• students in medical Spanish course class

The Complete Medical Spanish Immersion Course

We are serious about medical Spanish

Our medical Spanish immersion program in Peru is the fastest way to learn and improve medical Spanish skills.  Every aspect of our program focuses on language development.  For example, both language teachers and physicians teach the course.

Classes take place at our well-equipped school in the charming area La Merced, in the colonial city of Trujillo.  Less than 10 minutes walk from each of our student homestay families.

For either 4 or 7 hours per day, you will take language classes covering general grammar, vocabulary, and conversation as well as health care Spanish.

Learning begins before you arrive

Your Spanish program starts long before you get to Peru.   We will send you an excellent medical Spanish book and also online general and medical Spanish vocabulary lists to review anytime on your phone or tablet.

Language vocabulary can be learned anywhere, at any time.   By giving you a headstart with vocabulary before you arrive, our teachers can focus on developing grammar and language practice.

This medical Spanish immersion course is one of few overseas programs awarded CME accreditation with AAFP.

So what is medical Spanish?

Medical Spanish is a lot more than a long list of vocabulary covering medical terminology and instructions.  To learn, and more importantly, to use medical Spanish with patients, you also need to understand general Spanish grammar.  Having Spanish grammar means that you will be able to communicate in a healthcare environment and beyond.

For us, the importance of general Spanish means that we devote around 60% of our teaching time to general Spanish and 40% pure medical Spanish.  It is this combination that enables us to help students learn real medical Spanish comprehensively and quickly.

This focus on both medical and general Spanish is what sets our programs apart

Medical Spanish Course

The standard medical Spanish course takes place in the afternoons.  Each day you will receive 4 hours of the program developing both your general Spanish and medical Spanish skills.

The course is taught at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.  Our team of language teachers in Trujillo rotates classes.  So each hour you will have a different teacher ensuring that the classes are always fun and stimulating.

Each hour is different

Each day the language course begins in the garden area with a one-hour conversation club where you will practice speaking and listening skills in a group with one of our teachers.

Participants then break into classroom groups where they take classes focused on grammar, vocabulary, and pure medical Spanish.   Lessons are relaxed and fun with teachers using a variety of learning tools, including role plays, games, and videos.  We measure your progress with regular tests and a final presentation.

Physicians and language teachers

Experienced professional language teachers teach the grammar and vocabulary modules.  The pure medical Spanish element of the course is taught by healthcare professionals, who cover the essential areas of medical Spanish (See below for further details of the topics covered).

Having physicians teach this part of our course is unique, allowing participants to cover areas of medicine in detail and practice realistic patient role plays.

For those looking to advance as quickly as possible with their Spanish skills, we also offer our intensive medical Spanish program, which is 7 hours per day of language classes.

The American Academy of Family Physicians has awarded the program CME accreditation 

Where possible, we ask that participants begin their medical Spanish program on the first Monday of their chosen month.  However, you can start on any Monday.

What participants say

The Medical Electives program was everything I could have hoped. Since returning to the U.S.A., I now feel comfortable talking to my Spanish-speaking patients without an interpreter

Carolyn - Medical resident from USA

It is so rewarding to see your Spanish improve and to be able to get an insight into the Peruvian healthcare system

Kalina - Medical Student from UK

My teachers were absolutely phenomenal.  and did a great job of catering the Spanish classes to an appropriate level for me so that I felt challenged every day but not overwhelmed.

Jenny - PA student from USA

Specific medical Spanish course topics include:

  • Clinical history
  • Medical instruments
  • Parts of the body
  • In the hospital
  • Typical illnesses in Peru
  • Examination of the lungs
  • Gastroenteritis
  • Surgical instruments
  • Arthritis
  • Health care occupations and roles
  • Physical examination
  • In the consulting room
  • Food and nutrition
  • Describing treatments
  • Examination of the heart
  • Cancer: Prevention and treatment
  • Hepatitis
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Human organs
  • Administering medications
  • Common illnesses
  • Peruvian Health care system
  • Type of pain
  • Chest infections and tubercolosis
  • Cholesterol, triglycerides & hypertension
  • Resistance to antibiotics
  • Arthritis

Please let us know whether you would like us to include any additional health care topics in your particular medical Spanish course. Should you have any specific interest that is not covered above; our team will develop the course material you need.

Full medical Spanish immersion

Your time in the classroom taking the medical Spanish course is an essential part of the learning process here.  But that is just part of the story.  This is a comprehensive medical Spanish immersion program with other elements to help develop and reinforce your language development.

Using Spanish on your Clinical Rotation

Taking a medical elective in Peru not only provides you with an unforgettable experience learning about how healthcare is provided abroad but also is the place to put your growing medical Spanish vocabulary into practice.  It is not possible to always replicate this medical Spanish immersion in the classroom.

Using Spanish in a hospital in Peru is a truly satisfying experience, and one to put you in good stead when working with Spanish speaking patients in your home country.

Activities in Spanish

Each week, as part of the medical Spanish course, we include activities such as the preparation of traditional food, cocktail making, or salsa classes. These activities are a fun way to practice your Spanish while learning something new.

Each month our language teachers will also take you on a guided tour of the historic center of Trujillo and the fascinating archaeological site, Huacas del Sol y de la Luna.

For all participants, we also include the choice of a gym membership or dance classes.  These activities take place at organizations outside of The Medical Elective Network and provide another opportunity to practice Spanish in a different environment

Community Health Fairs

Several times per month, we partner with local authorities, the  Peruvian National Police, or prison service in Trujillo, providing community health fairs for those with limited resources.  We offer healthcare consultations and medicine at no cost to patients.

As well as being an opportunity to make a positive contribution to under-resourced communities, these health fairs offer program participants to effectively use the medical Spanish skills they are developing here in the classroom and beyond.

Family accommodation 

The great benefit of staying with a homestay family is the opportunity to live in a Spanish speaking environment. While this may seem challenging at first, it is the ideal way to reinforce your language skills. This is real immersion Spanish, and time at home is like taking an extra Spanish course out of the classroom.  We work with a small number of lovely families with comfortable homes and a welcoming environment.

At the end of your elective and medical Spanish immersion program with us, we cannot promise that you will be fluent in Spanish. However, we are sure that you will not find a better immersion program to help quickly improve your Spanish language skills and give you the confidence to work in Spanish in a health care environment.

 

Jon - UK

The Spanish lessons were extremely enjoyable, and much needed as I arrived with only basic Spanish. I initially struggled to communicate with the doctors, but with constant practice and teaching every afternoon I soon improved. The teachers were always enthusiastic, and made sure that every lesson was entertaining.

Alex -USA

Being able to go to the hospital every morning and Spanish class every afternoon during the week plus having a chance to go on numerous weekend trips around the country made my experience in Peru incredibly worthwhile and well-rounded.

Django - Australia

I learnt lots and got along really well with my teachers. They were kind when I made mistakes but always corrected them, encouraged me to learn new words and made the effort to make every class exciting, interesting and challenging. I was amazed by their dedication to us and it was so wonderful to build a friendship with our teachers.

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