Abstract

There is no standardized curriculum or assessment method that addresses Spanish skills in U.S. medical schools. The authors implemented a 10-week Clinical Medical Spanish elective for fourth-year medical students. Data were collected for 58 students from 2013 to 2015 pertaining to pre- and post-course self-evaluation of Medical Spanish comfort level and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations. Student comfort level with Spanish-speaking patients improved for performing history and examination skills (P < 0.05). Standardized Patient (SP) and faculty-rated fluency were each higher than the student self-rated pre-course fluency (P < 0.001). Fluency levels were higher than the faculty rating of student ability to perform the medical interview (P < .001). Differences in student self-rating, SP scores, and faculty assessment illustrate the complexities of assessing medical skills in a second language, and highlight the importance of training and evaluating medical students and hospital staff in the appropriate use of Medical Spanish.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call