Service and Smiles: A Sophomore’s Dental Mission Trip to Mexico

This is a unique podcast as I have interviewed a student prior to her first service-learning trip ... and at 22:30 the interview continues 5 weeks later post-trip!

Curiosity meets courage when a sophomore pre-dental student takes her skills abroad and finds out what care means without the usual comforts. We sit down with Sydney from the University of South Carolina to capture her mindset before a week in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, and the lessons she brings home after assisting in a free dental clinic focused on quality over quantity.

You’ll step inside a real clinic flow: morning equipment checks, Spanish-language triage, rotating roles between greeting, chairside assistance, and sterilization, and procedures ranging from cleanings and fillings to extractions. Sydney explains how working with local dentists—often without assistants or x-rays—reshaped her respect for clinical judgment and durable results. She shares the practical Spanish that bridged gaps and the moments when education mattered most: introducing floss, proper brushing techniques, and simple post-op care that patients can sustain long after supplies run out.

Beyond the operatory, the cultural immersion lands deeply. A bilingual church service, family-style meals, and a powerful conversation with a patient at a rehabilitation center reveal resilience and hope in a setting marked by visible poverty. Sydney’s gratitude grows alongside her conviction that teaching is the lasting gift of short-term service, and that a future practice should welcome patients in both English and Spanish while expanding access to affordable dental care.

If you’re weighing a service trip, worried about language, or unsure what real impact looks like, this story offers a clear, grounded view from someone who rotated through every station and left more certain about her calling. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s on the pre-health path, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or question—we’d love to hear what surprised you most.

I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to not only share with you our guest’s introduction to international healthcare, but also to share with you how that exposure to international healthcare has shaped their future path in healthcare. As true patient advocates, we should all aspire to be as well rounded as possible in order to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations. 

As a 50+ year nurse that has worked in quite a variety of clinical roles in our healthcare system, taught healthcare courses for the past 20 years at the university level, and has traveled extensively with my students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that healthcare focused students need, and greatly benefit from the opportunity to have hands-on experiential healthcare experiences in an international setting! I have seen the growth of students post travel as their self-confidence in their newly acquired skillsets, both clinical and cultural, facilitates their ability to take advantage of opportunities that previously may not have been available to them. By rendering care internationally, and stepping outside one's comfort zone, many more doors of opportunity will be opened.

Feel free to check out our website at www.islonline.org, follow us on Instagram @ islmedical, and reach out to me @ DrH@islonline.org

Transcript

Meet Sydney And The Two-Part Format

Dr. H 0:12

Well, I'm very excited today to have Sydney as my guest, and Sydney is a uh sophomore at the University of South Carolina. Uh, full disclosure, we have not met until today. Uh Sydney's on the uh pre-dental path at University of South Carolina. I've got a resume in front of me. I'm super impressed with everything she's done already and in the short time that she's been at school. But this is a different episode from what you've heard before. What I'm doing now is I'm trying to interview students that are going on service learning trips before they go on the trip and then after. So this is gonna be a unique experience. Um I'm gonna talk to Sydney for a little bit today, and then we're gonna capture her uh when she comes back from her trip. And she's gonna be going to Mexico in December. So I'm gonna talk to her a little bit about her plans for the trip. And then we're gonna catch up to her, hopefully within a week or two after she gets back and see if the trip met her expectations. So a unique, different podcast, and she's my first, so bear with me, uh Sydney, and I'm excited to have you here today. So, Sydney, just tell us a little bit about yourself first off, where you're from, what is your major, and and what are your future healthcare plans?

Sydney 1:25

Yeah, thank you for having me. I'm super excited to be doing this and very excited to be your first. I'm from originally Glastonbury, Connecticut. Then I traveled down to Columbia, South Carolina for school. I'm a biology major with a double minor in business administration and Russian. And my dream is to someday end up in dental school and someday become a dentist.

Dr. H 1:50

Well, Sydney, that's um a unique path to be a biology major and have Russian minor. Tell us about that Russian minor, because that kind of stands out.

Sydney 2:01

Yeah, so my entire life I've loved learning new languages. I'm uh proficient in both Russian and Spanish, but Russian just kind of stuck. As much as I lack having Russian people to speak with in my family, I just somehow always find them out in whether it's Colombia or in Connecticut. And I'm always connecting with people that I can practice Russian with. And I've just always loved being able to connect with somebody and make them feel more comfortable by speaking their native language. And so that's just been something I'm super passionate about. And as much as it might not be entirely applicable to my future indentistry, that's not something I'm willing to give

Language Skills And Service Roots

Sydney 2:45

up yet. So I'm keeping up.

Dr. H 2:46

Hey, I would say never say never. You never know. That's that's great that you're actually trilingual. You have the Russian and the Spanish, and of course English. Because this is a service learning trip, Sydney. Tell us a little bit about your involvement in service, maybe at home in Connecticut or even at the University of South Carolina.

