SPAN 323, Spanish Professional Practicum I
Fulfills the Medical Humanities minor practicum and is offered every year.
The Spanish Medical Apprenticeship course is designed to offer students the opportunity to work in a clinical setting while collaborating with Spanish-speaking patients. Each student is matched with an organization and works throughout the semester on diverse projects.
These include interpretation, patient education, patient satisfaction, and any Spanish-language needs of the hospital or clinic. Our online work includes current research on language access with regard to health services and other topics that connect medicine, health, and language. The goal of the course is to allow students to be medical practitioners that will be aware of and sensitive to the needs and concerns of Spanish-speaking patients. While some doctors relegate language needs to interpreters and Spanish-speaking staff, SPAN 323 alumni will be different. They will have the knowledge to meet the needs of all multilingual patients either because they will speak their language or because they are informed about the special circumstances faced by patients with limited English proficiency.
Lastly, we hope that through this work, students gain important clinical experience and that our Spanish-speaking community receives the support and empowerment to advocate for their health concerns—which is something all patients deserve.