• students in medical Spanish course class

The Complete Medical Spanish Immersion Course

We are serious about medical Spanish

The medical Spanish immersion course is  one of few overseas programs awarded CME accreditation by the American Academy of Family Physicians.   It is medical Spanish for health care professionals and students that sets us apart from other health care programs abroad.  The course is taught by language teachers and healthcare professionals.

Your Spanish program begins before you get to Peru, when we send you a great medical Spanish book covering both general and medical Spanish.

Once here you will live with a welcoming home stay  family, work in a hospital.  For 4 hours each afternoon you will take language classes on our medical Spanish course  These classes cover general grammar, vocabulary and conversation as well as health care Spanish.

Spanish language beginners have the option of additional Spanish on our Intensive Spanish Elective Program offering extra language learning before beginning hospital rotations

All aspects of the course are built around developing your language skills to help you effectively work in a Spanish speaking healthcare environment.

Medical Spanish Course

The medical Spanish course in Trujillo takes place in the afternoons.  Each day you will take 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  rotate classes.  This means 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.  The program is designed in one hour modules.   Lessons are relaxed and fun with teachers using a variety of learning tools including role plays, games and videos.  Progress is measured with bi-weekly exams.

The grammar and vocabulary modules are taught by experienced professional language teachers.  The pure medical Spanish element of the program is taught by a healthcare professional, who will cover the most important areas of medical Spanish (See below for further details of the topics covered).

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

The program has been awarded CME accreditation by The American Academy of Family Physicians 

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

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 any additional health care topics to be included 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 important part of the learning process here.  But that is just part of the story.  This is a true medical Spanish immersion program with other elements to help develop and reinforce your language development.

Clinical Rotations

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 an experience to put you in good stead when working with Spanish 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 whilst learning something new.

For all participants we also include the choice of gym membership, dance classes or yoga.  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

Every month we partner with local authorities, the  Peruvian National Police, or prison service in Trujillo, providing community health fairs for those with limited resources.  As well as program participants these fairs are attended by healthcare professionals as well as our own.  Residents receive healthcare consultations and medicine at no cost.

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 home stay family is the opportunity to live in a Spanish speaking environment. Whilst 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 very nice 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.

Trujillo and Arequipa medical Spanish courses

In Trujillo we have a team of language teachers offering our medical Spanish course at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.  In Arequipa we just work with one teacher offering intermediate level programs.

Trujillo is our most popular destination and the destination we would recommend for those looking for a complete medical Spanish immersion program.  One option chosen by many participants is to first go to Trujillo, taking the medical Spanish course there,  and finishing their elective placement in Arequipa.

Please contact us to discuss which destination or combination maybe best for you

 

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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