Sydney 3:07

Yeah, of course. All throughout middle school and high school, I did mission trips, nothing medical related, but little mission trips to Boston, Maine, New York. And I've just loved seeing the effect I can have on communities. And then leading up to those trips every year, I would do little service events in my community, whether that was a soup drive or helping out with habitat for humanity. And so I definitely wanted to continue doing service in college, which is why now I'm a member of Dream Outside the Box, which is an organization that goes and volunteers with a local elementary school every Friday. And I'm also a team leader in Relay for Life, which is an organization that raises money to fight against cancer. And then finally, I just kind of try to help out wherever I can. In October, I did a lot of trunk retreats and little trick-or-treat events for foster kids and really anyone in the community that was in need of a safe and friendly place to trick-or-treat. I also just love doing anything from soup kitchens to helping out with animal shelters. I really just try to be all over when it comes to service in Columbia.

Dr. H 4:24

It sounds like you have a service heart, and we appreciate that. I know you're going to be going on a service learning trip, but I always like to know where that service heart comes from. And sounds like it's uh you've been very involved in service, and that's great. You you mentioned that your the dream is dental school. What have you done locally to support your interest in that future path in healthcare, which in your is is dental school, I believe.

Sydney 4:49

Yeah. So this past summer actually was probably the biggest summer for me to flourish in my love of dentistry. I got an internship uh working as a dental assistant at a local general dentist office. It was super cool. I got to really get hands-on with chairside manner, sterilizing rooms, equipment, discharging patients, greeting patients, pretty much just everything

Early Dental Experience And Access To Care

Sydney 5:15

that has to do with running a dental office. And then another part of dentistry that I'm really passionate about is affordable dental care. So uh something that I found out about this summer and jumped right into was CT Mission of Mercy, which is a two-day free dental clinic for anybody in the greater Hartford area that is in need of dental care. They can come in for judgment-free dental care, anything from prosthetics to fillings to just a straight cleaning and checkup. It was truly such a rewarding experience. And so that was my first time really giving back to the community in a dental sort of aspect. And so I definitely want to continue doing things like that.

Dr. H 5:56

Sydney, I'm I'm impressed. I mean, you're a sophomore and you've done all this stuff already. I mean, most students that I meet are challenged with trying to get an experience that's related to their future profession, but you've already had a couple of different experiences. That that's great. And you and you still have the dream of dental school, is that correct? Yeah, definitely. Good for you. Well, uh, I hope this trip's gonna help cement that for you and and and confirm that's what you're doing.

Sydney 6:21

That is the goal.

Dr. H 6:21

So, speaking of the trip, what initially motivated you to sign up for this particular service learning trip?

Sydney 6:28

Yeah, I see a lot of things on social media actually. I've had some friends, more so on the med school track rather than the dental school track, go and do these ISL trips. And they just looked so amazing and rewarding. And like I said before, I've had experience with regular mission trips, with soup kitchens and building houses, but I just thought when this opportunity was presented in front of me, I thought, gosh, I have to hop on this. Like it is just combining my love of mission and then my passion with dentistry. And so I just knew that I had to get on this trip. And so I'm very excited that this opportunity did present itself.

Dr. H 7:12

Now, Sydney, was that a hard decision to sign up for the trip? I mean, you're all of what, 19, I guess, and you're traveling out of the country. Was it was it difficult for you and or your parents to make this decision?

Sydney 7:24

Yeah, it was definitely not the easiest decision. I like I said, I've done other mission trips, but they've all been in the Northeast, close to home, with usually my parents would accompany me. My dad was big on going on these trips with me. So this is my first not only international service trip, but also my first time going on a trip like this alone. And so my parents definitely did have some concerns, but ISL makes it very clear on their website that they're dedicated to safety, which definitely makes me and my family feel a lot better. And honestly, it was up to

Why Mexico And Facing Fears

Sydney 8:01

me, my parents said. And I really just wanted to throw myself into it. And so I decided as much as it might be scary, I don't have anybody in my family coming with me, I don't have any of my best friends coming with me. I still am just very excited to go and I know I'll make a ton of friends on the way.

Dr. H 8:19

Well, kudos to your parents for you know supporting you and allowing you to make that decision. And and and yes, it is safe. I've done 15 years of these medical mission trips and I've had to talk to many parents over the years to allay their anxieties. You're not unique in that we've had many, many situations in the past where parents will call me and say, Dr. Hickey, is uh is it going to be okay for my son or my daughter? So it it's it's normal for them to be a little worried about you, but uh good for you for making the decision. Do you think do you feel like you're stepping out of your comfort zone to do this somewhat?

Sydney 8:53

I definitely, yeah. I mean, in my head, I think, oh, it's so easy. I love service, I love speaking foreign languages and connecting with others. But it's when you actually decide to take the leap of faith and hop on that plane that takes you to Phoenix, Arizona, that I'm that I'm like, wow, this is really setting in. And like I said, usually I have somebody, one of my best friends, to just tag along with me. But truly, I haven't, I don't have any of my very best friends with me, but the group that we're going on this trip with, we're doing various team bonding things. So I know that I'll make best friends in no time.

