¡Bendiciones! This guide is meant for all health professionals and health professional students—it provides resources on learning more Spanish, patient matierials in Spanish, translation associations, and more. There is also a section on Cultural Competency which provides an overview on intersectionality, and provides resources that can inform one on the systemic barriers those from the Spanish-speaking world and their descendents may face.
Use the tools from this guide to improve your Spanish so that you may better connect to your patients. Keep in mind, best practices still include using an interpreter when treating patients.
If you are a COM student, consider signing up for LANG 601 & 602 the Medical Spanish elective courses.
Source: Heath M, Hvass AMF, Wejse CM. Interpreter services and effect on healthcare - a systematic review of the impact of different types of interpreters on patient outcome. J Migr Health. 2023 Jan 24;7:100162. doi: 10.1016/j.jmh.2023.100162. PMID: 36816444; PMCID: PMC9932446.
As many students are already familiar with Anki, these are some more Anki decks to add to your repertoire to take advantage of its spaced repetition function to familiarize yourself with Spanish further. While having the vocabulary and grammar rules is helpful, these are better suited to supplement learning with an instructor or someone who could provide feedback.
These resources are for improving your Spanish in general.
The online resources in Spanish found within this list are for medical practitioners and patients alike. It may be helpful to read through these resources to familiarize yourself with written Spanish for the everyday patient. The American Medical Association (AMA) recommends that patient materials be wrttien at the sixth grade level, while the NIH recommends patient materials be written in clear and simple language; meaning, the linked patient materials will likely be advanced for those learning Spanish, but would still be written in a manner that may be more approachable.
All New York Tech students, faculty, and staff now have unlimited, single-sign-on (SSO) access to LinkedIn Learning’s vast library of 17,000+ online courses covering a wide range of supplemental education as well as professional and personal development skills. From the fields of business, design, and technology to communication, health, and wellness, these high-quality courses are available FREE and on demand 24/7.
A relevant class is Essential Spanish in Two Hours with Paul Noble. Though it will not cover medical Spanish, specifically, it is a good way to review some Spanish for conversation.
Some other classes that may be of interest are Spanish for Absolute Beginners and Spanish, Part 1: Basic Elements and Simple Sentences.
For more information on NY Tech access to LinkedIn Learning, please visit https://www.nyit.edu/academic_affairs/linkedin_learning.
In addition to credit given for various images, parts of this guide were adapted from work/guides by:
Ball State University, Citrus College
Used with permission or in accordance with Creative Commons Licensing.