VCOM - Auburn 2017 Yearbook

Student Reflections

“I loved this trip. I learned so much about being a primary care doctor by working with patients every day. I believe I saw between 10-20 patients each day I worked, including 17 OB-GYN patients. I also triaged about 100 patients. This trip improved my Spanish, patient interaction, history and physical exam taking. It gave me one-on-one work experience with several doctors including a native Honduran physician and an OB-GYN. I solidified good friendships with my classmates and relationships with the faculty who came on the trip from VCOM- Auburn. It was all that I had hoped for.” Nathan Albrecht, Class of 2019 Tegucigalpa, Honduras, July 2016 “My journey around the mountains of Santa Rosa, Honduras was an experience that I will never forget. There is nothing more rewarding than providing medical care to those who do not have access to physicians. However, this group did not merely provide healthcare, for they put smiles on the faces of children, elders and families. Many of these people work long work days, are malnourished from merely eating tortillas and beans, and live with abdominal pain due to the unfiltered water that they are forced to drink. I plan on continuing to go on medical mission trips throughout rotations, residency and my career as a doctor. I am forever thankful that VCOM chose me to go on this once-in- a-lifetime trip.” “Words cannot adequately describe the impact that this trip had on my life. This trip to Honduras was my first trip out of the United States, and it was one that I will never forget. The amount of knowledge that I was able to obtain by working with the physicians was incredible. Also, seeing the sincere appreciation that the people of Honduras had, even for something as simple as vitamins, reminded me how much we take for granted. Choosing a career in medicine is a decision that is much bigger than ourselves, and I think that this point is commonly lost among medical students. However, trips like this help remind us why we chose this career. Thanks to VCOM for providing this opportunity to me and allowing me the chance to pursue a career in medicine. I hope to continue this mission as my career progresses.” Erin Gordon, Class of 2019 Santa Rosa, Honduras, October 2016

Chad Lyman, Class of 2019 Santa Rosa, Honduras, October 2016

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