MCLIN 340 - MEDICAL SPANISH CLINICAL PRACTICE ELECTIVE

[20 Hours]

The objective of the Medical Spanish Clinical Practice Elective is to provide an opportunity for LSU students to practice and implement Spanish medical terminology and speech. Spanish language proficiency is important for US medical practitioners due to the high prevalence of the Spanish speaking population encountered in daily practice in every branch of medicine. Prior to the course, students must have successfully completed Medical Spanish (PHYS 220). During the course, the students will shadow Universidad Francisco Marroquin (UFM) students and tutors during outpatient consults, seeking to understand flow of communication. Students will participate in disease oriented discussions, allowing them to practice engagement in a medical discussion in a safe environment, further enhancing their Spanish medical vocabulary and conversational skills. Current topic-specific literature will be provided by tutors the day before. Students will conduct a clinical interview in Spanish with a fifth year medical student playing the role of a patient. During the second week, students will be able to conduct a clinical interview under simulation conditions and on the last day of clinic students will be able to conduct a clinical interview with a real patient, putting into practice the Spanish medical language learned during the previous weeks. The students will visit Clinica Barbara, which is an opportunity to participate in a rural medical clinic, engage in different medical activities and skills such as labor and delivery, urgent first aid, and primary care.