failing medical spanish

[sonofva]

i'm just about to finish up my first semester and am doing OK. I will have B's in all my core science courses and A/B's in most of my non-science courses.

i missed one quiz during an exam week for medical spanish, and as a result i will fail the class (just due to the way the grading is structured). i know it was my own fault and such, but just wanted to get y'alls opinion on how this "F" will affect me down the road. thanks

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[Rollo]

What medical school do you go to that offers medical spanish class AND non-science classes?

 

[sonofva]

this semester we had ~32 credit hours. Ten of these were non-science courses, including medical spanish. it was a GD mess. haha

 

[MightyMoose]

What medical school do you go to that offers medical spanish class AND non-science classes?

I'm going to guess it was Nova. That is one of the reasons I don't like their first year curriculum.

 

[ILikeFood]

i'm just about to finish up my first semester and am doing OK. I will have B's in all my core science courses and A/B's in most of my non-science courses.

i missed one quiz during an exam week for medical spanish, and as a result i will fail the class (just due to the way the grading is structured). i know it was my own fault and such, but just wanted to get y'alls opinion on how this "F" will affect me down the road. thanks

I'm an M2 at Nova and know about your general situation.

If it's not too late, go to the prof and ask for a re-exam. If it's too late, then I wouldn't worry about it. Take the remediation and move on. The grade will be there whether you like it or not and there are still three more semesters and the COMLEX/USMLE to change it up.

I've seen your averages, and if those are your grades in the rest of the classes then you're still in the top half of your class so don't sweat it.

 

[Booster]

I am in your class and I second the suggestion above. I would go to the professor and ask them to reopen it for you and explain your circumstance. I would bet they accommodate to you, especially if you have proven to pass your other classes with no problem.

 

[Rollo]

What non-science classes you have to take? Do you mean stuff like ethics or something?

 

[Sinfest]

How do you OMS-1's like Nova?

Medical Spanish is one of the things swaying me away from choosing Nova.

 

[Kevin Baker]

How do you OMS-1's like Nova?

Medical Spanish is one of the things swaying me away from choosing Nova.

I don't think it's a requirement anymore. Could be wrong.

 

[cbrons]

Wait. I thought Med Span was simply an elective for second year. In other words optional. Unless you are taking it as an elective in your first year? OP, is Med Span a required course there?

 

[NurWollen]

Does the Med Spanish class assume/require previous experience with the language? I mean, do they teach relevant phrases et cetera for non-Spanish speakers, or do they teach vocabulary and so on for people who already have some background in the language?

 

[MightyMoose]

I don't think it's a requirement anymore. Could be wrong.

They told our interview group that it was a requirement for MS1's.

Does the Med Spanish class assume/require previous experience with the language? I mean, do they teach relevant phrases et cetera for non-Spanish speakers, or do they teach vocabulary and so on for people who already have some background in the language?

They made it seem like you don't need any Spanish. I still don't care though, this class and others like it are a good portion of the reason why I'm not planning on going to Nova either. Their second year curriculum looks pretty solid, but i didn't want to end up in the OP's position and have to stress about a non-medically related class.

 

[cbrons]

They made it seem like you don't need any Spanish. I still don't care though, this class and others like it are a good portion of the reason why I'm not planning on going to Nova either. Their second year curriculum looks pretty solid, but i didn't want to end up in the OP's position and have to stress about a non-medically related class.

How in the world can you conduct a "medical Spanish" class with people who don't even have a cursory understanding of the language? It should be an elective that requires some past coursework in the area. Makes no sense to me whatsoever.

 

[gocatgo]

How in the world can you conduct a "medical Spanish" class with people who don't even have a cursory understanding of the language? It should be an elective that requires some past coursework in the area. Makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Yeah, our current class is trying to get the administration to offer the Spanish class as an elective. Believe me, we're trying very hard to get rid of this 'mandatory class'.

Some students were able to test out.

Many of us, including myself have never taken a Spanish course. What makes it worse is that a minimum of 80% is required to pass this class.
I must say, I am in no way proficient enough to converse with patients in Spanish. Only 1 more Spanish class left for this semester! Maybe someone will bring in margaritas for us, lol.

