Turrialba: Medical Program

Contact: Dr. Sandra Rojas
Location: Hospital William Allen Turrialba, Costa Rica about 15 minutes outside of the centers main address. Turrialba central

Program Overview
This Medical Spanish program was developed to help Medical professionals and students improve their knowledge of Spanish as it pertains to their profession. By combining in class exercises, specialized vocabulary and homework with medical volunteer opportunities in local clinics and hospitals, we believe this is the most comprehensive program of its kind. Every day students will be given specific vocabulary to study as well as in class participation which will reinforce those new words and terms. In this program students will have the opportunity for visitations to the local hospital, cllinics and a community outreach program and one evening meeting with a Costa Rican medical professional for a language exchange. Students wishing to do the Medical Spanish program must be enrolled in classes for a minimum of two weeks.

Duties/Responsibilities
Two times a week, students on the Medical Spanish program will visit either the main Turrialba hospital or one of the local clinics. Students will primarily be asked to observe during appointments and patient evaluations. Students will also have a chance to participate in a community medical outreach program where local medical professionals help the townspeople deal with common diseases, maladies and preventive medicine. Students will also interact with Costa Rican medical professionals one evening a week in which they will provide English conversation lessons.

Classroom curriculum for Medical Spanish
AEC Spanish Institute has a specific medical curriculum that will be handed out to all students on the program. All students on the Medical Spanish program will be given daily vocabulary and activities designed specifically to deal with medical terminology and situations. Students will also have additional homework assignments that will help reinforce the lessons learned in the classroom as well as during the visits to the hospital and exchanges with local medical professionals.

Medical Spanish students need to bring a nice change of clothes for when they visit the hospital. They need to bring some identification with them as well as a white overcoat that they can wear while doing rounds. We would also ask that you bring down any English language medical posters, brochures or pamphlets that might help in the exchange with their Costa Rican counterparts.

Study Medical Spanish in other Costa Rican Locations.