Dr. H 9:32

Well, well, guess what? When you go in country, you will bond like you could never imagine. And that's been my experience after 15 years of doing those trips. I've taken many students over the years that kind of sort of maybe knew each other a little bit from class, but not that well. By the end of the trip, you're you're best friends. So it's it's amazing. I'm excited for you. Did do you have any expectations about the country or its healthcare system? And and what do you hope to learn professionally and personally?

Sydney 10:02

I mean, my biggest expectation for this trip is that my love of dentistry and my passion for helping others in the dental field just grows. I've heard a little bit about the dental healthcare system in Mexico, and we're definitely planning to learn more leading up to the trip and while we're there. I overall just really want to learn how to treat others. I feel like a lot of people get stuck in the headspace of this is the procedure and this is what we have to do, but there's such an emotional aspect to dentistry. So I really just feel like this trip will be super rewarding in the sense that I'll be able to connect with others and help other people that maybe I don't see every day or interact with every day. It's not every day that you get to speak in medical Spanish terminology to help somebody get dental care.

Dr. H 10:55

So have you had to use any exciting? I'm sorry, have you had to use any medical Spanish before?

Sydney 11:02

No, but actually, when I was at the CT Mission of Mercy free dental clinic, somebody on the walkie-talkie said, we need a Russian-speaking person to the front. Wow. And I I started to sweat. I was like, oh my gosh, I wonder if there's anybody else that speaks Russian. And they said it again, and I was like, oh gosh, I it has to be me. So I go to the front, and I've never learned any sort of Russian medical terminology in my life. But I led this super sweet Russian couple that did not speak a lick of English through medical triage leading up to the procedure, a tooth extraction for the wife, and post-care explaining that she has to rinse out the pocket with salt water. It was a lot of it was a lot of Google Translate and um just trying to use the words that I knew, but that was like one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had because truly there was nobody else that knew Russian. And so even though I wasn't the best medical person to

Expectations, Medical Spanish, And Teaching

Sydney 12:05

translate, it was definitely super rewarding. And so I definitely want to use that and brush up on my Spanish before I go so I can be prepared.

Dr. H 12:12

Well, no, as you know, they will have interpreters for you, and we do encourage you to practice Spanish as much as you can. So in the beginning, my my experience has been students are a little hesitant by the end of the week. They're they're flying with their with their Spanish. So and the people are very appreciative that you that you speak their language. So I'm sure you're gonna have the same experience in the Spanish language as you did in the Russian language. And yeah, described good for you. What do you hope to get out of this experience that's gonna help you in the in the future? And how do you hope how do you or do you believe that what you're doing in Mexico on this trip is going to help the local community?

Sydney 12:55

Oh, definitely, a hundred percent. I feel like with these trips, my biggest thing is that I not only want to learn a ton, but I also want to teach a ton. I feel like with trips with these kind of small, tight-knit groups, everybody's constantly learning and teaching all at the same time. So if I can even just help one person, I feel like I will feel accomplished. One of the most beautiful parts of dentistry is that we make people smile. I mean, I always say to my friends and my family, like, what other profession do you get paid to watch people smile? And so if I can even have one patient walk out of our clinic smiling, I would have felt that I left a positive impact on this community. And yeah, felt that this trip was a success.

Dr. H 13:42

I think you're going to be creating lots of smiles on this on this experience. And and I'm glad you brought up uh teaching. Uh Sydney, one thing I found over 15 years of doing the service learning trips is about a week or two after we get back, a lot of the students are kind of despondent. The medicines we prescribe, the treatments we we prescribe have all run out. And it's two weeks later and they they wonder aloud, you know, are the people back in the same situation or condition as as before? And I said, no, they're not. And and they're not because you you help to educate them how to take care of their condition. So I'm glad you shared teaching because that's the best part of what this experience is going to be like, in addition to you learning new things, of course, but the fact that you're gonna be able to educate the people on how to care for themselves. In your case, dental, you know, speaking more about proper nutrition, proper dental hygiene, flossing, brushing teeth, et cetera, where maybe they've never had anyone educate them on how to properly floss or brush, you're gonna walk away from this trip knowing that you help to educate a lot of people. And that's pretty cool.

Sydney 14:49

Yeah, I'm super excited for that aspect.

Dr. H 14:51

Are you familiar, Sydney, with the term scope of practice? And and if so, how will you ensure that you will not perform any tasks which you're not trained for or licensed for when you're on this trip?

Sydney 15:07

Yeah, I'm uniquely situated. I feel that I am a licensed dental assistant and I have practice as one. I have a ton of experience with giving radiographs and assisting chairside.

Scope Of Practice And Trip Logistics

Sydney 15:20

However, with that being said, as much as I'm super eager to put all of my talents to use, I would never do something without proper direction. I obviously am putting all of my trust in the ISL staff. And whether they want me to give an x-ray or simply take somebody's blood pressure, I am eager to do genuinely anything on this trip. And so while I do bring my unique skill set and the things in my toolbox, I obviously would never do anything without being directly told. And I would never do something that a patient doesn't feel comfortable with, that I don't feel comfortable with, or that the ISL staff does not feel comfortable with me doing.