 

[NurWollen]

There are a lot of cheap "teach yourself"-type language books out there that claim things like "learn Spanish in just 10 days" or "Spanish in just 5 minutes a day." They ignore grammar altogether and just try to make the student learn phrases. Maybe that is what they are going at. That said, I think such things are just scams. Kind of sucks that a medical school would put its students through that. Then again, I am fluent in Spanish, so it doesn't bother me much. Maybe if NOVA finds Spanish that important it will give me a leg up in the admissions process.

 

[NurWollen]

Yeah, our current class is trying to get the administration to offer the Spanish class as an elective. Believe me, we're trying very hard to get rid of this 'mandatory class'.

Some students were able to test out.

Many of us, including myself have never taken a Spanish course. What makes it worse is that a minimum of 80% is required to pass this class.
I must say, I am in no way proficient enough to converse with patients in Spanish. Only 1 more Spanish class left for this semester! Maybe someone will bring in margaritas for us, lol.

Actually, I gotta say, I think students would be pretty foolish not to try to learn Spanish. I mean, look around you. I'd bet half of the 'underserved populations' that DO schools are so keen on gearing their graduates to are hispanic. Spanish would come in pretty handy in practice.

 

[MightyMoose]

How in the world can you conduct a "medical Spanish" class with people who don't even have a cursory understanding of the language? It should be an elective that requires some past coursework in the area. Makes no sense to me whatsoever.

I completely agree. This class should be an elective. Not to sound gunnerish here either, but if you get a lower grade in that class, that can affect your class rank... That's something I'm not willing to put in the hands of my Spanish ability when there are plenty of kids who have had years of Spanish and/or speak Spanish fluently.

Yeah, our current class is trying to get the administration to offer the Spanish class as an elective. Believe me, we're trying very hard to get rid of this 'mandatory class'.

Some students were able to test out.

Many of us, including myself have never taken a Spanish course. What makes it worse is that a minimum of 80% is required to pass this class.
I must say, I am in no way proficient enough to converse with patients in Spanish. Only 1 more Spanish class left for this semester! Maybe someone will bring in margaritas for us, lol.

Good luck, man!

Actually, I gotta say, I think students would be pretty foolish not to try to learn Spanish. I mean, look around you. I'd bet half of the 'underserved populations' that DO schools are so keen on gearing their graduates to are hispanic. Spanish would come in pretty handy in practice.

Half!? Ok, maybe it's around there in Florida, but not in most other states. Sure Spanish would be handy, but as a mandatory course in medical school? I think not.

 

[gocatgo]

Actually, I gotta say, I think students would be pretty foolish not to try to learn Spanish. I mean, look around you. I'd bet half of the 'underserved populations' that DO schools are so keen on gearing their graduates to are hispanic. Spanish would come in pretty handy in practice.

Of course, Spanish would be useful to learn if you're gearing to practice in a state with a large Spanish-speaking population. I'm all for it. However, this isn't the issue with our class.

We're advocating for the Spanish course to be offered as an elective, not a mandatory class. We're already carrying 32 credits this semester, it's just not possible to learn Spanish fluently under such conditions. Also add the pressure of having to maintain a minimum average of 80% for the class. Especially if you've never had a Spanish class before. I would love to learn Spanish but not when I'm carrying over 30 credit hours of other classes. I'm sure others feel the same way.

Not trying to start an argument here. Just clarifying things.

 

[Booster]

just as an update for those following this thread and taking it into account for their decision making....NSU is no longer requiring us to take medical spanish, but offering it as an elective for both M1s and M2s.

 

[Lukat]

just as an update for those following this thread and taking it into account for their decision making....NSU is no longer requiring us to take medical spanish, but offering it as an elective for both M1s and M2s.

Woo hoo, this is very great to hear!!! Thank you Booster

 

[MightyMoose]

just as an update for those following this thread and taking it into account for their decision making....NSU is no longer requiring us to take medical spanish, but offering it as an elective for both M1s and M2s.

I'm glad to hear it. Thanks for the update.