Student gets hands-on experience at Cape Town clinic

Patients bustled in for appointments. Dentists and interns discussed what awaited them. Madilynn Boerger took a deep breath as she prepared for her day.  

Boerger, a Central Michigan University junior on a pre-dental track, interned in Cape Town, South Africa, for three and a half weeks to support her career aspirations. 

Her day at Khayelitsha Community Health Clinic began at 8 a.m. with charting. The dentist then discussed the cases with her to decide what to do.  

“Most procedures were extractions because the compressors were broken, so we couldn’t do any fillings, drills, or any handpieces,” said Boerger, who is majoring in chemistry and minoring in science. Only the suction and water tool were available for use.”  

She worked with 50 patients and the number doubled when working with the temporary dentist. Each patient was given roughly five minutes for their appointment. Boerger earned approximately 50 hours of experience and observation time through the clinic.  

“Most days, I was observing multiple dental procedures. When the temporary dentists came in, I became the assistant,” Boerger said.  

Eager to learn, she seized the opportunity to complete the required job shadowing hours. Boerger had long dreamed of studying abroad while interning to gain dental experience.  

During her time in South Africa, Boerger took part in a bus tour. She visited wildlife sanctuaries and went parasailing.  

She traveled to South Africa through Kaya Responsible Travel, which has an affiliation agreement with CMU. CMU benefits from Kaya’s internship placements in non-traditional destinations like South Africa, Thailand, Morocco and Ecuador.