Dr. H 16:03

You you sound very well prepared, Sydney.

Sydney 16:06

Thank you.

Dr. H 16:07

I think you're gonna be stepping up and teaching quite a lot. I mean, your Spanish, your Spanish skill sets, your your dental experience are all gonna help your peers that may not have the same experiences as you do. So that that's great that you have that. And great that you're so willing to to help others on your team as well as the patient population, of course. Any concerns about your accommodations, food, or water? People are always worried when they travel abroad. Am I gonna get sick or is everything safe?

Sydney 16:37

I'm a pretty avid traveler. I've been to Mexico before, I've been to various international trips, and so I'd like to think that I'm pretty well versed with different cultures and I'm very much not a picky person when it comes to food. I'll pretty much try anything. And so whether it's spicy or salty or something exotic that I've never even heard of, I always like to try everything once because you can't knock it till you try it.

Dr. H 17:05

So as you mentioned, as you mentioned earlier, ISL has put a lot of safety concerns, safety barriers in place for your trip, as well as when it comes to food, they make sure that where you eat is is is proper food and they have separate water that's set aside because when you're only going for a short term, you know, we don't want you to get sick. And and every now and then people will get travelers' diarrhea. I mean, that that can happen anywhere and everywhere in the world for that matter. But as long as you take the proper precautions, eat what you're supposed to and and and don't eat what you're not supposed to, then you should be fine. Anything special that you had to pack for this trip or where are I I don't even know. Are are you guys taking any any supplies down or donations or anything?

Sydney 17:49

Yeah, so our predental fraternity, Delta Delta Sigma, we did a little donations drive for anything from medical masks to gloves to random stethoscopes if anybody had them. And so we're responsible for bringing obviously the traditional things such as toiletries and clothes. In addition to that, scrubs for our clinic days. And then yeah, we're just honestly reaching out to the community and different medical organizations on campus for things such as stethoscopes and different medical supplies, but we are not personally responsible. I don't have to go out and buy all these different medical equipment for myself, which I'm very grateful for. We're just kind of coming together as a USC community to help us bring the correct supplies on our trip.

Dr. H 18:42

Well,

Funding, Packing, And Pre-Trip Emotions

Dr. H 18:43

good for you. Speaking of bringing supplies, were finances an issue on the trip? Because you know, having done this for 15 years, you know, I've I've there's never enough scholarships to go around, unfortunately. And was that a challenge for you as far as make or break, whether you went on the trip or not?

Sydney 19:02

Yeah, my parents, I'm lucky enough to have parents that really urge me to do things such as that this. They really want me to see the world, experience different cultures, do what I'm passionate about, which is service and dentistry. However, I definitely was not in a position to take on the finances of a trip like this just by myself. So I did apply to various scholarships. I've heard back from most of them with all good things. So I'm very lucky that USC and ISL both have great funding for me, but nonetheless, I'm still able to go on the trip despite some financial hiccups. But yeah, nonetheless, I'm able to go on the trip. So I'm very excited about that.

Dr. H 19:45

One last thing, if you don't mind, because we're gonna speak after you come back from the trip. Just tell me, I mean, at this phase, you're what three weeks out? Is that right? Yeah, just about. So you're you're signed up for the trip, you've got your flight, you have the experience, you know some of the people. What are you feeling three weeks out?

Sydney 20:06

I'm feeling excitement a little bit, kind of like I know what I'm getting into. We have an itinerary scent. Oh, we have an itinerary set, yet at the same time, anything can happen. And so I'm definitely a tiny bit nervous, but overall just super excited. I'm excited to just kind of get my hands on all of these experiences and kind of step out of this comfort zone and go to Mexico and do what I'm passionate about. So the overarching emotion would definitely be excitement.

Dr. H 20:40

Well, you've got the right attitude. I appreciate the excitement. There's probably a little nervousness in there too. I mean, flying, mom and dad aren't going to be along. You'll have friends that'll become even better friends. ISL will become like family when you're down there, which is kind of cool. So I'm excited, having done this many, many times. I know it's coming for you. And, you know, I always say be open to as many opportunities as possible. I I have had students come with me on my trips who were pre-med, only to look over the sheets at the dental clinic and switch to dental. So never say never when it comes to what your future path is. But if if if dental is what you want to do, it sounds like you're already doing it in the community and and and in the work environment. That's fantastic. Um I'm hoping this trip will confirm for you and we'll find out when you get back. Is this something that you really want to do? So I I do thank you today, Sydney, for your time. I didn't want to take up a lot of your time, but we just want to get to know you initially, and then we look forward to seeing you or talking to you, I guess, when you get back. Any last things you want to share uh before we sign off for today?

Sydney 21:43

No, I'm excited to talk again in three to four weeks. Thanks for having me.

Dr. H 21:48

Uh been my pleasure. Thank you. Well, hey guys, this is Dr.

