Reflections from the Dominican Republic: How Global Health Shapes Future Practice
- Christopher Muyshondt
- Nov 4
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 13
Written by Christopher Muyshondt
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
Global Health Elective Dates: June 23 - August 1, 2025
I have officially completed the global health elective, and I am currently back in the United States. The last few days there were a lot of fun, and I made a point to spend extra time with the friends I made there. I will miss the people, the time spent learning, parts of the hospital, and the host family as well.
My last week in the ED was very similar to the previous week, and I would like to use this reflection to cover my experience there as a whole. I was certainly anxious when I first arrived, and I was unsure how my current Spanish skill level would hold up in a completely Spanish environment. I was very thankful to be received so kindly by the first few people I met and, of course, by the host family. When I first arrived, I was unsure what to really expect in the day-to-day experience, but we hit the ground running that first day.
Spending the mornings at the hospital and transitioning to studying for my board exams in the afternoon at UNIBE became quite the routine. It felt like a well-oiled machine: wake up early, get to the hospital, learn and help where I can, leave for UNIBE in the afternoon and have lunch, study in the library for 5–6 hours, and then walk home. Every day was blissfully started with a hot cup of Dominican coffee made by Marisa, the Abuelita of the home where I was staying. Those were some of my few moments of peace during my long days.
I train in jiu-jitsu, and I found an academy to train at while I was there, and they were so much fun. I have trained for over 8 years now, so I bring with me a lot of experience. They were happy to have me and even invited me to their usual get-together every Friday after training! I joined them a few times and got the experience of spending Friday night with the locals. It was truly the Dominican experience. I have connected with several of the gym members on social media and will be excited to see how the gym continues to grow.
My overall experience in the hospital was very enlightening. I had three rotations that, I would say, really built upon each other. Family Medicine first was a great way to see the inner workings between the physician and families there. It was helpful to be in such a controlled environment to catch on to the style of Spanish there. The physician I was working with was very nice and an absolute professional. I made several notes on both how she carried herself as well as how well she provided care. In a place that can lack resources and may have different levels of training compared to other countries, she set the standard quite high. I hope to emulate her skills and techniques in my own practice. Switching into Internal Medicine next was the perfect way to build upon the controlled environment and add in multiple complex patients all at once.
The IM physician was incredibly smart, and I could tell from the start she was well respected by all the staff as well as the patients. Going through rounds each morning was a long and tedious process, but I truly admired her thoroughness with each patient. She left no stone unturned and took the time to educate the patients and their families in each encounter. We would step out of the room—our small team of residents and me, the medical student—and she would ask the residents pertinent questions about what to do next or the pathophysiology of what we were dealing with. I had the opportunity to work with some very sick patients and was able to find myself very useful for a couple of patients who did not speak any Spanish at all.
Finishing up my last two weeks in the emergency room was the perfect way to crescendo from the calm, controlled Family Medicine environment into the chaos of the ER. I have worked in the ER in the States for a few years, and being back in that environment felt like a slice of home amidst the chaos. I was happy to jump in and help where I could, as well as learn how they function. I know my time there will help me better understand how to mold my future practice and to understand the patients who come in to see me.
I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend six weeks in the Dominican Republic—to have lived their lifestyle, experienced their culture, learned from the people there, and understood at a much more in-depth level what it means to be a physician from another country. This experience has changed me, and the way I operate in the world will forever be different, both in my clinical practice and in my personal life. I hope to return after I have finished at my university and perhaps again in a medical capacity to serve the people there.
As they say in the DR, Todo bien, gracias a Dios.
