Medical Spanish

[549]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi,

I'm in my year off and accepted to med school, and I'm very interested in using my free time to learn some medical Spanish. A few questions:

Do most Medical Spanish courses require prior knowledge of basic Spanish? If so, I would think of taking a beginning Spanish class at a CC instead.

I'm waitlisted at my top school which is in a location with a high Hispanic population. Would the school favorably consider the fact that I'm taking Spanish now, or would they probably not care all that much?

Thanks!

 

[kautionwirez]

Hi,

I'm in my year off and accepted to med school, and I'm very interested in using my free time to learn some medical Spanish. A few questions:

Do most Medical Spanish courses require prior knowledge of basic Spanish? If so, I would think of taking a beginning Spanish class at a CC instead.

I'm waitlisted at my top school which is in a location with a high Hispanic population. Would the school favorably consider the fact that I'm taking Spanish now, or would they probably not care all that much?

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure you need to take some basic Spanish courses to comprehend simple conversation. After that, I would suggest learning medical Spanish and making friends with Mexicans who do not speak a word of English.

 

[ShoTyme]

Or Guatemalans, or Peruvians, just not Brazilians... They no habla espanol

 

[deleted393595]

I'm pretty sure you need to take some basic Spanish courses to comprehend simple conversation. After that, I would suggest learning medical Spanish and making friends with Mexicans who do not speak a word of English.

+1. It's not enough to just understand that "dolor" means pain when dealing with Spanish speaking patients, but also being able to ask the patient for their PMH and CC along with several other things. And this is a lot harder than asking "Por que esta aqui?" and listening for medical vocab words.

 

[MalibuPreMD]

I'm writing this post from Riobamba, Ecuador where I'm currently enrolled in a medical spanish immersion program. I live with a family, spend the mornings in the local hospital or in a rural clinic (where all of the patients are indigenous, but most speak spanish) and the afternoon in Spanish classes (both of the teachers employed by the program are far superior to any Spanish teacher I had in the states) that are geared towards health care and cultural competence.

Although I volunteered in a free clinic in LA for 3.5 years throughout undergrad, my comprehension and ability to speak medical spanish has increased dramatically over the last three weeks.

I would HIGHLY recommend this program if you are truly interested in learning medical spanish. Check it out, www.cachamsi.com

The majority of the students that partake in this program are MS4s (and MS1s in June/July); also, there are only three of us here right now so the classes and experience are all individualized!

 

[MalibuPreMD]

And this is a lot harder than asking "Por que esta aqui?" and listening for medical vocab words.

Also, taking into account cultural competence, a patient may be put off by the question "¿Por qué esta aqui?" and feel that they are intruding on your space/time. Even in English a patient would probably be put off if their doctor came into the room and said, "Why are you here?". The more appropriate question with the same intent (a phrase I've heard from the majority of physicians) is "¿Cuéntame, como puedo ayudarle?". (which roughly translates as "tell me the story, how can I help you?"

 

[HatWobble]

I decided to do the same thing as you, OP. I started taking beginner Spanish classes (not medical Spanish specifically) at a language center in my community in lieu of taking them at a college/university. It ended up being much cheaper, and the learning experience is less structured and more focused on conversation, which is nice.

 

[549]

Thanks- that makes sense. I'll look into beginning Spanish at CC then.

Any input about whether this would be at all advantageous for my application (again, I'm WLed at my top school in a Hispanic area)? I'm still interested either way, but just curious 🙂

 

[549]

Wow, that's awesome! I have no Spanish yet, but if I get into it, sounds like a great program!

I'm writing this post from Riobamba, Ecuador where I'm currently enrolled in a medical spanish immersion program. I live with a family, spend the mornings in the local hospital or in a rural clinic (where all of the patients are indigenous, but most speak spanish) and the afternoon in Spanish classes (both of the teachers employed by the program are far superior to any Spanish teacher I had in the states) that are geared towards health care and cultural competence.

Although I volunteered in a free clinic in LA for 3.5 years throughout undergrad, my comprehension and ability to speak medical spanish has increased dramatically over the last three weeks.

I would HIGHLY recommend this program if you are truly interested in learning medical spanish. Check it out, www.cachamsi.com

The majority of the students that partake in this program are MS4s (and MS1s in June/July); also, there are only three of us here right now so the classes and experience are all individualized!

 

[cheesier]

I don't understand the need for medical spanish at all. You're presumably not going to be practicing in a spanish speaking country and working with spanish speaking doctors, and when speaking with a patient you're going to be using a pretty nontechnical vocabulary. My intro spanish textbook had a chapter with different body parts labeled. That seems sufficient and could probably be learned in an hour or two after you become conversant.

That said, I recommend going to a spanish speaking country and learning there. There are spanish schools in central america where you can take classes and stay with a family (a lot of them for less than $200 a week - everything included). There's no way a few semesters of spanish classes here will take you to the level you need to be at to talk with patients.

 

[HatWobble]

I don't understand the need for medical spanish at all. You're presumably not going to be practicing in a spanish speaking country and working with spanish speaking doctors, and when speaking with a patient you're going to be using a pretty nontechnical vocabulary. My intro spanish textbook had a chapter with different body parts labeled. That seems sufficient and could probably be learned in an hour or two after you become conversant.

I'm not an expert in medical Spanish or taking H&Ps, but I would imagine it's a little more involved than just saying "point to where it hurts". Like asking about current medications, family history, lifestyle habits, etc.

 

[cheesier]

I'm not an expert in medical Spanish or taking H&Ps, but I would imagine it's a little more involved than just saying "point to where it hurts". Like asking about current medications, family history, lifestyle habits, etc.

