Words matter. Especially if you're a healthcare provider trying to communicate with
a patient who doesn't speak English.
Abraham Melara (DO '27), a first year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) student and a native of Honduras, remembers traveling to the states as a youngster with his mother who was being treated for breast cancer.
鈥淎s a child, I acted as an interpreter because her physicians did not speak our language. It's very important for me as a medical student to give future physicians the tools to communicate. People who are vulnerable due to a language barrier need the connection.鈥�
Melara, along with Darwin Mendez (DO '27), another first year osteopathic medical student whose parents are from Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, are leading a medical Spanish course under the sponsorship of the Latino Student Medical Association (LMSA).
Mendez said, 鈥淲hen my parents first came to this country, they struggled to learn English. I feel that the tables are reversed as I'm now in medical school where I'm able to give back and teach classmates the Spanish language.鈥�
He noted that more than one million Spanish speakers call Georgia home.
鈥淭o equip everyone to go out into the community and speak with Hispanic patients is really powerful,鈥� he said.
Close to 100 first and second year DO students spent their lunch break recently learning medical Spanish. The hour-long class is the first in a series to be offered to medical students.
Maria Reyes (DO '26), a second year DO student and the vice president of LMSA, said the classes are patterned after classes taught last year. Reyes, a native Ecuadorian, explained that the course, which provides conversational Spanish lessons, creates not only cultural competency, but also a connection with patients.
鈥淟earning the language lets your patients know that you care about them,鈥� she said.
Daniela Gutierrez (DO '26) the president of LMSA is a second year DO student who has Cuban heritage. She feels that it's fitting to offer the first class during Hispanic Heritage Month.
The first lesson included the importance of greeting the patient and introducing oneself
to the patient and all family members present, the terms for parts of the body, symptoms
and possible diagnoses, and letting the patient know that you will call an interpreter
if there is a misunderstanding.
Melara and Mendez took turns pronouncing words and phrases for the class and then divided the students into groups where 鈥減atients鈥� presented their symptoms and the students practiced conversing with them.
These lessons are especially important as medical students volunteer in the Gwinnett community where approximately 35,000 families speak Spanish at home, according to Gwinnett County's Citizen Language Collaboration. In addition, students are preparing for clinical rotations across the state that occur in their third and fourth years of medical school.
From September 15 to October 15, 黑料传送门 joins others around the country in observing Hispanic Heritage Month. This important celebration honors the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanics and Latinos everywhere.
黑料传送门 Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (黑料传送门), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), 黑料传送门 Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins 黑料传送门 South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, 黑料传送门 Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit .
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