Patients form a line out the door as they await care at a local Panama clinic. Biology senior Kristina Fan gives stickers to the child on her lap to keep him calm while his mother explains his symptoms to the clinic team.  

UT Global Medical Training (GMT), a UT cohort of the larger international humanitarian group Global Medical Training, welcomes all pre-health students interested in global healthcare. The organization facilitates winter, spring break and summer trips to Central American countries like Panama, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Nicaragua, where students can gain clinical experience. This summer, two groups of 30-40 UT students went on an eight-day trip to Panama and the Dominican Republic to work in local medical and dental clinics.

“You get to see a different side of medicine,” Fan said. “(It) motivated me to work harder and learn more about the medical community outside of the U.S. because it’s pretty different.”

At the clinics, patients wait outside for individual treatment. Students work with local doctors, pharmacists and translators to provide care.

“We would split up into groups and talk to the patient and see what was going on,” Fan said. “Once we came up with a diagnosis or medication suggestions, we would ask the doctor to confirm or deny. That just helped the clinic run smoother and more quickly.”

Before embarking on a trip, students must complete an application process to qualify. Students then participate in five to seven pre-departure workshops that cover common local diseases, basic medical and conversational Spanish, vitals and more. GMT president and nutrition senior Natalia Guerrero said the organization will add an entire workshop on cultural competency this year, expanding what was once just a portion of a workshop.

“We’re going to (present) fun facts and general information you need to know, (and teach) phrases that are more respectful (or) more heard of in that area,” Guerrero said. “Then we’re gonna continue (to) sprinkle in more topics (regarding cultural competency) throughout the (other) workshops.”

In addition to learning about clinical care, students speak with patients about disease prevention. Guerrero cited education as the primary goal, acknowledging the limitations of college students’ clinical experience.

“We understand that we are privileged enough to have the opportunity to live in the US and learn a lot of these important preventative health care tips at a young age,” Guerrero said. “This kind of healthcare education is not always available abroad.” 

Guerrero said the experience gained on GMT trips leaves a lasting impact on students and their futures in healthcare. Brandon Bruce, a class of 2023 UT alum and current UT Southwestern first-year medical student, said his time with GMT changed the trajectory of his medicinal aspirations. 

“We hear things on the news (about countries with) vaccine shortages or … suffering with disease, but actually seeing people affected by it is so different. That really motivated me to want to continue to do (international) work in the future and continue to seek out change in that area,” Bruce said.