A poll recently conducted by the Associated Press鈥擭ORC Center for Public Affairs Research
found that about 60 percent of Hispanic adults have had difficulty communicating with
their health care provider due to language or cultural barriers.
黑料传送门 is working to train future physicians to bypass some of those barriers as part of a new elective course on medical Spanish. The online course for third and fourth-year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students is designed to teach participants not only common words and phrases but also a better understanding of some of the cultural aspects that can play a role in a Spanish-speaking patient鈥檚 health.
鈥淭here have been studies that demonstrate the existence of racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare,鈥� said Beth Vitucci, DO 鈥�10, course director for the Medical Spanish elective and director of osteopathic education at Suburban Community Hospital in Norristown, Pennsylvania. 鈥淭his course not only teaches medical Spanish but also helps prepare students to become culturally competent physicians.鈥�
The online course, which was the initial idea of alumna Anne Marie Kennedy, DO 鈥�16 (then a student), features 36 lessons in total through which students learn not only vocabulary and grammar but also listening skills, in the form of video vignettes or 鈥渢elenovelas.鈥� Students are tested throughout the course on their written and listening skills, and at the end participate in a virtual patient encounter with a standardized patient (SP).
鈥淭he online encounter is setup like a Skype call, and I speak with each student at the beginning to orient them to the process, and then we have an all-Spanish encounter,鈥� explains SP Stephen Lopez. 鈥淎s a patient, we discuss my history and symptoms, and then the student creates a treatment plan for me.鈥�
Since its launch in 2017, the Medical Spanish elective has had roughly 200 students participate from both the Philadelphia and Suwanee campuses. Overall, students have responded positively to the elective, and some say it has helped them as they begin to see patients in a clinical setting.
Amanda Scott (DO 鈥�19) said that she realized how helpful the course could be while on a sub-rotation in .
鈥淚 saw a patient who had diabetes and spoke only Spanish,鈥� said Ms. Scott. 鈥淗e had moved to the U.S. but didn鈥檛 understand that his medication never transferred over, so he wasn鈥檛 taking anything to manage his diabetes. I was able to explain to him why his insulin was so important and how to check his blood sugar.
鈥淲hen these patients come to see you, they鈥檙e already nervous and vulnerable and they don鈥檛 understand what you鈥檙e saying,鈥� she continued. 鈥淏ut once you can speak to them in their own language, you can see them relax physically. As a physician, you can miss so much without that connection.鈥�
Dr. Vitucci says she and the team in the Office of Clinical Education鈥攊苍肠濒耻诲颈苍驳 Michael Becker, DO 鈥�87, MS, assistant dean of clerkship education, and Aileen McGuigan, interim program manager鈥攁re looking to expand the popular program. A specific goal is to hire more Spanish-speaking SPs so that the virtual patient encounters can be brought onto campus.
鈥淩ight now these are done online, which is helpful for our third- and fourth-year students who are taking clerkships all over the place,鈥� said Dr. Vitucci. 鈥淏ut eventually we want them to come back to campus. That way, the encounter takes place in a more realistic situation where students are physically examining the patient using their medical Spanish skills.鈥�
Operation of the Medical Spanish elective is funded by the Judith Pell Weinberger Endowed Fund for Medical Spanish.
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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