Are there American-trained doctors in Nicaragua?
Mike Cobb - ECI Development
There are many US trained Nicaraguan Doctors. The surgeon who fixed my daughter’s feet serves as a faculty member in Iowa concurrently with his medical practice in Nicaragua.
There are many US trained Nicaraguan Doctors. The surgeon who fixed my daughter’s feet serves as a faculty member in Iowa concurrently with his medical practice in Nicaragua.
Posted January 19, 2014
Juan Carlos Espinosa - Hacienda Puerta del Cielo Ecolodge & Spa
I recently visited Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, a very large, state of the art hospital in Managua. From what I understand, an extremely large percentage (well over 50%) of the doctors in this hospital had some training in the US. Some of them were actually Americans living and working in Nicaragua as physicians.
The primary expat areas in Nicaragua, including Granada (less than an hour away) and San Juan del Sur (an hour and forty-five minutes) and Leom...
The primary expat areas in Nicaragua, including Granada (less than an hour away) and San Juan del Sur (an hour and forty-five minutes) and Leom...
I recently visited Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, a very large, state of the art hospital in Managua. From what I understand, an extremely large percentage (well over 50%) of the doctors in this hospital had some training in the US. Some of them were actually Americans living and working in Nicaragua as physicians.
The primary expat areas in Nicaragua, including Granada (less than an hour away) and San Juan del Sur (an hour and forty-five minutes) and Leom (about an hour and a half), are within easy driving distance to Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, so this is the hospital you would almost certainly go to.
The primary expat areas in Nicaragua, including Granada (less than an hour away) and San Juan del Sur (an hour and forty-five minutes) and Leom (about an hour and a half), are within easy driving distance to Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, so this is the hospital you would almost certainly go to.
Posted August 6, 2014
Indiana Siu - Operation Smile Nicaragua
I don’t know how many American-trained doctors there are in Nicaragua. I can tell you, however, about the training doctors in Nicaragua receive. Every single doctor, irrespective of if he or she goes to a private medical school or a public medical school, must rotate through a public hospital. There is no way you can become a specialist in Nicaragua without going to the public hospitals. This makes the doctors in Nicaragaua more knowledgeable and...
I don’t know how many American-trained doctors there are in Nicaragua. I can tell you, however, about the training doctors in Nicaragua receive. Every single doctor, irrespective of if he or she goes to a private medical school or a public medical school, must rotate through a public hospital. There is no way you can become a specialist in Nicaragua without going to the public hospitals. This makes the doctors in Nicaragaua more knowledgeable and well-rounded.
In my experience, in many ways, the training in Nicaragua is as good as the training in the US and in other places. The reason (and I work in the medical field for Operation Smile) is that the training in Nicaragua is not over-specialized, which, in my opinion, in general, makes better doctors.
For an example specific to my work, I was working with non-Nicaraguan physicians recently who told me “We only do cleft palate. We don’t do bone graphs (and many of the other things we needed done).” That’s different than the surgeons we work with here in Nicaragua. All our surgeons here do bone graphs. All our surgeons do burns. All our surgeons do things that in other countries, they wouldn’t. I think that helps to make them good doctors.
In my experience, in many ways, the training in Nicaragua is as good as the training in the US and in other places. The reason (and I work in the medical field for Operation Smile) is that the training in Nicaragua is not over-specialized, which, in my opinion, in general, makes better doctors.
For an example specific to my work, I was working with non-Nicaraguan physicians recently who told me “We only do cleft palate. We don’t do bone graphs (and many of the other things we needed done).” That’s different than the surgeons we work with here in Nicaragua. All our surgeons here do bone graphs. All our surgeons do burns. All our surgeons do things that in other countries, they wouldn’t. I think that helps to make them good doctors.
Posted August 12, 2014
Frank Martínez
We do have medical missions coming to Managua every year. We have Lion’s, Rotary, Doctors Without Borders, eye doctors, etc. And they do take care of the poor people here who need medical attention.
We don’t have American hospitals in Nicaragua, but we have two hospitals where most expats go. Generally, the doctors here in Nicaragua were trained in the US, Mexico, Brazil, and Europe. What doctors usually do is study their pre-med...
We do have medical missions coming to Managua every year. We have Lion’s, Rotary, Doctors Without Borders, eye doctors, etc. And they do take care of the poor people here who need medical attention.
We don’t have American hospitals in Nicaragua, but we have two hospitals where most expats go. Generally, the doctors here in Nicaragua were trained in the US, Mexico, Brazil, and Europe. What doctors usually do is study their pre-med course here, then move out for about 6 years to study a specialty in another country, and then they come back to Nicaragua to practice.
