Summary of research conducted in 2013 about Spanish for Healthcare Professionals courses taught in the USA.

1. Berta-Isabel Cuadrado Álvarez, 2014

2. Objetives / Objetivos
Panoramic view of S4HCP in the USA.
Analysis of manuals.
Deeper analyisis of Chase’s manual. Does it respond to learners’ needs?
Open a discussion about manuals used in the USA & how well they adjust to
students as professionals.
Deliberate about which levels &/ specialties should be stablished.
A continuum of the topics learnt in the Master.

3. Why This topic? / ¿Porqué?
1. Academic Interest:
 Subject of great importance in the USA (FREIDA: 317
institutions with mediacl graduate programs).
 White Paper, Sept., 2012: (“Promoting Appropriate Use of
Physicians’ Non-English Language Skills in Clinical Care,” ).
 Project, 2010: The National CLAS Standards-> 50 states
(laws about access to language in medical centers, BUT not
activities to improve it).
 “Servicio de Interpretes de Idiomas”.
 Textbooks analysis.
2. Personal interest:
 Course developer of the course Spanish for Healthcare
Professionals (& Teacher of Introductory & Advanced).

4. Need Met? / ¿Qué necesidad?

5. Prior studies? / ¿Estudios previos?
 Josefa Gómez de Enterría (1994): “El Español por
Profesiones. Servicios de Salud”. (Universidad de Alcalá).
 Ashley Bennink (2013): “Variaciones dialectales sobre la
salud y la enfermedad. (Universidad de Oviedo).

6. In Europe? / ¿En Europa?
o Different migratory movements.
o Different professional needs than in the USA.
o Several foreign languages studied.
o Spanish increasing demand.

7. R. Method? / ¿M. de investigación?
Exploratory: no previous studies exist.
No tested, but basis for further research.
Descriptive: Quantitative-> Collect,
analyse & summarise data. (LikedIn
interview (5 forums/11 answers),
SurveyMonkey (11/15/), syllabi (25: 2001-
2013) institutions websites (90/1.000; 25
states; 428 emails), discussion forums (46),
manuals (44), authors, (29) courses (42
online, data bases ), teachers (22),
students (8/69).
Anlytical: Why & How-> locate &
identify different variables / factors
(reaching terms; teaching levels, degree
of satisfaction, methodology, materials,
opinion).
Predictive: speculate on future
possibilities & action (levels, manuals,
materials, teachers, prerrequisites)

8. How analysis? / ¿Cómo analicé?
 Number of institutions websites visited (1.000). Number of
courses offered by 90 institutions. (9%).
 Institutions: little information about courses offered. (65 sillabi
/17 : 2013. Some imcomplete).
 Students badly informed (No lenth of course in 50%. No
teaching days. No No. Of credits in 16%)
 Characteristics:
67% in classroom/ 13% online / 20% ?
Prerrequisites (72%).
None longer than 6 months.
Short hours of dedication (2/1 hrs).
Levels (56.3% beginner; Intermediate & Advanced 37.5%).
Professionals (50% Nurses).

9. Findings / Hallazgos
 Registrations in Spanish (1960: 200,000; 2002: 700,000).
 USA: syllabi (max. 10 pages) <-> Europe: curriculum (min.
35 pages).
 Names: (- specialized) Spanish for the Professions >
Spanish for Health Care Professionals > Medical Spanish (+
specialized).
 Lack of information online about courses.

10. Conclusions / Conclusiones
A. About courses:
 Students badly informed (No lenth of course in 50%. No teaching days. No No. Of
credits in 16%)
 Characteristics:
67% in classroom/ 13% online / 20% ?
Prerrequisites (72%).
None longer than 9 months.
Short hours of dedication (2/1 hrs).
Levels (56.3% beginner; Intermediate & Advanced 37.5%).
Professionals (50% Nurses).
Time: (16%) for conversation, grammar & vocabulary. 7% for oral comprehension.
 Immersion programs incrementing (with/ without credits).

11. Conclusions / Conclusiones
B. About teachers:
 Lack of interest in giving opinion.
 Formation & Training needed to teach this subject?
 Professionals -> Teachers / Teachers _> Specialized ?
 Collaborators in LORs?

