Medical Spanish Foundation

Summary: Medical Spanish Foundation is designed for clinicians with zero to beginner general Spanish skills. The course focuses on respectful greetings, rapport-building, eliciting basic information, recognizing language limitations, and collaborating effectively with qualified medical interpreters.

Time commitment: 40-hour learning experience to support meaningful skill development

Mode of instruction: Fully online, asynchronous, and self-paced

Faculty support: Optional virtual monthly drop-in clinic hours led by CCM faculty

Course language: English and Spanish

Performance objective: After completing this course, participants will be ready toconduct focused, patient-centered clinical encounters in Spanish with appropriate support in common situations.

Modules: 

  1. Starting the clinical encounter

  2. Recognizing one’s own limitations and when to collaborate with an interpreter

  3. Eliciting the reason for visit

  4. Exploring associated symptoms

  5. Gathering the social history

  6. Reviewing the medication and allergy history

  7. Obtaining the patient’s personal and family medical history

  8. Conducting the review of systems

  9. Collaborating with a qualified medical interpreter 

  10. Closing the clinical encounter

Unsure about which course to take? No problem! When you register, you will receive a course recommendation. And if your course isn't the right fit, we'll help you switch to another level at no additional cost during your first module, provided it’s within 30 days of your official course start date.

Course start date: The course will begin on the first day of each month for individuals who register by the 20th of the previous month.

Ready to sign up? Click below for pricing and registration information.

Pricing and Registration

What participants are saying about Medical Spanish Foundation

  • “I really appreciated the variety of accents and pronunciations represented by the course guides and patient characters. They added authenticity to the learning experience and highlighted the diversity of Spanish-speaking patients.”

  • “I genuinely enjoyed this course.”

  • “The audio recordings with the transcripts combination was very useful for me.”

  • “Keep the lessons on common misconceptions/pitfalls for Spanish learners!”

  • “This was a fantastic course and truly touched on so many important aspects of communication beyond vocabulary, like empathy and cultural humility.”