PROGRAM OVERVIEW AEC Spanish Institute's medical Spanish program is
one of the longest ongoing and most beneficial programs of
its kind in Costa Rica. Classes start every Monday of the
year. The program was designed so that medical professionals,
medical students, and anyone with a general interest in Spanish
in the medical workplace can learn the medical Spanish terminology
and Spanish speaking patient interaction skills so necessary
to establish or improve their ability to diagnose, take patient
medical histories, and better relate to their patients and
their families in a culturally sensitive manner.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
This program is primarily a language program. It combines
20 weekly hours of AEC Spanish Institute's standard Spanish
based on a student’s current Spanish fluency level (including
beginners), with medically specific classroom studies, medical
exercises, and clinical visitations under the direst supervision
of our staff of Doctors and medical preceptors.
AEC Spanish Institute's medical curriculum is based, and the
study materials used , on the medical Spanish program developed
by the University of Texas’s Medical Branch. Every day
participants are given specific medical vocabulary as homework
for the next day’s sessions. The classroom curriculum
consists of daily, updated basic medical vocabulary and more
detailed medical terminology, combined with medical exercises
necessary to communicate with Spanish speaking patients and
to recognize special situations as they arise. The classroom
curriculum is enhanced by being given in a classroom constructed
as a realistic, fully furnished, operational mock clinic at
our Turrialba and Dominical
campuses, or in a working clinic at our Arenal
campus.
These classroom lessons are augmented with weekly visitations
to local clinics and the Turrialba hospital. The visitations
are primarily observational with the addition of some basic
on hands medical tasks which can be performed by our students.
Students will be accompanied and observed by our medical preceptors.
Whenever possible students at the hospital can shadow Costa
Rican medical personal in specialty fields of the student’s
choosing.
At the end of each week students will participate in “Charlas”
or group discussions with our medical staff and other Costa
Rican medical professionals. These discussions are often open
ended, so students are welcome to address areas of personal;
concern to their career medical growth, or students can expand
on subjects they felt were not sufficiently addressed in the
classroom medical sessions
.
PROGRAM SPECIFICS The AEC Spanish Institute medical Spanish program in
its entirety lasts four weeks. Students who’s schedule
does not permit a full four week program can enroll for fewer
weeks. The weekly structure of the program is presented in
weekly blocs of interrelated subject matter. Each week can
then act as a stand alone entity. As a result those students
enrolled in fewer than the four weeks program will not feel
as though they are entering the medical program in mid stream.
* Almost all major medical schools
in the United States have accepted AEC’s medical Spanish
program as a study abroad elective. AEC will be happy to assist
any student who wishes to gain such credits from their individual
medical school by making available any documentation they
may require.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW