From a young age, I have been very excited for the opportunity to travel. When I became interested in medicine, I knew there had to be a way to combine two of my passions and I discovered the concept of global health.

Since starting medical school, I have been fortunate enough to be able to participate in 3 different global health programs. Each one has allowed me to have a greater hands-on approach with patients and has further confirmed my interest in incorporating global health into my career path.

The first program was the summer after my first semester in medical school and gratefully, during my first experience abroad, I spent a majority of my program shadowing physicians, residents, nurses, and second year medical students. During this time, I had the opportunity to really soak up the knowledge physicians and technicians were sharing during procedures.

Fast forward to this most recent program, almost six semesters later, and I had a completely different experience. I participated in the Global Health Clinical Immersion in the Dominican Republic during the Winter Break 2022. Our program requires a “preceptorship”, which is essentially spending a week in a family medicine practice to have the opportunity to see patients and present to attendings. During my preceptorship, our team visited sugar cane fields and small villages that do not typically have access or the capability to be seen by primary care providers. Every day we arrived on site, there were so many members of the community lined up, waiting to see us. We also collaborated with epidemiologists, residents, physicians, and medical students from the Dominican Republic. The days were long, but incredibly satisfying. Many patients were so grateful to be seen and helped. I have a strong interest in osteopathic manipulative medicine and during this experience, I was able to learn new techniques and practice modifying techniques already learned based on my patient’s needs. During breaks in our clinical days, I also had the chance to connect with other medical students to talk about similarities and differences in our day to day lives, our programs, and how the field of medicine and healthcare differ in the United States compared to the Dominican Republic.

Even for those with no interest in continuing to practice abroad, I wholeheartedly believe the opportunity to experience a culture outside of your own is one that will undoubtedly benefit you. You get to help a community in need. You will learn things about yourself that you never knew - maybe getting to try a new food or another activity that you normally wouldn’t be able to do. Besides learning from people in your host country, you also get to connect with your peers who also come from different backgrounds and have different stories and interests that can also help shape the way you view the world. It truly is an unforgettable adventure that I would recommend everyone try at least once.

Name: Arianna Seabrooks
Status: Medical Student
Major: Osteopathic Medicine
Hometown: Washington, DC
Program: Global Health: Dominican Republic - Clinical Immersion