Learning Spanish as an MD/Ph.D. Student

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MD-PhD_Hopeful

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Hello SDN! This is my first post on this forum, so I apologize in advance if this question is better placed elsewhere or has already been answered. During undergrad, a combination of some post-graduate goals and the COVID slowdown prompted me to begin learning French and Dutch. A few years on and I have come to realize that language learning is a true passion of mine. Recognizing the linguistic diversity of the US, I am interested in also developing proficiency with medical Spanish as there are >10x the number of Spanish speakers as French and Dutch speakers combined. I recognize that many hospitals/clinics have translation services available, but I believe that there would be value in being able to connect with Spanish-speaking patients in their native language. Translation services would naturally be very valuable in ensuring clarity when discussing matters related to treatment, but I believe that Spanish proficiency would be an appreciable positive attribute for patient interactions.

Looking around online, I see that many schools have some sort of medical Spanish instruction through student groups or some sort of Spanish language courses for medical students. However, from the information I can find, it seems that these programs vary significantly in resources allocated, organization, etc. which leaves me uncertain as to how these opportunities would compare to specific courses of instruction (I am thinking of courses for an undergraduate Bachelor’s in Spanish). I have a strong commitment to developing an advanced (C1/C2 in the European framework) level of proficiency with Spanish during the M1-G4 years. I am hoping that this form can help in identifying programs that would have the resources available to support this goal.

Looking around on school websites’ I see that many of the MD/Ph.D. programs that I am interested in have adjacent/overlapping graduate and undergraduate campuses as well as medical Spanish electives and/or courses of study. What would be the feasibility of taking 1 or maybe 2 Spanish courses a semester during the graduate phase to develop this language proficiency? If taking these courses were to be a potential possibility what would be required logistically? If there are any current students or program leadership that could offer comments or advice if this is not likely to be an option, I would be very appreciative.

Any thoughts or feedback would be very helpful! Thank you!

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Consider targeting schools with large Hispanic populations, Miami, ColumbiaU, ?some Texas programs, perhaps others can contribute. Actually speaking with native speakers routinely will be much more helpful than a random uni class (you can get all the basic speech skills that a uni class would offer online)
 
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Texas A&M has a medical Spanish elective course that is really good. Will second the advice above however, there's no substitute for just talking to a native speaker and making a lot of mistakes.
 
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Consider targeting schools with large Hispanic populations, Miami, ColumbiaU, ?some Texas programs, perhaps others can contribute. Actually speaking with native speakers routinely will be much more helpful than a random uni class (you can get all the basic speech skills that a uni class would offer online)
UCs
 
You can do it, if you put your mind to it. There are a lot of tools out there to help you learn. Toward the end of grad school, I did a medical mission in Nicaragua through Hope Clinic international and it was one (if not "THE") highlight of my graduate medical training.
 
Definitely recommend making this a priority! It is great that you are thinking of this already. In my experience in trying to learn Spanish, I have had the most time in the beginning of grad school attending live Spanish conversation sessions. Some medical schools offer medical Spanish courses, but sometimes they are impractical/ too "academic" in nature. Reading and studying are great, but what is going to make you comfortable/competent with patients is immersion and practice having conversations to make it more natural.
 
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