SPAN 017. Spanish for Health Professionals

Medical professions have consistently been in high demand in the job market. Proficiency in Spanish is a critical skill in the healthcare field, particularly in the United States, where a significant portion of the population speaks it. This course is designed to prepare students for careers in healthcare through a combination of oral and written grammatical training. It offers practical opportunities to engage with real-world scenarios commonly encountered by medical students, pre-professionals, and professionals. These include interactions in hospitals, emergency rooms, doctors’ offices (both physical and virtual), laboratories, and clinics, focusing on communication with Spanish-speaking patients and colleagues. Beyond its grammatical and communicative focus, the course integrates medical narratives such as films, documentaries, fiction, visual culture, and journalistic articles. These materials provide insights into how health and illness are portrayed in the Spanish-speaking world, fostering a deeper understanding of cultural and ethical considerations. The course is structured into modules that address topics like medical and surgical vocabulary, the human body and diseases, and healthcare professions. Analytical discussions will cover themes such as disabilities, illnesses, nutrition and malnutrition, sports, emerging medical technologies, death and euthanasia, medical ethics, plastic and organ surgeries, maternity, psychological disorder, among others. This interdisciplinary course is ideal for students pursuing interests in medicine, clinical practice, nutrition, psychology, biology, chemistry, biomedical engineering, dentistry, physical therapy, or sport medicine.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Spring 2026. Hernández.
Fall 2026. Hernández.
Catalog chapter: Spanish
Department website: https://spanish.swarthmore.edu/

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