Foreign language?

[MedicalStudent8]

Hi there! I have a very important question for all of you medical students (excuse the name -- the one I wanted was taken so I opted for medicalstudent8 even though I'm still in the prospective stages ): Are you all bilingual??? With the competitiveness of getting into good 4 year universities, followed by medical school, it seems that being bilingual is just expected at this point!

I only took one year of Spanish in high school (I still remember most of what I learned though), and I'm starting to think that I better get pretty fluent in my undergraduate years if I want any chance at getting into medical school.

I am 'fluent' in American Sign Language though (not because anyone I know if deaf, just because I was more interested in that than in a traditional foreign language), if that makes any difference...

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

P.S. If you could also include what type of medical school(s) you were accepted to, that would be great (i.e. someone getting accepted to Johns Hopkins Med with only minimal foreign language experience would give me some hope here!)!

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[Depakote]

I took enough French in HS that I can get by... not that it's any use now. I tried a medical Spanish course at night before coming to school, but that was pretty much a waste since I didn't have anyone to practice with. I wouldn't consider myself "fluent" in any foreign languages and I don't think it's expected, although I would consider being fluent in Spanish a major bonus (the sign language shouldn't hurt you if you can actually hold a conversation in it).

Most med schools will offer a medical Spanish course that you can take as an elective if you're really interested, just FYI.

 

[njbmd]

Moving to Pre-Allo as this is a pre-med issue. Allopathic medical students read and reply to threads in Pre-allo and may follow and reply to this one if desired.

 

[MossPoh]

The term "fluent" is way way way way over used by americans. It is truly rare to be "fluent", most people are proficient. Fluency indicates understanding EVERYTHING thrown your way regardless of accent, speed, etc. It also means you know or can imitate several dialects, and speak with very little accent if not none....along with strong writing abilities equal to that of a native speaker. People tend to have an elevated sense of knowledge/skill with languages which probably pushes the "I'm fluent in ____" thing.

I don't know where you get bi-lingual as practically being required. Most people take 3 semesters of a foreign language of their choosing, spanish being the most popular. No schools require it, but there are plenty that recommend it. I can tell you that the vast majority of students will not maintain a proper level of language ability unless it is spoken at home or with a significant other (the best way to learn!). "Does it hurt here" and "How are you feeling" don't really count for much.

 

[Abilene85]

Speaking multiple languages will strengthen your application, no doubt. It adds diversity and makes you more useful than the average American-speaking student. But it is in NO way a requirement.

I am born and raised American with no real experience outside our borders. I took one year of intermediate Spanish in college and forgot most of what I learned. I was accepted to one of the nation's top tier medical schools.

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

It will make you more competitive but it won't be a huge deal... they will look at GPA, MCAT, EC's etc

I personally took Spanish and some Latin in HS but have decided in college that I am going to take Medical Spanish (just for a free elective)and Swahili... I went to Africa as a senior in HS and would love to return so I thought for me this would be a good investment of time!

I think they will look more highly upon international experience than language itself cuz until you go abroad you have no clue how well you can affectively speak a language or deal with the people from another culture. Dont hold me to this it is my personal opinion

 

[jochi1543]

I speak a couple, some fluently, some just enough to get by, and I've got lots of international experience...I'll let you know how it goes for me.

 

[Inuranic]

I can't wait for the day when I click on "Requirements" on a med school's website and it says "Fluent in another language".

 

[smq123]

Hi there! I have a very important question for all of you medical students (excuse the name -- the one I wanted was taken so I opted for medicalstudent8 even though I'm still in the prospective stages ): Are you all bilingual??? With the competitiveness of getting into good 4 year universities, followed by medical school, it seems that being bilingual is just expected at this point!

Simple answer: No. You do not need to have any knowledge of any other language besides English to get into a US medical school. Most of my classmates in med school can only speak and understand English, and they do just fine.

 

[musiclink213]

I am fluent in 2 languages, and know enough of a third language to speak freely, but wouldn't call myself fluent yet. And it made absolutely no differnce on my interviews. Nobody really cared.