Post-Trip Check-In And Setting

Dr. H 21:52

H and Sydney, and it's been five weeks now, I believe, since we last spoke with Sydney, and this is a a very unique uh Podcast in that I wanted to capture the excitement of someone before they went on an ISL trip and then of course afterwards. This the second half of that podcast, and and again we're talking with Sid. Sydney has been on a service learning trip to Mexico, and I want to find out if the expectations that she had before the trip were met. And Sydney, if you could just share with us a little bit about your experience, the size of your team cohort, exactly where you went, and bring us all up to date on what that experience was like. And I know that your experience was right before the holidays, so um I'm sure we're uh anxious to hear all of your experiences.

Sydney 22:42

Yeah, so we had about a group of 10 people from USC go down to Puerto Penasco, Mexico. And we were there for a week. It was right before Christmas, which actually was really great to be giving back to a community right around the season of giving.

Dr. H 23:01

Is being this being your first experience, do you feel that was a good time? I mean, right before the holidays, was there a lot of celebrations going on at that time?

Sydney 23:12

I would say yeah, this was a really great time to go on the trip. Something that really stuck out to me is on the Sunday of our trip, we all went to church down in Mexico, and it was really cool to just kind of go to a bilingual service and to see the way that they celebrate the holiday because it's obviously the same holiday, but they celebrate it a little bit differently than up here. So I just thought that was an extra little thing. I love the season of Christmas, that's one of my favorite holidays. So to go down during that time definitely was something extra special.

Dr. H 23:45

Now you said that was a bilingual uh service. I mean, do they they spoke in in Spanish and in English in the service?

Sydney 23:52

Yeah, so it was sometimes they would speak in Spanish and then somebody on the side would speak in English, sometimes they would speak in Spanish and there'd be words on a projector in English. And so it looked different during

Clinic Workflow And Rotations

Sydney 24:05

different parts of the service, but definitely it was open to people of both languages, which I thought was really cool.

Dr. H 24:11

Well, that's exciting, shared with groups before the when I take my groups to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Belize, wherever, that normally we have a weekend involved, and I normally take my students who want to go to a local church service. And normally it's it's all in Spanish, but if you've been brought up in the church system or church, in my case, in in the as a Catholic, the the service I experience in in whatever Latin American country I'm in is very similar to what I have back home, except it's just a different language. And it makes it kind of easier to follow. So you I know your trip was dental themed. Tell us about a typical day on your trip.

Sydney 24:54

Yeah, so what was really great about this trip was that no two days looked exact exactly the same. So we just kind of stayed dynamic throughout the trip. But the two days that did stick out were our two clinic days, because those were definitely our longest days of work. So our group would wake up in the morning. We always had a homemade breakfast every morning from our host, which was one of the highlights. What a great way to start every morning. And then after breakfast, we'd all load into the van and head over to the clinic. We started the day with checking all the equipment, making sure the suction, the water, the air, everything was working, and we had all the equipment that we needed. Around 8:30, patients would start to show up. And at this point, we'd have a little team meeting and then split off into four groups. And so you'd either be in the meeting and greeting group, the sterilization group, or with one of the two doctors. And so when a patient came in, the meeting group would meet them and interview them a little bit about their dental hygiene in Spanish, take vitals, and then they would wait in the waiting room until one of the two doctors were ready. Then somebody from the doctor's team would come and grab the patient, bring them to the room, and we actually got the opportunity to assist in extractions, cleanings, and fillings. And so when you're on the doctor's team, you got to go grab equipment and different tools that we didn't have in the room. We got to do the suction and just do all the chair side of things, which was really cool. And then the final group, the sterilization group, came in after the patient left. They'd come take all the dirty tools and equipment out and then sterilize the room, put the tools in the autoclave and clean accordingly. And then what was really great is every hour or so we would switch what station we were at. So everybody got to see a little bit of everything, whether that was greeting or chairside service or sterilization. So we definitely kept busy for the whole day. And then after all was said and done, we sterilized everything, closed up shop, headed back to the villa, and then we'd either eat dinner there or eat dinner out, which was a great way to decompress

Working With Local Dentists

Sydney 27:10

after a long day and just kind of connect with each other and socialize. And then we ended every day with talking about our highs and lows from the day and what we're looking forward to the next day, which was just a great way to ground ourselves and reflect on what we had done that day. So that is a typical day of clinic for us.

Dr. H 27:30

That sounds like such a well-rounded experience. I like the fact that everybody rotated through the different areas. So for those that were new to dental practice, you were able to be introduced to dental equipment. All the different tools that they use in the machines, etc. You're introduced to sterile technique, you're introduced to autoclave system, how you sterilize the instruments, also. Then you were introduced to the actual dental procedures, which you were everything from cleaning to extractions to fillings. Is that correct?

Sydney 28:05

Mm-hmm. Yep.

Dr. H 28:07

Wow, that's that's great. Have you had that experience prior to this experience? Everything that you just shared with me.

Sydney 28:17

Yeah, so actually I got the opportunity to work as a dental assistant this summer. So a lot of it was rinse and repeat things that I had seen in the past, which actually was really great because I could kind of work as a leader in my group, especially for the sterilization section of the clinic. It was definitely nice to be able to show people how it works because kind of once you learn the first time, it's really easy to get the hang of it. So to be able to just give people pointers and like to point out different tools that people might not know the name of was really nice to be a helpful hand on the team.

Dr. H 28:56

Now, I mean that's exciting. I like that you mentioned you're part of a team. That that's great. Speaking of the team, how was it working with the local doctors uh that you were working with?

Sydney 29:08

It was really nice. It was definitely different at first, especially with the language barrier, but we always had a translator by our side, so that wasn't too much of an issue. And working with the doctors was truly amazing. They something that stuck out to me was that they really prioritized quality over quantity rather than trying to see as many patients as possible, as sometimes I've seen in the US.

Tools, Dental Spanish, And Education Gaps

Sydney 29:35

They really just try to do the most quality work possible because they want these fillings to last a very long time. If they're giving free dental care, they want it to last a long time and not have these people need to come back to a dentist in a week or a month or a year. So that was something that I thought was really special that they really wanted to do quality work rather than see a hundred people in a day.

Dr. H 29:59

No, I'm I'm glad you shared that, and and I do appreciate that quality is more important than quantity. It's also best for the teaching experience. Now you mentioned free care. So this was a free dental clinic for the patients who were attending, is that correct?

Sydney 30:13

Yeah, it was.

Dr. H 30:14

Now, did you have an age range in there? Was there pediatric as well as adult?

Sydney 30:20

Yeah, I saw an extraction in boy that was around 10, all the way up to a cleaning on a 50 plus year old. So we saw a lot.

Dr. H 30:30

Oh wow. And with the communication issues or challenges, you as you noted, you said you had an interpreter. I don't have much experience with dental, but I've heard that the the the numbering system for the teeth, there's a different system in Latin America as compared to the United States. Is that correct?

Sydney 30:52

That is correct. And they briefed us about that on our first day of orientation. So we got the confusion done before we even saw patients, which was great.

Dr. H 31:01

Okay, good, excellent. And you said you had two uh physicians. Did they have dental assistance also, or was it just the two dentists that you worked with?

Sydney 31:10

No, actually, something that was really admirable about working with these two dentists and dentistry in Mexico in general is that typically in Mexico, dentists don't have dental assistance, is something that I learned. And so that means that they're doing kind of everything in their everyday office practices. Somebody, speaking as somebody that has worked as a dental assistant, I always felt like my hands were full with moving the light to where the doctor wanted it, holding all the tools suctioning in the patient's mouth. So to then come and find out that these doctors are usually working without dental assistance and doing the suctioning and the lighting and drilling all at the same time was something that was incredibly impressive to me. Obviously, we got to work as dental assistants because they had the resources and they had us, but usually in the dental offices in Mexico, they just don't have those resources. So the doctors

No X-Rays And Rethinking U.S. Care

Sydney 32:10

have to learn how to do everything themselves, which was really incredible to me.

Dr. H 32:14

That's great. That was my next question, actually. You know, comparing the healthcare system. So you did a really good job of doing that. And so you're a bonus for them because they're not used to having somebody assisting them. So were they able to educate as well while you were assisting them as to what they were doing?

Sydney 32:34

Mm-hmm. They would walk us through the entire procedure, which was obviously really helpful for us, but also for people getting the procedure done. So they would speak in Spanish so the interpreter could hear and the patient could hear, and then the interpreter or the doctor would then translate to English. So they really took time to explain everything they were doing, why they were doing it, why they were using a specific tool, which I really appreciated because they could have just gone in and done their day's work, but they really took the time to appreciate us being there and explaining all the intricacies of each procedure.

Dr. H 33:12

So, since you've worked as a dental assistant in the United States and you already went down with some knowledge of the tools, as you mentioned, were the tools very similar, like from your previous experience in the United States, or was or were there things on the table that you had no idea what they were?

Sydney 33:32

Honestly, it was very, very similar, which was kind of surprising to me at first, but it made it a lot easier because I did know the names of all the equipment, but then to translate that into Spanish was a little bit of a difficulty. So it was nice that going into an extraction, I kind of knew the tools that most dentists like. I mean, obviously there's gonna be a difference with preference of tool from dentist to dentist, even within the same country. So there was some differences, and sometimes we would be scrambling to find a specific tool for a specific part of the procedure, but more times than not, we were ready and prepared with tools that we kind of expected the doctor would need.

Dr. H 34:17

Could you share with us some of your dental Spanish? What would uh common words that you would

Career Impact And Future Service

Dr. H 34:25

use when you're interacting with the patient in Spanish in the dental parameters?

Sydney 34:31

Well, we'd ask cuantos años en el día limpiarse tus siente. So how many times a day do you clean your teeth? Very good. And then con paste de los dientes, like with toothpaste or not.

Dr. H 34:46

Now, why would you ask for toothpaste or not?

