Companion Animal and Wildlife Medicine at Costa Rican University

We are excited to share Ellen Bryant’s international experience below, funded by Dr. Thomas Mack. 

Through May and June 2023, I participated in a clinical internship at the National University of Costa Rica (UNA) in the Small Animal and Wildlife Hospital (HEMS) at the School of Veterinary Medicine. Working alongside faculty veterinarians and rotating senior veterinary students, I was able to participate in orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries, emergency procedures, and general practice medicine. I participated in several procedures involving wildlife and exotic pet species, including squirrels, sloths, snakes, rabbits, etc.

In terms of my professional goals and experience with global health, this trip was a perfect opportunity to see how access to care issues are addressed in another country. My interests are primarily in community medicine, public health, and providing accessible care to individuals and communities who otherwise cannot utilize veterinary services. UNA has multiple programs directed at improving access to care. I assisted with a free clinic organized by the hospital and the local municipality to provide preventive care and exams in a region undergoing continual reconstruction after a severe earthquake 2009. I would love to be involved with this type of collaboration between the university and local government as a veterinarian to support animal owners and improve public health.

I enjoyed seeing how similarly we approach certain illnesses, diseases, and clinical situations across multiple cultures. I applied some of my knowledge and education to cases I saw in the hospital and built upon my Spanish medical vocabulary. Many of the common problems we face in emergency and general practice medicine in the States are just as common in Costa Rica. I could appreciate how things like cost and access to pharmaceuticals and blood products influence how cases are approached, and I saw how my friends and mentors needed to adjust their treatment plans based on those limitations.

Overall, I found this experience invaluable. I made personal and professional connections that I fully intend to utilize in my future career and saw first-hand what it may look like to do the kind of work I am passionate about on an international scale.