 

[MedicalStudent8]

Thanks so far to everyone who has answered! This is great news for me! I'd rather spend more time on things that I find more relevant to actually treating patients (i.e. an advanced biology or chemistry class) than on learning a language (which I probably won't remember too well anyway), when a translator could do a much better job than me. I hope that medical schools will feel the same way!

 

[Abilene85]

I'd rather spend more time on things that I find more relevant to actually treating patients (i.e. an advanced biology or chemistry class)

Aww. You're so cute.

Bio and chemistry won't help you with treating patients, but I know what you meant. Those classes will help prepare you for the MCAT and if you learn the material well, will keep you slightly ahead of the game at the very start of medical school. But a couple weeks in and everyone will be learning new material. Take classes you are really interested in and have fun as an undergrad. If you are truly interested in an upper level bio class, take it. But if you want to learn about music theory or Chinese history or computer programming...take classes in those areas.

 

[MedicalStudent8]

Aww. You're so cute.

Bio and chemistry won't help you with treating patients, but I know what you meant. Those classes will help prepare you for the MCAT and if you learn the material well, will keep you slightly ahead of the game at the very start of medical school. But a couple weeks in and everyone will be learning new material. Take classes you are really interested in and have fun as an undergrad. If you are truly interested in an upper level bio class, take it. But if you want to learn about music theory or Chinese history or computer programming...take classes in those areas.

lol Yeah I realize that -- I didn't particularly mean "treating patients" so much as I meant "medical relevancy." lol Even in high school I used to think how all this stuff was somewhat irrelevant to any diseases/conditions/treatment but it was better that I memorize that than world history facts or the number of casualties during each month of the Civil War, you know?

 

[Abilene85]

lol Yeah I realize that -- I didn't particularly mean "treating patients" so much as I meant "medical relevancy." lol Even in high school I used to think how all this stuff was somewhat irrelevant to any diseases/conditions/treatment but it was better that I memorize that than world history facts or the number of casualties during each month of the Civil War, you know?

You are a very practical person. I understand your way of thinking, but having interests outside of medicine is what makes us interesting people.

Or I can put it another way - medical schools like to see people who are well-rounded and have not gone through life with "science" blinders on...unless, of course, you explored other areas and found zero interest there.

 

[lord_jeebus]

American Sign Language is a great thing - the deaf are medically underserved.

My school (UCSD) has (or at least had) big scholarships for people interested in a program that involved working with the deaf community and learning ASL.

 

[HumidBeing]

The term "fluent" is way way way way over used by americans. It is truly rare to be "fluent", most people are proficient. Fluency indicates understanding EVERYTHING thrown your way regardless of accent, speed, etc. It also means you know or can imitate several dialects, and speak with very little accent if not none....along with strong writing abilities equal to that of a native speaker. People tend to have an elevated sense of knowledge/skill with languages which probably pushes the "I'm fluent in ____" thing.

I don't know where you get bi-lingual as practically being required. Most people take 3 semesters of a foreign language of their choosing, spanish being the most popular. No schools require it, but there are plenty that recommend it. I can tell you that the vast majority of students will not maintain a proper level of language ability unless it is spoken at home or with a significant other (the best way to learn!). "Does it hurt here" and "How are you feeling" don't really count for much.

Well, that does it for me. Until now, I thought that I was fluent in my native language, English. I live in the South, but rural Southern dialects and idioms still leave me . I don't know how many times I've gone in search of a pin when someone requested a pen. I don't think there is any such thing as a solitary short vowel sound. If someone says he has a sharp "payuhn" in his side it could mean that he has a pin, a pen, a pan, a peon, or - hey wait! Maybe the guy has a pain!

 

[MNIkid87]

I am fluent in English and German and have some survival-sufficient skills in French, Spanish and Italian. However, I am not really sure that being bilingual will actually make a difference concerning my application - at least in my case.....how many German patients do you get over here? Probably not that many

 

[foreverLaur]

all the schools i know require a foreign language. i tested out of a language my freshman year at my original university and my new university won't count that so now i get to take Spanish I-IV. which would be great, except i don't have time in my schedule. so my graduation is seriously pushed back 2 quarters because of it. grr. my petition failed.

