The current state of undergraduate medical Spanish: Results of a national survey

• Alyssia M. Miller De Rutté ^[1] ; Isabel María Kentengian ^[2] ; María E. Pérez ^[3] ; Pilar Ortega ^[4]
  1. [1] Colorado State University

     Colorado State University

     Estados Unidos

     
  2. [2] College of New Jersey

     College of New Jersey

     Township of Ewing, Estados Unidos

     
  3. [3] University of Houston

     University of Houston

     Estados Unidos

     
  4. [4] Departments of Medical Education and Emergency Medicine, University of Illinois

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• Localización: Foreign language annals, ISSN 0015-718X, Vol. 57, Nº. 1, 2024, págs. 27-47
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This study investigated the following research question: What is the landscape of medical Spanish offerings in undergraduate, 4-year universities in US states with large Spanish-speaking populations? Forty-four percent of institutions responded to the survey, which explored institutional characteristics, medical Spanish programs and individual courses, and instructors. Nonrespondent institutions' web sites were manually searched. The findings revealed that 43% of institutions offer medical Spanish programming. Based on results from the study, recommendations for undergraduate medical Spanish programming include starting with learners who have at least an intermediate level of Spanish language proficiency, recruiting students studying health professions, focusing on linguistic and intercultural competence, incorporating topics that impact health, developing a series of medical Spanish courses, expanding medical Spanish teaching and research positions, and collaborating across disciplines. The results emphasize the importance of continued research on medical Spanish and development to better prepare healthcare professionals to provide linguistically appropriate and culturally relevant healthcare to the growing Spanish-speaking population.