San Miguel Medical Spanish

What is the difference between our program and other medical Spanish schools? We’re personalized. We tailor the program around you, typically one on one, rather than teaching you in a classroom of 10-20 people. Further, it is an excellent clinically based program in which medical students, residents, other physicians and nurses can receive credit at their institutions. We also offer non-clinical, general Spanish for visiting family members. We can even provide interactive training on-line.

The need for Spanish knowledge in medical professions is clear in the United States, but the way to go about it is not. With the fifth largest Hispanic population, building a patient doctor relationship may easily require such knowledge. But, a physician or medical student must contend with a busy schedule that leaves little time for extracurricular research. General or intensive Spanish courses in the United States also rarely focus on the specific context needed for medicine, and are also frequently inefficient.

One solution is our customized program, located in a Spanish-speaking country, which focuses specifically on medical Spanish and cultural competence. That is precisely what MedSpanish does. It not only gives you the lingual capabilities to communicate, but also the cultural context needed to interpret it. It is an intensive immersion program based in ideal locations throughout Latin America that gives aspiring or current medical professionals the maximum amount of Spanish instruction in the smallest amount of time.Through MedSpanish On-Line, for those who can’t join us in Latin America, we can teach interactively, entirely on line, around your schedule, and provide CME credit.

We can prepare you before your rotation and help you to maintain and improve your skills after the rotation, even with your favorite tutors from our program! We also provide Tutoring through Speak Shop (www.Speakshop.com).

In order to develop a real and meaningful capability to communicate with your Spanish-speaking patients, it’s not enough to study in a classroom. Even if the subject matter is specifically related to medicine practice and role play situations are involved, it isn’t authentic. It offers poor preparation for real life situations. The best approach is actualization through clinically based medical Spanish training.
At MedSpanish, that is precisely what we do. We have always been an organization dedicated to the practical application of Spanish knowledge within the context of health care. This is the only way to achieve our shared goal--improved medical care for those who speak Spanish, not only in the Latin America, but throughout the United States. And this is truly the best way to become culturally competent. That means understanding the basis for word use, understanding its cultural ramifications.

There are a limited number of slots available for clinical rotations. The clinical rotations that you can participate in (as part of your MedSpanish training) will depend largely on your current status--whether you are a student or licensed physician--as well as your specialty, timeframe, and personal desires. There are several different settings in which your clinical rotations can take place. These include hospitals, health clinics, ambulances, and rural, mobile health facilities. We are the only program that personalizes your experience. We build your program around your schedule and areas of interest.
Our goal is to help you communicate in Spanish in four areas: listening, reading, writing and speaking. In our program, we consider all four areas, but strongly emphasize listening and speaking.

With these textbooks, and Lilia´s expert ability to focus on your areas of difficulty, you begin speaking Spanish immediately. Each lesson starts with a dialogue about common situations that you are likely to experience in the community and in the health care setting. You learn the most common and useful expressions for everyday conversation, as well as medical vocabulary. Key grammatical structures introduced in the dialogue are clearly explained in a separate section. The lessons build on one another. The material studied in each lesson is used in your later lessons to reinforce the usage of new words, phrases, and grammatical forms. This method helps you gradually increase your language skills while perfecting previously learned material.

This is TOTAL IMMERSION into the world of Medical Spanish. It’s not just memorizing words in a classroom. Clinical Students will spend 5-7 hours daily in various clinical settings in order to practice and reinforce their Medical Spanish, as well as be exposed to health care system in Mexico. The rotators may also participate in directed chart reviews and the rotator will become familiar with Mexican pharmaceuticals and the interpretations of diagnostic tests in Spanish. The program also teaches Folk Medicine, cooking and various types of Latin dance, for an exciting well-rounded experience.

WE DO TEACH GENERAL SPANISH AS WELL!

Lessons beyond 2 hours a day cost an additional $15.00 per contact hour. $20/ hour for a group of two, $22.50/hr for a group of 3, and $25.00/hr for a group of 4.

Option 3
MedSpanish "Boot Camp"
Those who are interested in option 1, but who score less than 25 % on our placement exam are placed in Mobile Health units for 20-25 hours per week, while working more intensively improving their Spanish. When they exceed a score of 25 %, or it is otherwise determined or agreed that they may be placed the following week in clinical settings where a better command of Spanish is needed: Emergency Department, hospital inpatient services, or outpatient clinics as appropriate. The cost of additional lessons is the same as in option 2. Additional lessons are optional but highly recommended.
NB. We try to effect the best possible placement for the participant. We encourage participants to get a well-rounded experience within the health care system. We also have to balance the needs of the hospital, which would like to build longitudinal relationships. Unless there is a strong reason not to, be prepared to move from an outpatient to an inpatient setting after two weeks, to further enhance your experience of the Mexican Health care system.All learning options include: