Kori Flower
It was a real pleasure and privilege to be able to join and work side by side with the hardworking and dedicated regular local physicians and staff. In a challenging context of poverty and limited resources, the clinic provides an invaluable service to the community, and I was pleased to be able to join them in service.

Jason Ziegler
I was very impressed with the staff at Roberto Clemente Clinic. I focused my volunteer work on helping the doctors and nurses. I also aided in wound care and assisted in sutures for minor traumas. My Spanish was minimal when I arrived, and after two weeks, I was speaking basic conversational Spanish with confidence. I wish I could stay for a longer time to continue my practice in medicine and Spanish. The physicians, nurses, and other staff were extremely helpful in making my stay both educational and constructive. The clinic was kept in order and cleaned frequently. The staff were very helpful in attending needs of patients and volunteers. I hope the clinic continues to grow and I will certainly contribute to the further development of Roberto Clemente Clinic in the future.

Petra Coronado
From the very beginning, the staff at the clinic was very accommodating and welcoming. Everyone’s friendly faces and willingness to help/teach/learn was extraordinary. I had some great experiences helping the people in the community – they were extremely grateful and it was such a pleasure to be able to help them learn about disease processes and make dietary adjustments. The memory that will always stick in my mind is when we went to the public clinic to educate a group of female members of the local community about diabetes and high blood pressure. The ladies were so eager to learn and treated us with a lot of respect and courtesy. We recommended dietary adjustments to improve their diet and, in return, waist size. They were very interested and I believe that some of the ladies had an eye-opening experience as to how they could participate in bettering their health. At the end of our “charla” we received hugs and kisses on the cheek in return for sharing our knowledge and experience. It was a truly unique experience to be appreciated in such a heart-felt way!

Christopher Hopkins
Volunteering in a rural clinic in Nicaragua helped me gain sight of who I am as a person by solidifying my desire to pursue a career in health care and by giving me a new sense of cultural awareness. Strategically located between several towns within the providence of Rivas, Nicaragua is the Roberto Clemente Health Clinic. The time I spent at this clinic could best be described as exhilarating, educational, and insightful. As a college freshman, who is toying with the idea of entering the medical field, this experience meant a great deal to me. The trip served as my first significant volunteer experience as an adult. There was an immediate sense of independence and trust that I felt from the employees of the clinic which served as the keystone for my entire experience in Nicaragua. With the full support of the clinic I was able to explore several areas in which I was interested. These areas include: language improvement, public health service, and general medical practices and treatments. I spent my time translating for other volunteers, checking vital signs, giving talks to the local community, renovating a fence, and helping with the Bio-intensive garden project!

Sarita
It was a great experience learning about health and living condition of people in a new place. The staffs at the clinic were very helpful and always were willing to teach despite language barriers. Everyone seemed welcoming and helpful. Enjoyed teaching and learned a lot as well.

Jean LaCour, PhD, CPP
President/CEO
NET Training Institute

 An Important Message From One of Our Volunteers

Amber Weinzierl
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These weeks working with Martita, Dr. Francis, and Dr. Flores are once in a lifetime experiences. I’m so glad to have worked here and so thankful.

Madalyn Heanue
Nursing student
Catholic University of America

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Were your expectations/goals met during your experience in Nicaragua?
I expected to gain a greater understanding of medical Spanish and of the poorer communities and what they need. I met these goals.

Please let us know our weakness or areas where we can improve:
For people who volunteer and know little Spanish there could be a little pre-volunteer booklet to help them to learn some key phrases in Spanish.
J.L.

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I had a lovely experience. Jenia did a great job orienting us and preparing us to work here. The staff was readily available and greatly helped me to improve my Spanish.
Quinn Lancor
Nursing student
Catholic University of America

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I had an excellent experience as a medical volunteer at Roberto Clemente. I really enjoyed working with and learning from all the medical staff, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and administrative personnel. I appreciated the opportunity to work independently in the clinic with both Nicaraguans and foreigners, performing consults and procedures such as suturing and IV placement. I also really enjoyed getting out into the community and giving hygiene and parasite talks in the school. This experience both tested my Spanish skills and allowed me to have a broader impact on public health. Overall, volunteering at Roberto Clemente was a great time!

Were your expectations/goals met during your experience in Nicaragua?

Yes. As an experienced family medicine resident, I was hoping to not only shadow the staff, but to also work independently with the supervision of the doctors. After I was oriented and had proven competent to the doctors, I was allowed to perform consults and procedures on my own under their supervision.

Although I had not thought too much about community projects before I came, the parasite and water filter projects in the schools was very fulfilling and gave me the opportunity to affect a larger population.

Please let us know our weakness or areas where we can improve:
Better organization overall. For example, it was unclear that the clinic would be closed for cleaning or holidays until the day before. Also, for the workflow or volume of the clinic, it would be helpful to have more nurses.

Timothy J. Senekar, M.D.
Family Medicine Resident
Fort Collins Family Medicine Program, PGY3

A group of volunteer nurses from the CUA who recently travelled to our clinic enjoyed their trip to Nicaragua and gave us an excellent review. A normal day at the clinic starts at 8 am when volunteers are greeted by local staff as well as patients waiting to be seen by clinic personnel. The Catholic University of America group started with a brief orientation about the history of the clinic and our Volunteer Coordinator spoke with students about the different services we offer. The local staff that was working that day introduced themselves and they were able to share the many experiences they have had while working in the clinic. They helped our medical team and also did community outreach work. They visited the schools and houses of people of our community and created health and sport activities for the children in our community. 

Below you can read some testimonials from our volunteers in Nicaragua.