Medical Spanish Programs

As a physician-in-training, your ability to communicate with your patients is essential to successful patient care. Many medical students – some with little Spanish skills and others with more advanced skills – are interested in improving their medical Spanish skills. Indeed these skills can be used locally (a large percentage of patients who visit BMC and affiliated community health centers speak Spanish as you will experience during your BMC rotations) and abroad. Also – the ability to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients provides an advantage when applying for residency.

When?

There are two (typical) times during the curriculum when students will undertake
medical Spanish programs abroad:

During the summer between first and second year; and
During fourth year as a fourth-year elective.

What Program Should I Choose?

Medical Spanish programs abroad have varying degrees of exposure to native culture and medical clinics. You will need to explore the various programs listed below to determine which program suits your needs. Some programs have an established medical Spanish curriculum specifically designed for medical students and health professionals (i.e., their core mission is to educate medical personnel to better serve Spanish-speaking patient populations) while other programs focus on Spanish instruction with medical terminology provided as an adjunct to the curriculum.

Program Cost: The typical program fees for a four-week elective range from $1150 to $2500 depending on your choice of program, length of stay, etc.
Program Components: Each program provides some or all of the following components:
- Medical Spanish instruction (one-on-one or group)
- Clinical preceptorship/shadowing/observation at local clinics/hospitals
- Cultural competency
- Cultural immersion
- Homestay

APPROVED Medical Spanish Programs

The following programs are well-used by first-year students (for summer experiences) and fourth-year students to earn credit toward a fourth-year elective. Because of known faculty connections and successful track records, the electives undertaken at these places are considered inside (fourth-year) electives.

NOTE: A medical student cannot receive fourth-year credit for a Medical Spanish language program unless it is one of the approved programs listed below.

program	country/region	comments from Director of GH Programs, BUCASM
Amerispan Salud Program	Latin America	Our students have had good experience with this program. It is well organized and caters to medical students. The experience is good for students who want to travel in a group and for those who do not want to be alone in a place that might be more challenging. The downside is the amount of potential English (from other students) that might get in the way of learning Spanish well in a short period of time.
Asociación Centro de Estudios de Español Pop Wuj	Guatemala	In the past, this group has had problems with organization. Recently logistical issues appear to be improved. The very positive feature of this program is the relative paucity of tourists in this region and the ability to really ‘dig in’ and learn Spanish in a rural setting. It is reportedly in a safe area of Guatemala. There have been safety issues in the very touristy city of Antigua (and there is easy access to get there and to Lake Atitlan) for weekend trips.
Cacha Medical Spanish Institute	Ecuador	This program is run by a U.S.-based (Univ. of Texas) family physician (Dr. Jorge Duchicela) who is originally from Ecuador. He works closely with local colleagues and family members to provide a quality program tailored to U.S. medical students. Dr. Duchicela is extremely accommodating for to our students to provide successful learning experiences outside the classroom. B.U. medical students participate in the Cacha program more than any other medical Spanish program and the length of stay ranges from one to nine months. This program will accommodate students with all levels of Spanish fluency. The program is located in a rural, remote area.
Child Family Health International	Latin America	CFHI is a very well-organized program developed by a physician at Stanford to address the needs of US medical students as well as local in-country partners. This NGO has received commendation/support from the Gates Foundation for their model. Their programs are highly structured and serve best those students who have never been abroad and want a guided experience to learn some medical Spanish and participate in community service in a controlled safe setting. The downside to CFHI is the fees but fees are reinvested to sustain programs in the local communities.
International Health Central American Institute (IHCAI)	Costa Rica	Developed by Dr. Mario Tristan, a respected colleague, IHCAI is geared for American medical students. Dr. Tristan has worked closely with GHEC (a consortium of faculty/health care educators dedicated to global health education) to develop and tailor his program to student needs. Benefits are: 1) the onsite presence of a colleague who is very receptive to our students; and 2) being in Costa Rica, a delightful country to visit and easy to get around in from a safety and cost perspective (i.e. weekend trips). Downside is the presence of other English speaking students, location in a big city, and potential exposure to medicine that is not dramatically different from the US. IHCAI is suitable program for students with limited exposure to Latin America and/or safety concerns. This program will accommodate students with all levels of Spanish fluency.
Medical Spanish/Global Health Course (sponsored by the Univ. of Nebraska Med. Center)	Nicaragua	The University of Nebraska Office of Global Engagement has offered Medical Spanish and Global Health courses in Latin America since 2000 in such locations as Guatemala, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Contact Sara Pirtle for more details.