Sydney 34:48

Do some people clean their teeth with some people did not, and a big thing that stood out to me was that a lot of people didn't know what floss was or mouthwash, which I I guess could be expected, but I didn't expect at all. So that just comes to show how important education is because well, I I appreciate that.

Dr. H 35:12

That goes to my next question. What's the difference in dental in dental care, like self-care? So from your observation, they weren't as knowledgeable about the the need or use of flossing or or rinsing, is that correct? Wow.

Sydney 35:27

That's correct, yeah. And and another big part of the Mexican culture that was super surprising to me was that they're just more laid back there. And so many people will not go to the dentist or the doctor until they feel physical pain. Checkups like that are common in the US are really uncommon there. And it's kind of a mix of the laid-back kind of culture of Mexico, mixed with how expensive it is to seek medical attention. And so people will rarely, if not never, go to the dentist unless they actually feel physical pain in their mouth, which I thought was a complete shock.

Dr. H 36:07

Well, that's very interesting. Yeah, thanks for sharing that. That's so different from our system here, where you go, what, every six months or every year for your cleaning and your dental checkups. What about uh use of x-rays? Did they did they have x-rays there, or was there a need to do x-rays at all?

Sydney 36:24

We did not use x-rays in the clinic, which was surprising to me, but also another impressive thing.

Culture, Language Confidence, And Team Bonding

Sydney 36:30

All the fillings I've ever seen done and every extraction I've ever seen done has been accompanied by an x-ray. So to see dentists doing work without the use of x-rays was honestly super shocking and as well as impressive.

Dr. H 36:45

So, with your experience on this trip, how does that change your perspective on dental hygiene or healthcare here in the United States?

Sydney 36:56

Uh yeah. Going into the trip, I often found myself in the past kind of looking at the healthcare system in the US, kind of in a negative light. I'll look at and compare it to other countries that you can have a baby for free or go have a certain surgery for free. And I look at the US where to just have a child is tens of thousands of dollars. And so I kind of saw the US healthcare system in a negative light going into this trip. But then going to a place where the healthcare system is so riddled with poverty and a lack of education, it gave me kind of a new appreciation for the US healthcare system because I'm somebody that has full access to floss and mouthwash, and I go to checkups without thinking twice about it. So definitely it's changed my perspective because I'm so lucky to have the healthcare system that I do have. So while I do believe that every system, every healthcare system can improve, I'm definitely, I definitely feel a newfound sense of gratitude for the U.S. healthcare system.

Dr. H 38:04

I'm so glad you shared that because I've I've shared with anyone that'll listen that we

A Patient Story And Poverty’s Perspective

Dr. H 38:10

we we we tend sometimes a bitch mal to complain about what we have here until we go somewhere else. And then we realize how fortunate we are to have what we have. So that that's great that you made that observation. How has this influenced your future career goals? I mean, this trip. I mean, this is a unique opportunity that you had with international service learning. You've already had experience in the United States uh as a dental assistant, but how is this opportunity to step into uh an underserved population in another country affected what you want to do as a future dentist?

Sydney 38:45

Yeah, I mean, this experience I kind of used it as dipping my toes into the water, but now I definitely just want to dive right in. I mean, this has totally reaffirmed my passion for dentistry. I loved seeing all the patients walk out of the clinic smiling proudly, whereas when they were walking in, they were embarrassed to be showing their teeth. And one of the things that stuck out to me on this trip was definitely the limiting factor were the two dentists. If we had more dentists, we could have seen more patients just because we do focus on quality over quantity. And so to then someday in the future, hopefully when I am the dentist, to go back to an underserved community and be the dentist and lead these groups of undergrads such as myself, would be a total full circle and very fulfilling experience. So I definitely hope to continue serving, and affordable dental care is the top of my passion now.

Dr. H 39:43

Well, I appreciate you also sharing that, Sydney. Uh, I know one of the four previous students I had, Katie, who I've interviewed for a podcast, she's now an OBGYN. She's made it a part of her regular practice now that she has Hispanic patients because she's learned Spanish and she's conversational at this point in time. But it was because of her trips. She went on two trips with me. I think one to Belize and one to Nicaragua. But because of dealing with underserved people at that early juncture in her career, she was the same age as you at that time. It made such a distinct impression on her that she wanted

Reflections And Closing Thanks

Dr. H 40:20

to make sure that she did extend her future patients the opportunity to come to her clinic where Spanish would be spoken and they would feel more comfortable. So it's it's nice to hear that you want to not only return, but hopefully in the future, somehow promote or say, I don't know what the term will be, I'm almost español. We speak Spanish, you know, whether it's yourself or somebody else in your practice. For um students that that are kind of on the edge and and trying to decide whether a digital experience with international source learning would would really help them. What what do you say to those people that are kind of on the fence and maybe a little hesitant or or a little afraid? I don't have experience of I've never been out of the country. Will this really benefit me? What do you say to those students?

