An Overview of Medical Spanish Curricula in the United States

Abstract

The US health care system faces linguistic challenges. Disparities in language-concordant care for Spanish speakers persist due to current demographics and a paucity of bilingual providers. A proliferation of courses in Spanish for health care professions suggests that universities and post-graduate institutions are attempting to meet this need; however, the quantity of programs does not necessarily indicate quality or achievement of desired outcomes. The current study examined medical Spanish programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate level that were described in academic literature over a 38-year period. Programs generally were underreported and not comparable, well evaluated, nor easily replicated. Regrettably, in the medical domain, modest language proficiency is considered adequate and programs targeting advanced proficiency are rare. Suggestions are offered to make curricula in Spanish for health care more evidence based, longitudinal, and collaborative.

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