ICDS provides students interested in the field of health with the opportunity to gain knowledge and real-life hands-on experience on Costa Rica’s universal public-private mix health care system, ranked among the top 36 worldwide and as number 1 in Latin America, as well as different health care platforms in the region. In coordination with Hospital Clínica Bíblica and Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, this program offers students the opportunity to explore health care in a developing country and improve their Spanish speaking skills. Spanish has become a necessary language to work and interact with Spanish speaking patients and their families, as well as with future colleagues.

Advanced Spanish speakers can opt to do observational clinical rotations at Hospital Clínica Biblica. Students with an intermediate/beginner level do community service in health-related initiatives. Through practical courses and visits to health care facilities that integrate the country’s health system, participants learn about the unique health care model in Costa Rica and the way global public health issues unfold in the region. Spanish classes before, during, and after these hands-on experiences are designed to provide students with an on-the-job Spanish skill set specifically for careers in the health care industry.

Students’ understanding of the different course themes are enhanced through the ongoing, dynamic experience of cultural immersion. First, the ICDS homestay program allows students to live with a local family and learn the culture and values of daily life. ICDS also provides several opportunities for students to meet, relax, and explore unique aspects of Costa Rican culture through planned group activities and field trips. These, combined with the on-site rotations and community work, give students ample opportunity to interact with locals, engage with the culture, and learn from one of Latin America’s most beautiful countries.