Sydney 41:07

I say 100% do it. I mean, no matter how well traveled you are, going out of the country without your parents or your friends is gonna be a scary thing. But it was 100% worth it for me. I think that this will 100% be a cornerstone of my future career in dentistry. And no matter if you speak Spanish or don't speak Spanish, or you've been out of the country or not, I think everybody can equally benefit from this. And even if you go into the trip, like me, not being very best friends with anybody on the trip, you will definitely leave as a well nut tightly knit group and have experiences that you can talk about for the rest of your life.

Dr. H 41:52

That is uh one of the unique parts of the trip. Having done 15 plus years of of doing the trips, I I see students going on these trips that kind of sort of know each other a little bit. But it is amazing how you bond when you go to another place and you and you come back best friends, and and it's a a unique opportunity that you shared that that's never going to go away, and that solidifies relationships. Now, the dentist side, dentist trip aside, how was the cultural experience, like the the meals and and and the people? Were there any issues or challenges? Uh and what were the positives?

Sydney 42:29

Yeah, I honestly did not feel a huge culture shock. I love traveling and I love learning about new cultures and experiencing new cultures. Additionally, I was lucky enough that I still had Spanish in me from high school. I was a little bit unconfident that I would still have it in me, but once you're immersed, it all comes back. So I was really lucky that I could speak in the natives' language and I could order for myself at restaurants and interview people in Spanish without problem. However, even if somebody doesn't know Spanish, I had multiple people on my group who never took a lick of Spanish and they were so excited to learn new phrases and things that they could say at restaurants if they want to order extra spicy or no spicy. So I thought that was really awesome that even though they had never taken Spanish, they weren't intimidated by that, but rather excited at the challenge.

Dr. H 43:26

Since the experience is is is so new and it was what three, four weeks ago. Can you recall any specific patient or or community member or anything that left left an impression on you?

Sydney 43:39

Yeah, definitely. A patient that sticks out to me was a man I met when we went to a local rehabilitation center uh in the community. And I was giving him an exam and talking to him about his oral hygiene practices. And I started off in Spanish, and then after about 20 seconds, he said, Oh, I speak English, by the way. Then my the rest of my group and I we just like let out a sigh and then we started small talking since we had this unique opportunity since most of the patients spoke Spanish. And he was asking us about our studies, where we were studying, what we were studying, and come to find out that at one point in his life he was studying at Duke University before being deported to Mexico, and then found himself in just kind of a lull of life, got involved in drugs, and then now found himself at a rehab center. And rather than being super negative or having hatred towards us as Americans or academics, he was just so full of light and positivity. He kept telling us, stay in school, keep doing what you're doing, and not only positivity towards us, but towards himself. He told us about his goals that he's so positive he's gonna reach. He told us he was gonna get out of the rehab center, move somewhere else in Mexico, build a life for him and his family. So I just thought that that was super inspiring to see somebody that's been through such a hard time and so much turmoil at such a young age, to then have so much positivity towards us and towards his own life. So that is definitely an interaction that'll stick with me for a while.

Dr. H 45:18

It's amazing when you are can be inspired at when you least expect it. And it's it's so nice that that person came into your life and was so inspirational. Did you with the patients that that did come into the clinic, from the children to the adults, excuse me, did you see much poverty or were you able to see much poverty in the community where you were?

Sydney 45:40

Yeah, definitely. That was one of the biggest challenges when first coming into Penasco was that kind of first drive-around and seeing something that really bothers me is litter and just seeing all of the litter on the ground and seeing just the state of poverty that the community was in was something that I found really challenging to stay positive about because I just thought to myself, how do these people live like this? And how can people be happy? But then coming and interacting with people in the community and seeing how happy and social and friendly they are, I just it really put into perspective my entire life and everything I'm so fortunate to have.

Dr. H 46:22

Well, Sydney, just like that gentleman that you met at the rehab center was was an inspiration to you. You too are going to be an inspiration to people that are listening to you because you're so positive about the experience. I really appreciate you sharing uh your experiences. I know we could go on and on and on, but uh, I think those that are listening uh can tell that it was a very positive experience. Sounds like it was a very well-rounded experience, sounds like you had a good cultural experience. You were able to use your medical Spanish. For those that didn't know medical Spanish, they learned it. Well, great. Thanks for again for being such a great ambassador for international service learning. And I wish you the best in the future. And and and I'm sure down the road that that you will follow through on your hopes and expectations to once again serve and underserve population. Hopefully, more so before you graduate from the University of South Carolina. But if not, once you're down the road in your individual practice.

Sydney 47:16

Yeah, definitely. Thanks for having me on the podcast and just being such a light in ISL. I really appreciate it.

Dr. H 47:22

Well, I appreciate you. Thank you so much for your time. I want to sincerely thank our guest, Sydney, for her willingness to join us on the International Service Learning Experiential Medical Education podcast. But most importantly, I want to thank Sydney for the passion that she has shared with us, both before and after her international service trip. After interviewing Sydney, I have no doubt that her future patients will leave her office with a huge smile on their face as she is a true patient advocate who will be making a huge difference in the lives of others.