Hello Cuts,
I am currently a third-year medical student at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Although you were only here two days, your observation of the abundance of Spanish-speaking individuals is accurate. I think most would agree that the majority of patients seeking assistance at Jackson Memorial Hospital are Hispanic. About half of those also speak English. Translation: a significant portion of the patients in the Miami area only speak Spanish. Obviously, communication is a serious issue between some patients and caregivers. Many of my friends have often expressed their exasperation about their inability to talk to their patients. I speak Spanish, and I would be utterly lost without this advantage. Many of the non-native Spanish speakers have learned a sufficient amount of Spanish to at least rudimentarily communicate with patients. A complete lack of Spanish-speaking ability makes life many times more difficult, if not completely preclude the ability to evaluate certain patients. There are some translators available, but they are too few in number to be of any true help. There is also a substantial Creole-only speaking community in Miami, but I never encountered a communication problem because the translators were able to assist with the few in that category. With all that said, be aware that I know residents/attendings who speak no Spanish at all, yet manage to work successfully in the Jackson system.
I can't speak for the situation in Miami Beach, as I have not rotated there. However, because Mount Sinai (in Miami Beach) is a private hospital (unlike Jackson, which is public) and because the community demographics are different, the communication problem described above is less common. The communication issue also becomes less prominent in private practice, where one can cater to an English-speaking clientele, even in Miami.
As a city, Miami is famous for its night life, beaches, weather, and cultural diversity. Miami is a very new city in many ways, and lacks a strong historical perspective. The arts are also notably weak. As a mecca of leisure and fashion (i.e., models and music videos are thick along South Beach), Miami embodies a superficial state of mind that infects many of its well-heeled and beautiful citizens. I remember a surgical resident at Jackson (who is from NY) telling me that picking up women is surprising difficult. Apparently, being a general surgeon is not impressive to Miami women. But plastic surgery? Now you're talking!
Good luck,
Rhubarb