Posted December 12, 2014
Jewel Hoff - Tierra de los Suenos
There are excellent Cuban doctors in Nicaragua. You have to remember that the US has visa requirements for Nicaraguans. Also, once a doctor goes to America they want to make a million dollars like what the physicians make there, so the doctors tend not to come back.I’m comfortable with the Cuban doctors. Their training is absolutely up to American standards. A lot of Americans go to Cuba for medical care and a lot more are going to go now that they can...
There are excellent Cuban doctors in Nicaragua. You have to remember that the US has visa requirements for Nicaraguans. Also, once a doctor goes to America they want to make a million dollars like what the physicians make there, so the doctors tend not to come back.I’m comfortable with the Cuban doctors. Their training is absolutely up to American standards. A lot of Americans go to Cuba for medical care and a lot more are going to go now that they can go directly.
(Doctor Isaac, nurse Yamilet, and her daughter, Yancy, go house to house vaccinating people in Nicaragua, pictured.)
Posted September 30, 2015
Zachary Lunin - Aurora Beachfront Realty
The best healthcare in Nicaragua can be found in Managua, which is the capital city of the country. The number one hospital in Managua is the Hospital Metropolitan Vivian Pellas. Most of the doctors there are trained in the US, Mexico, or Cuba. Most doctors there know a certain level of English so they are certainly able to communicate in English and some are even fluent.I feel very comfortable with the level of health care here in Nicaragua that I am able to get for my...
The best healthcare in Nicaragua can be found in Managua, which is the capital city of the country. The number one hospital in Managua is the Hospital Metropolitan Vivian Pellas. Most of the doctors there are trained in the US, Mexico, or Cuba. Most doctors there know a certain level of English so they are certainly able to communicate in English and some are even fluent.I feel very comfortable with the level of health care here in Nicaragua that I am able to get for my family; my children, most importantly. My children are 3 and 5 years old. Their pediatrician is in Managua so we go to Managua for our checkups and for any emergency care that we deem to require a hospital visit.
There are hospitals and pediatricians here in San Juan Del Sur as well. There are more hospitals in Rivas, which is a bigger town about 20 minutes away from San Juan Del Sur. I visited health clinics and doctors there for my kids but if it’s anything more serious, then I go to Managua, which is about 1 hour and 50 minutes away from San Juan Del Sur by car. From Granada to Managua, it’s less than an hour by car.
(Ad for Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, Managua, Nicaragua, pictured.)
Posted February 4, 2016
Marissa Gabrielle Lolk - Jireh Dental Care
Yes, there are American-trained doctors in Nicaragua. In fact, my uncle, Dino, is an orthopedist here. He was trained in the States and he goes back and forth all the time. He is the Chief of the Trauma and Orthopedic wing at the Metropolitan Hospital, which is one of the biggest hospitals here in Managua. There are a lot of doctors here who have gone to the States to do their training and come back here to Nicaragua because they don’t want to live...
Yes, there are American-trained doctors in Nicaragua. In fact, my uncle, Dino, is an orthopedist here. He was trained in the States and he goes back and forth all the time. He is the Chief of the Trauma and Orthopedic wing at the Metropolitan Hospital, which is one of the biggest hospitals here in Managua. There are a lot of doctors here who have gone to the States to do their training and come back here to Nicaragua because they don’t want to live in States. There are also a lot of English-speaking doctors here. You just have to ask and they will tell you, “sure” and then they will start speaking in English and you will be surprised.
In my personal experience, I have noticed that the doctors from the Vivian Pellas Metropolitan Hospital that I’ve visited are not as great as you would think. It doesn’t necessarily mean that because the hospital is expensive that their doctors are top quality. I have actually tried it. I have gone to intermediate hospitals that are half public / half private and I have found that those doctors there cost less but they have been more effective.
I can say this now based on my own experience after having the zika virus. When I had that, we went to the Metropolitan Hospital to get tested and they were really slow on getting back to us and telling us what we had. They actually didn’t get back to us at all. The doctor put a mask and gloves on when he saw us, which I thought was hilarious because that was a total medical instinct. He was my husband’s doctor and my husband likes him because he speaks English. He just gave us some random prescription and that was it. Then I went to my usual doctor (who is amazing) at Hospital Central, which is like a county hospital. My consultation with him cost me about $10 less and I walked out of there feeling like somebody really did take a look at me. He examined me, made sure everything was on point, made me get blood work, looked in my eyes, and referred me to an ophthalmologist to get further care for my eyes because we had such bad pinkeye. In short, he really went the extra mile and I knew that I was getting really checked out. I remember leaving and telling my Andrew (my husband), “See, more expensive isn’t always better.” And I know he noticed.
(Hospital Central Managua with Dr. Alfonso Peres, Managua, Nicaragua, pictured.)
Posted March 27, 2016