12. Conclusions / Conclusiones
C. About students:
 Which professionals?
 When start? -> Age & Level of education.
 Divison of professional needs?

13. Conclusions / Conclusiones
D. About authors:
 Not enough if are only a professional of health.
 Better: combination of teacher + collaboration with health
professionals/ to supervise terms, vocabulary & medical
situations.

14. Conclusions / Conclusiones
E. About manuals:
 Most of them use: Grammar-Translation Method.
 List of vocabulary to learn.
 Teaching with CHASE: If teacher wants to use communicative methodology they have
to prepare extra materials.
 The other three manuals commented use communicative methodology.
Criteria: accesibilidad, asistencia, atractivo, autenticidad, autonomía, calidad de edición,
coherencia, congruencia, concienciación, contextualización, continuidad, disponibilidad, diversidad,
equilibrio, fondo afectivo, funcionalidad, generatividad, innovación, integración, maleabilidad,
modularidad, motivación, organización, orientación, relevancia, rigor, significatividad comunicativa
y lógica, socialización, temporización y transparencia, porque deben dar una respuesta coherente,
que se adapte al contexto en el que se van a utilizar.

15. Limitations / Limitaciones
 Enrollments in Languages Other Than English in United States
Institutions of Higher Education, Fall 2009:
Why registrations have fallen?
 Lack of information online about courses.
 Incomplete syllabi.
 Lack of participation from institutions, teachers & students.
 Lack of time to do a dipper analyses of manuals.
 Lack of materials online.
 Lack of contrastive studies.

16. Where to go? / ¿Dónde seguir?
Stablish standars for courses:
Hours of study & credits per course & level. (5 hrs per week & 4/5 credits).
Online: 4 oral sessions of 60’.
Manuals & Materials:
Paper / software & Online cheaper edition .
Always Workbook & Teacher Guide.
DVD/ Podcasts for audio.
Video & story script.
Online resources (International Common LOR -> MERLOT?).
 Teachers:
Higher salaries for teaching Specialties.
 Methodology:
Communicative-> Tasks , gamification & simulation (lower levels) &
Projects (Intermediate & Advanced)

17. Interest ? / ¿Interesa?
 Abanico- Escuela de Español. Málaga (2
weeks. 40hrs).
 AmeriSpan: SALUD Medical Spanish in
Barcelona (1/2/3/4 weeks, 4hrs. a day).
 Clic: Medical Spanish Course (1/2/3/4
weeks, 2hours a day).
 Universidad de Oviedo. Ashley Bennink:
“Ayuda, Doctor “ (+Intermedite, 80
classroom hours and 20 in-clinic practicum
hours from May to June).

18. Resources / Fuentes
 “Promoting appropriate use of physicians’ non-English language skills in clinical care.
Recommendations for policymakers, organizations and clinicians”. http://www.ama-
assn.org/resources/doc/public-health/cehcd-lep-white-paper.pdf
 “The National Standars CLAS”.
https://www.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/Content/clas.asp
“Summary of State Law Requirements Addressing Language Needs in Health Care.
National Health Program”. (January, 2008).
http://www.healthlaw.org/images/pubs/nhelp_lep-state-law-chart_12-28-07.pdf
“Enrollments in Languages Other Than English in United States Institutions of Higher
Education, Fall 2009”. http://www.mla.org/pdf/2009_enrollment_survey.pdf
 FAQ: Syllabus Structure & Common Language.
http://www.registrar.ilstu.edu/ucc/Policies/syllabusstructure.pdf

19. Bibliography / Bibliografía
 Buehring, M. (2010): Work into Spanish: Effective Techniques for Learning Spanish at
Work. Work into Spanish Publications. (COMENTADO).
 Chase, R. O. & Medina de Chase, C. B. (2009, 2012) An Introduction to Spanish for
Health Care Workers. Communication and Culture, 3rd/ 4th Edition. DVD. Yale U. P.
(ANALIZADOS) .
 Giralt, A. (2012): Español Médico y Sociedad (Avanzado). Universal-Publishers.
Florida. (COMENTADO).
 Jarvis, A. C. & Lebredo, R. (2003): Spanish for Medical Personnel (Basic Spanish
Series). (COMENTADO).