 

[Flopotomist]

The term "fluent" is way way way way over used by americans. It is truly rare to be "fluent", most people are proficient. Fluency indicates understanding EVERYTHING thrown your way regardless of accent, speed, etc. It also means you know or can imitate several dialects, and speak with very little accent if not none....along with strong writing abilities equal to that of a native speaker. People tend to have an elevated sense of knowledge/skill with languages which probably pushes the "I'm fluent in ____" thing.

Uhm - your definition of fluent is interesting - but wrong. Fluent shares a common root with the word "flow" and implies an ease, or natural flowing of conversation. It is NOT rare to be fluent, and it certainly does not require an understanding of EVERYTHING as you claim. Heck, I wouldn't be fluent in English then! Ironically, in some sort of weird recursive logical loop - your lack of understanding of the word fluent would by your own definition suggest that you are not fluent in English too!

 

[drlisa0318]

Well, that does it for me. Until now, I thought that I was fluent in my native language, English. I live in the South, but rural Southern dialects and idioms still leave me . I don't know how many times I've gone in search of a pin when someone requested a pen. I don't think there is any such thing as a solitary short vowel sound. If someone says he has a sharp "payuhn" in his side it could mean that he has a pin, a pen, a pan, a peon, or - hey wait! Maybe the guy has a pain!

LOL! Well, I can sure help you out - I grew up in Texas and now live in Oklahoma (18 years, now), so I'm quite fluent in Texan and Oklahoman. BTW...since in Texas, "pin" and "pen" are both pronounced "pee-uhn", we differentiated between them by being more specific, as in ink pen, safety-pin, etc. And besides making a one syllable word TWO syllables when spoken, we're also quite adept at taking letters (vowels or consonants) out of a word and replacing them with something else entirely. Case in point: "oil business" would be pronounced as "awl bidness." The comedian, Larry the Cable Guy, is not portraying a caricature of a southern redneck....I grew up with guys who not only dress as he does, but talk as he does as well. I even have several relatives whose accents are just as thick (but they're no where near as funny!)

 

[Bito42]

Definitely learn spanish. This is NOT so you can provide full care in spanish, because I think you have to develop full, MEDICAL fluency to be able to do that. (by living in a spanish speaking country, doing an intensive program for an extended period of time, etc). I'm a third year who worked in the medical field before med school and am now on the wards.

The notion of "false fluency" is a very real issue to keep in mind. You can google it and learn more, but basically it refers to providing care in a language with out being fully fluent in the language/medical terminology.

this is definitely not a criticism to learning a language, I myself am falsely fluent in spanish! it's just remembering that even 'knowing' a language doesn't always mean that you can operate as a provider without an interpreter.

 

[Blade28]

Spanish may help in some locations, in others it probably won't be a factor.

I know and can passibly speak 6 languages, but none of them is Spanish.

 

[Jolie South]

LOL! Well, I can sure help you out - I grew up in Texas and now live in Oklahoma (18 years, now), so I'm quite fluent in Texan and Oklahoman. BTW...since in Texas, "pin" and "pen" are both pronounced "pee-uhn", we differentiated between them by being more specific, as in ink pen, safety-pin, etc. And besides making a one syllable word TWO syllables when spoken, we're also quite adept at taking letters (vowels or consonants) out of a word and replacing them with something else entirely. Case in point: "oil business" would be pronounced as "awl bidness." The comedian, Larry the Cable Guy, is not portraying a caricature of a southern redneck....I grew up with guys who not only dress as he does, but talk as he does as well. I even have several relatives whose accents are just as thick (but they're no where near as funny!)

my favorite is "warsh", as in "i'm fixin to warsh the dishes."

I also enjoy the texan pronounciation of san antonio.

ie. "we're headin down to san antone this weekend"