Medical Spanish immersion & electives in Peru

Amazing program. Learned a lot of conversational and medical Spanish. Met a lot of great people. Great teachers. And the director (Kevin) was 100% there for you with anything you needed!

I've been using Medical Electives to work on my Spanish and hopefully turn it into something useful professionally. They are super flexible with scheduling and will tailor classes to whatever you want to work on. Both instructors I've worked with have been very helpful, especially Lilian Arteaga!

My elective in Peru with “Medical & Healthcare Electives” was one of the best experiences in my life! “Medical & Healthcare Electives” is a wonderful and truly unique program! Going to Peru to learn Spanish and to immerse into the Peruvian culture was always on my Bucket-List. After I had finished Medical School in Germany I took up this project as it was suggested to me by a friend, who had been there before. During my six weeks there I learned the basics both in everyday and medical Spanish in the language school, had the opportunity to gain experience in the hospital, went on campaigns to the prison and retirement homes, lived with a Peruvian guest family, took dancing lessons, learned how to prepare Peruvian dishes and Pisco Sour, went hiking in the beautiful mountains of Peru, learned how to surf, met medical students from all over the world, … ��During the whole program I never felt unsecure. Kevin, the teachers, the medical doctors and the families were taking great care of us! They provided transfer from and to the airport, as to and from the hospital every day (Thanks Martin!). Kevin was always helpful whether it was about the elective in the hospital, problems at the airport or the weekend trips. Thanks to everybody at “Medical & Healthcare Electives”!� 🙂

I would highly recommend Medical Electives for anyone in the healthcare field looking to learn or improve their Spanish language skills! I participated in the intensive language courses (no clinical rotation) during residency. It was very well-organized and structured, and the teachers were all wonderful to learn from. The day is separated into different parts (grammar, medical Spanish, conversation hour) that are all incredibly valuable and build off each other. Every week, all of the students participate in a community health fair, which is also very useful and provides students an opportunity to practice their skills. The program itself also provides a lot of support - Kevin (the director) is very responsive and helpful from the time you first reach out through the entirety of the program. The host families are so welcoming and wonderful. I cannot say enough good things about the program!

Amazing program with great teachers! Learned a lot of medical Spanish. The program director was also great and very helpful in changing classes around according to your level of Spanish.

Had such a great experience! Definitely improved my spanish. Everyone involved in the program was super friendly and helpful. Cannot recommend enough!

I had a great time with Medical Electives Peru. Super friendly team. The staff are really focussed on improving your medical Spanish and are very helpful in sorting out travel, accommodation and all the other stresses that come with journeying abroad. You will be well looked after! Stays with the families are nice; you have your own space but are made to feel at home. Plus, delicious home-cooked breakfast and lunches. The hospital and Campaign experiences give you genuine insight into healthcare provision in Peru. Overall: highly recommended! 😀👍

I highly recommend Medical Electives! I completed a 4-week session as my OB/GYN residency elective. My Spanish improved immensely over the course of the month. The lesson plans were well thought-out and organized. The class sizes are small so that you get individualized attention. The teachers are fantastic at what they do and meet you where you’re at. They incorporated some fun day trips and cultural experiences (making pisco sour, salsa lessons, etc) to make classes more fun. The staff truly cares about your experience and I have kept in touch with several of them even after I left. I appreciated the fact that the other students were all at least enrolled in a healthcare program at a minimum, no pre-med students. Kevin was an amazing resource and was always immediately available to assist with whatever we needed - including helping us secure bus tickets and organize weekend trips. Trujillo is an incredible city to be immersed in Spanish, as there are relatively few tourists and ample opportunity to practice Spanish outside of class. The homestay was lovely - host mom(s) were amazing, excellent food, good wifi, private room/bathroom. I loved the program so much that my significant other (also a resident) is already planning to come next year. In summary, I would repeat this program a thousand times over and am available to answer any questions in the years to come!

Highly recommend my experience with medical electives Peru!! From top to bottom, the program was smoothly run by caring people at every level. Not only did I feel that my Spanish improved considerably in my 4 weeks there, but I was able to form bonds and friendships with so many folks, whom I was sad to say goodbye to at the end of my time there. I did a 4 week away rotation as a PGY2 family medicine resident. I did the combined clinical rotation in the morning and medical Spanish classes in the afternoon with a campaña médica once a week in the afternoon. During my time the total number of program participants ranged from 2 to 5 so my experience would be different than if the program was at full capacity. Coming here is a full immersion experience which was very helpful in practicing at all times of the day. Our wonderful Spanish teachers are excellent communicators and educators and also individualized lessons to each of us as learners- most days I had at least one 1-on-1 lesson. The clinical elective portion is also very helpful in getting to put those communication skills into practice with patients. I also found the experience of learning about a different country’s healthcare system very interesting. Overall I will treasure the time I had in Peru and I was sad to have my experience come to an end. Peru is a beautiful country with kind people and delicious food and I would love to return. Who knows, maybe I will be so fortunate as to be able to!

I had a great experience with medical electives. Kevin was a big help when our flight was canceled in Lima and made sure we got to Trujillo safely. My host family was extremely kind and patient as I tried to communicate in Spanish with them. The food was super delicious as well. All the teachers were very good and tried to build their curriculum around my needs and it helped me feel more confident speaking in Spanish with patients. This program provided a lot of opportunities for me as a physical therapy student. I would recommend it to others PT students looking to learn or improve their medical Spanish.

Spending four weeks in Peru with Medical Electives truly was the highlight of my medical school career. They went above and beyond my expectations - between hospital immersion, public medical campaigns, and afternoon Spanish classes, I couldn’t have asked for a more well rounded experience. Not to mention they encouraged us to learn about and experience the rich Peruvian culture. I could not recommend the program more highly!

I loved this program! everyone was extremely welcoming and kind. I learned so much and the structure of the program really helped to improve and strengthen my Spanish knowledge. Every instructor is amazing and so incredibly good at teaching. I also enjoyed our trip to the women's prison for a health clinic. I also had a fantastic host family and ate very well.

I was able to attend the Medical Electives program for 6 weeks. I was so happy that I chose this experience and this program. The daily schedule was organized and personalized to my proficiency level. The teachers were supportive, kind, patient, and proficient at teaching. They were always concerned with our safety. The program provided safe and comfortable accommodations with local families. The meals that were provided were so healthy and delicious. My Spanish-speaking ability improved in comprehension and speaking. The teachers also provided fun, cultural activities for us to engage in on the weekends and afternoons. I always felt safe. I would recommend this program to any health care professional!

I couldn't have asked for a better experience for improving my Spanish language skills! This is an incredibly well organized program that includes classroom time (vocab, grammar, conversation, and medically-focused language classes), time in the hospital, and time in the community with health fairs. My favorite part, though,was probably using the free weekends to travel with other students in the program to Huanchaco, Cascas, and Huaraz - Peru is an amazing place, and traveling is definitely an awesome way to put your language skills to the test! Muchas gracias to Kevin and the whole crew!!

My time with Medical Electives was truly incredible. I completed a 4 week placement and spoke basically no Spanish before I arrived. The program felt more like a family than a placement during my time. It is relatively small which allows them to give you personal attention in small classes and personalised placements. It also meant you could form real friendships, with not only fellow students but staff as well. If you have any issues, you can rely on Kevin to go out of his way to help you, which makes all the difference in a foreign country. Our home stay was lovely, with a room and bathroom to ourselves, reliable wifi, delicious food and a kind family. Placement was great, and the weekly health fares were the highlight and really demonstrated how much the program gives back to those in need in the community. Overall, I learnt lots and had so much fun!