Medical Spanish?

[astarblaze]

Hi all,

I have this coming spring free before I start a DPT program in the fall, and am considering trying to get my Spanish fluency to a level where it could be useful in the clinic. I've studied Spanish for about 6 years in school and spent a year living abroad in Argentina (but that was 10 years ago). As it stands, my Spanish can get me by conversationally, but I'm rusty and certainly not to the point where I'd be able to fluidly treat patients in Spanish (which would be the end goal for after PT school...).

I was wondering if anyone has experience either with any Medical Spanish immersion programs abroad, or places/programs in the U.S. that use volunteers in a healthcare setting with a Spanish-speaking patient population. I'm looking for something that won't break the bank, and would immerse me in a Spanish setting where I could learn and practice medically-related Spanish terminology. I'd probably need it to be at least a month long for it to be worth my time, but could be longer, as I do have the entire spring. Bonus points if there's a PT-specific component!

If you have suggestions for programs/organizations that I should look into, I would be very grateful! Also, if you have other resources that you've found helpful (books, Spanish podcasts, etc, audio programs) for medical Spanish, I'd love to hear about those too!

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[imagodei20]

I too would love to dust off the rust from my Spanish. I studied 4 years in school but have forgotten so much of it. I am currently working in a PT clinic while applying to DPT programs and all the PT-aides can speak Spanish fluently, but it was my second language so it is harder for me. However, I am learning more each day and trying to get better, even back to a somewhat fluent level. We have a few Spanish speaking patients who I can ask "como se dice, "elbows"..." to and I have learned a bit there. But it is hard when they are in real pain and I cannot comfort them. I have started a quick Memrise course: for basics, couldn't find a great medical spanish podcast though, if you find one let me know! Immersion would really be the best bet though. Good luck!

http://www.memrise.com/course/1249/beginners-spanish-13-body-health/1/garden/learn/

 

[NewTestament]

The best thing is to work in a clinic where it is often used. Frequency leads to greatness.

Ask other fluent speakers how to say particular words in Spanish. When I was in El Paso, I would make a list of words I wanted to learn on an index card and then ask native speakers how to say it. Then I would add those words to an Excel spreadsheet.

Perhaps you could do a medical mission to Latin America for a couple weeks. It would be a great experience and you could learn a lot of Spanish in a short amount of time.

Also look for webinars about medical Spanish. I've taken two through PhysicalTherapy.com