free Wifi and use of washing machine at all our facilities
Certificate, written reference and student credit
Information about adventure packages
Full support and 24/7 backup from local staff

Special Offer

Spanish language classes: Volunteers and interns receive free language lessons every week. The classes focus on developing communication skills so that students are able to put their knowledge to practical use as soon as they step outside the classroom. Our teaching method enables students to develop four basic skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. The idea is to learn Spanish in a natural and spontaneous way, just as students have learned their mother tongue. Our students are encouraged to speak Spanish right from the very first day, using it in typical real-life situations: the basic syllabus is supplemented by special exercises, such as role-play, situational dialogues and work projects. Outside the classroom, the learning process continues as you are immersed in the Spanish language and the Dominican culture.

Contact Information

Contact Person: Manfred Mönnighoff

Project/charity name: Fundación Aldeas de Paz

Address: Samana, Dominican Republic

Whatsapp: +1 829 7055 123

E-Mail: mail@peacevillages.org

Webpage: https://www.peacevillages.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook/AldeasdePaz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AldeasDePaz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AldeasDePaz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Peacevillages