All of which you could do easily if you're conversant. None of those questions involve a technical medical vocabulary.

 

[fletchffletch]

I have a little Spanish background, and was interested in doing an immersion program, this thread lists some suggestions if you're interested, http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=610028

 

[MalibuPreMD]

All of which you could do easily if you're conversant. None of those questions involve a technical medical vocabulary.

I have to disagree completely. Do you really think that you will be able to take a thorough history if you are nothing more than conversant? I absolutely don't, and that is why I'm taking months out of my year-off before med school to try and become fluent in the language. I want to understand the nuances of my patient's history, to be culturally competent, and to come off as the type of doctor that the patient can trust (would you trust a doctor that you didn't think understood much of what you were saying? or could only speak in the most basic tenses in your language? I sure wouldn't.) Lastly, I want to pursue a career in ER medicine or trauma, and there is no room for miscommunication during an emergency.

 

[cheesier]

I have to disagree completely. Do you really think that you will be able to take a thorough history if your nothing more than conversent? I absolutely don't, and that is why I'm taking months out of my year-off before med school to try and become fluent in the language. I want to understand the nuances of my patient's history, to be culturally competent, and to come off as the type of doctor that the patient can trust (would you trust a doctor that you didn't think understood much of what you were saying? or could only speak in the most basic tenses in your language? I sure wouldn't.) Lastly, I want to pursue a career in ER medicine or trauma, and there is no room for miscommunication during an emergency.

Meh, agree to disagree. I speak spanish pretty well, I've lived in a spanish speaking country, and I'm confident that I could converse with a patient in spanish (by conversant I meant an advanced nonnative speaker). Obviously someone who can't conjugate verbs correctly won't instill confidence in a patient, but that's not what we were talking about. I'm not quite sure what's taught in a medical spanish class besides some vocab that you could learn on your own if you speak the language. Things like cultural competency can't just be taught, and the cultural norms you learn in rural Ecuador would not necessarily apply to a Mexican or a Guatemalan - so not really sure how medical vs nonmedical spanish applies there either.

 

[MalibuPreMD]

Meh, agree to disagree. I speak spanish pretty well, I've lived in a spanish speaking country, and I'm confident that I could converse with a patient in spanish (by conversant I meant an advanced nonnative speaker). Obviously someone who can't conjugate verbs correctly won't instill confidence in a patient, but that's not what we were talking about. I'm not quite sure what's taught in a medical spanish class besides some vocab that you could learn on your own if you speak the language. Things like cultural competency can't just be taught, and the cultural norms you learn in rural Ecuador would not necessarily apply to a Mexican or a Guatemalan - so not really sure how medical vs nonmedical spanish applies there either.

I agree with your point that Ecuadorians don't necessarily have the same cultural norms as Guatemalans. And if you define conversant as an advanced nonnative speaker, then I agree that you probably don't need to take a medical spanish class. I would not have classified my Spanish as advanced although I commonly conversed with patients in the free clinic (about life, family, health, history...) throughout university. Cultural competence can be taught (i.e. lessons on what not to say, lessons on the cultural view of remedios caseros, how Catholicism impacts their views on health and health care provision), but I agree that it's best learned through immersion into a spanish speaking country. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Digs]

There's also a lot to be said for the practical cultural issues you are exposed to in a Medical Spanish course. Most Americans will take a look at a Hispanic's full name (Let's say "Juan Manuel García López") and call this patient Sr. López, even though he would call himself Sr. García. (The second last name is his mother's maiden name.) Spanish speaking patients may also not understand their names pronounced with an American accent, like 'hurr-nann-dez' instead of 'ehr-nahn-dess' for 'Hernandez.' I saw other volunteers at my local free clinic make both of these mistakes just today.

 

[MedicHopeful]

Is there some sort of formal recognition for med. spanish programs?

 

[kingte]

There's also a lot to be said for the practical cultural issues you are exposed to in a Medical Spanish course. Most Americans will take a look at a Hispanic's full name (Let's say "Juan Manuel García López") and call this patient Sr. López, even though he would call himself Sr. García. (The second last name is his mother's maiden name.) Spanish speaking patients may also not understand their names pronounced with an American accent, like 'hurr-nann-dez' instead of 'ehr-nahn-dess' for 'Hernandez.' I saw other volunteers at my local free clinic make both of these mistakes just today.

Very nice! I agree with you.

 

[Checcles]

Hi,Do most Medical Spanish courses require prior knowledge of basic Spanish? If so, I would think of taking a beginning Spanish class at a CC instead.

I'm waitlisted at my top school which is in a location with a high Hispanic population. Would the school favorably consider the fact that I'm taking Spanish now, or would they probably not care all that much?

The only school that integrates Spanish into the curriculum is Texas Tech Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso. This is obviously what every other school is going to have to start adapting eventually.

Advice - you can't learn a language unless you are actually immersed in it. Memorizing stupid phrases gets you nowhere.

 

[absolutdokta]

Advice - you can't learn a language unless you are actually immersed in it. Memorizing stupid phrases gets you nowhere.

Agree. I'm fluent in Spanish and it only came by speaking, reading and listening to Spanish and nothing else while I learned it. Complete and total immersion is the most efficient way to learn and retain it. It takes me back to high school spanish days when the valedictorian would get 100% on everything by straight up memorizing assigned words and phrases and what not. When the teacher would try to converse with them they couldn't understand a thing and sounded 100% gringo Of course there is memorization involved but using it every day is what helps