The Spanish courses offered at the various language schools in all Latin American sites aim to improve students’ conversational Spanish skills so that they can take full advantage of the clinical rotations as well as their social environment while at the program site.

 

The goal of the Spanish program is to provide useful insight into the host culture through improved medical vocabulary in order for students to better understand and communicate with Latina/o patients.

 

Below you’ll find a list of general learning objectives for each Spanish level. Please note that learning outcomes will depend on each student’s effort during language instruction, proficiency level upon arrival, and individual learning style.

 

Introductory Level (minimal):

·         Increase general vocabulary

·         Learn the basic parts of the body

·         Obtain personal information from a patient (basic questions in medical exam)

·         Increase understanding of preceptor at clinical sites

·         Improve basic communication with patients in clinics

·         Grammar: Express basic ideas in present, past and future tense.

 

Intermediate Level (conversational):

·         Increase medical vocabulary

·         Increase basic daily communication and social interaction vocabulary

·         Complete a patient history and medical exam in Spanish

·         Improve ability to talk to patients and preceptors in Spanish

·         Increase knowledge of local culture in medical sphere (doctor/patient).

·         Grammar: Improve knowledge of present, past, and future.

·         Improve usage of pronouns

·         Improve writing skills and reading comprehension

·         Improve pronunciation and fluency in daily conversation

 

Advanced Level (fluent):

·         Increase medical vocabulary

·         Increase daily communication and social interaction vocabulary

·         Complete a patient history and medical exam in Spanish

·         Express ideas and opinions with fluency and correct grammar

·         Improve writing skills (spelling, syntax, correct grammar usage)

·         Work with reading comprehension exercises of greater complexity

·         Grammar: Correct usage of subjunctive, all past/present/future tenses, pronouns