Medical Spanish for MD Students

Medical Spanish Course for MD Students

Oregon Health & Science University 

Instructor: David Cardona, MD, MPH  

Communication with Spanish speaking patients has increasingly become a necessity and a challenge for the health care professional in the new millennium. In an effort to improve communication and to minimize the impact of any potential language barriers between patients and health care provider, the School of Medicine offers the Scholars in Medical Spanish class, which is designed as a fast-paced approach to Spanish language for physicians. 

Advanced Beginners

The goal of this class is to provide proper Spanish grammar in the context of medical history taking and physical examination of Spanish-speaking patients.  The primary objective of this class is to provide enough Spanish medical terminology for medical students to conduct an interview with minimal professional assistance from a professional medical interpreter. Emphasis will be giving to understanding cultural beliefs that may affect health care decisions and delivery. 

Intermediate Level

This course provides a fast-paced approach to Spanish language for physicians, and it is designed to provide proper grammar in the context of medical history taking and physical examination of Spanish-speaking patients. The primary objective of this class is to provide enough Spanish medical terminology for medical students to conduct an interview with minimal professional assistance from an interpreter. Emphasis will be given to understanding cultural beliefs that may affect health care decisions and delivery. Furthermore, this class will enable the student to improve their Spanish writing skills in a medical context. 

Advanced Level 

This course provides a fast-paced approach to Spanish language for medical students, and it is designed to provide proper grammar in the context of medical history taking and physical examination of Spanish-speaking patient. The primary objective of this class is to provide enough Spanish medical terminology for the medical student to conduct an interview without professional assistance from a qualified medical interpreter while working at OHSU. Emphasis will be giving to understanding cultural beliefs that may affect health care decisions and delivery. At the conclusion of the course, students will take the OHSU medical interpreter certification exam, and upon receiving a passing grade, will be certified.

Course Layout 

• A proficiency examination will be performed by Dr. Cardona to determine level and placement. 

• Classes will begin the first week of October and will run for 8 weeks. Classes will occur from 5:45-7:45pm daily on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to accommodate all skill levels. 

• Classes will be held in the Basic Sciences Building, room 4355 and 4359. The enrollment of each class will be a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 16 students.

Registration

For more information or to register for the class, please contact the Center for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs by e-mail at cedma@ohsu.edu or by phone at (503) 494-5657.