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

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Recruiting Organization: Aldeas de Paz - Peace Villages

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

Program Highlights

• Experience the Dominican style of live and chill by the rhythm of Caribbean music!
• Gain Spanish fluency with the help of our free Spanish classes and share daily life with locals
• Become more passionate about your studies and propel your career with international experience!
• Make memories you never forget during weekend excursions with your fellow participants!
• Enjoy the gorgeous beaches of Samana, climb the mountain peaks of pico Duarte and visit historical sites in Santo Domingos' colonial town!

Requirements

The key requirements for a dental care 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. Please bring scrubs and closed shoes that are easy to clean for working in the hospital, as they are mandatory. Latex gloves, hand sanitizer and face masks (N95 for the TB patients) would be a very helpful donation to the dental clinic.

Guidelines on medical Issues of the Dominican Republic:

• WHO report on 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 apprenticeship

You can join this program as a volunteer or apprentice. As a volunteer you are free to commit any number of hours per week. That's up to you! As an apprentice or 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. We are happy to give students academic credit or provide a report outlining the learning outcomes and deliverables achieved during the placement.

Availability

This program is ongoing throughout the whole year

Time Commitment

A minimum time commitment of 2 weeks is required and can be extended up to one year

Placement Location

Samana

About your Placement Location

The Aldeas de Paz Foundation headquarters are located in the villages of Samana and las Terrenas, located at the heart of Samana province and peninsula in the north-eastern corner of the Dominican Republic. These villages with about 15000 inhabitants are very peaceful and safe and are constituted by a community with a strong sense of social responsibility. The people themselves consider their towns very safe, there is no more crime here than in any average small European town. The Dominican Republic's countryside as a whole is very peaceful, and certainly one of the safest regions in the Caribbean.

Travel Logistics

The Foundation will do everything to make sure our volunteers remain safe during their arrival and stay in the Dominican Republic. On arrival at the airport you will be welcomed by our english speaking driver who will help you personally during your transit from the airport to the bus terminal granting you peace of mind and tranquillity. The driver will purchase your bus ticket while you catch the direct and comfortable bus to Samana, your placement location. Travel-time on the bus is two hours only. On arrival at the placement location, fellow volunteers and our Staff will welcome you and bring you to your accommodation.

Financial Contribution & Benefits

Aldeas de Paz works hard to keep the required financial contribution to an absolute minimum and offers financial transparency by practicing an open book policy. We encourage longer stays, recognizing that longer stays lead to more productive volunteer work, whereby more energy and time is donated in place of money! We offer free Spanish language classes, a double room at one of our fully equipped guesthouse apartments, personal airport welcome, pick-up & 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

• Volunteer or Internship placement
• Personal airport welcome, pick-up & transfer to our location
• Fully equipped Accommodation, free WiFi & and laundry
• Placement introduction, supervision, certificate, student credit
• Free regular Spanish lessons throughout your placement
• Full support and 24/7 backup from local staff
• Information about adventure packages & in-country travel

Special Offer

Volunteers and interns receive free language lessons throughout their placement duration. Classes focus on developing four basic communication skills: listening, comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. Students are encouraged to speak Spanish right from the very first day, using it in typical real-life situations as soon as they step outside the classroom where learning continues as they are immersed in the Spanish language and the Dominican culture.

Covid 19

Our primary responsibility is the well being of our volunteers, our staff, our beneficiaries and of everyone involved in our programs. The Covid 19 health situation in the Dominican Republic is managed quite well and precautionary measures are very dynamic, similar to European and international standards. Traveling to and from the Dominican Republic is possible without difficulty. Aldeas de Paz is completely operational - all our programs are active! For extra peace of mind we offer a free flexible travel date change. We are standing by to answer any questions or concerns you might have and look forward to hearing from you!

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/ngo-administration-management/

Facebook: https://www.facebook/AldeasdePaz

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AldeasDePaz

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

Stipend ProvidedFalse

Training Provided

Housing Available

Language/Cultral Support Available

Wheelchair AccessibleFalse

Fee Required

Fee Amount: 1238.00

This opportunity is recurring