Student Spotlight: Studying abroad in Chile

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Luis Reyes-Umana taking a selfie on the job at a hospital in Chile.

Luis Reyes-Umana is a fourth-year biomedical science major who traveled to Chile for his fall semester in 2017.  From July to December, Reyes-Umana took classes and worked in local hospitals to get a taste of what international medicine is like. Although he is from San Francisco, Calif., Reyes-Umana also spends a good amount of his time in El Salvador where his parents are originally from. His experiences gained from being a dual-citizen helped him greatly when it came to interacting with local people in the hospitals as well as when he traveled throughout Chile during his stay.

After graduation, Reyes-Umana intends to take a gap year so he can figure out exactly what he wants to do. He plans to get his EMT license and is interested in working in international medicine, but he isn’t sure whether he would go to medical school or get a higher degree in public health. However, the experience of working at the local hospitals in Chile has confirmed for Reyes-Umana that he is headed in the right direction.

Question: Why did you want to get involved with the study-abroad program and go to Chile?
Answer: I definitely wanted to expand my horizons and my education here. Initially, the reason why I looked at Chile and the different programs within Latin America is because I want to do emergency medicine and work in public health, but not necessarily in the United States. I’m really looking into doing international medicine, particularly in that country and in the Americas region, from Canada to the United States to Central and South America. I just want to expand outside my home town in San Francisco. I thought, if I want to go into medicine in another country, then I need to know how people learn about medicine in that country. I know how to speak the language, I know the culture, but I don’t know how they work academically. I wanted to get that experience and really immerse myself into how healthcare professionals are trained in these countries. Then, if I wanted to move down here and practice medicine, I could.

Q: Were you nervous to go to Chile?
A: I was excited for it. I had an idea of what was waiting for me in Chile because I have really close family friends down there, and I actually visited once before when I was a kid. I did have the idea that going to another Spanish-speaking country wouldn’t be too different from El Salvador before I went, but that wasn’t necessarily the case. It wasn’t extremely different, but in many ways it was. It’s sort of the same thing as going from San Francisco to Rochester. We speak the same language, it’s a pretty similar culture, but it’s a completely different place and there are things that will just surprise you. I definitely was excited for it and I was happy to represent RIT.

Q:  Where did you stay while in Chile?
A: Everyone who went down with the program had to do a home stay. I stayed with a woman and her son. It was really nice to get to know her. We didn’t have any language barrier, which was nice, and we were really able to compare and contrast our cultures. She has never met someone who had Salvadorian roots and she just really wanted to know what was different, what was similar, and what seemed foreign for her and I. We ended up forming a pretty good friendship together. She still messages me every once in a while, and I still message her.

Q: What did you do while you were there?
A: There were two options you could do with the healthcare program. You either stayed with the program center, which was catered to English-speakers, or you could immerse yourself in the local university. Myself, along with a few others, decided to take some university courses and take a few courses at the center as possible. I think I took one or two at the center and three or four at the university. Another thing that was mandatory for all students in the program was actually working in a hospital and observing doctors so we could get to know the healthcare system in Chile. After I finished my courses I talked with the university to see if there were ways that I could keep working with different doctors and hospitals. I told them that I wanted to be placed in different public hospitals and I wanted to be put to work. So I spent a good month after the program ended working in different hospitals.

Q: What would you say was the best part of your stay in Chile?
A: Mainly working at the hospitals. I was able to move past observing and did more hands-on work because I was still considered a student of the university in Chile. It turned from just a basic observation to a hands-on thing, and I really liked that. I also really enjoyed traveling. I saw the country from the northern-most border to the southern-most border, from the Atacama Desert to the Antarctic region. I did most of it by bus because I wanted to see everything and meet people. I didn’t just see the touristy spots, I was able to experience Chile and see what the country really had to offer. It opened my eyes to see what was down at the other end of the continent.

Q: What was the most valuable thing you learned while studying abroad?
A: The most valuable thing is that I learned exactly what I wanted to do. I always knew I wanted to do something that mixes my love of science and my love of working with people. I knew I didn’t want to work in a lab because I’m a people person and I love talking to people, and so I saw medicine as an option. I never thought about whether or not I would like this. I never asked myself if I would be OK with seeing people seriously hurt or be able to help someone give birth. When I went to Chile, I was put on the spot and I was able to experience all of this. I saw open wounds, I helped deliver children, I experienced angry people who were in pain, and it didn’t faze me. If anything, I learned that I really liked helping those people. I definitely think emergency medicine is a good fit for me.

Q: If you had the chance, would you study abroad again?
A: I am actually looking at doing the graduate and medical school route down in Chile. At this point, I’m just talking to the study abroad office, but I’m really trying to see if going abroad to study medicine and working in international medicine will work for me. I’m interested in going into a different area and just helping people.

While in Chile, Reyes-Umana was able to travel and see much of the country.