Common Course Outline

Course discipline/number/title SPAN 1130: Introductory Medical Spanish

Catalog Description

Credits 3
Hours/Week 3
Prerequisites (Course discipline/number) SPAN 1101
Other requirements Students that have completed one year of high school Spanish should contact the instructor regarding permission to enroll.
MnTC Goals (if any) Goal 6/The Humanities, the Arts, Literature, and Philosophy, Goal 8/Global Perspectives

Course Description

The unique circumstances for health care workers in providing effective treatment can often be difficult due to communication barriers. This course provides a basic background in conversational Spanish to allow medical heath care personnel to improve communication with their Spanish-speaking patients. Although students will be advised on how to work with an interpreter, this beginning course does not train the health care professional to assume the role of an interpreter.

Date Last Revised (Month, year)

April, 2024

Outline of Major Content Areas

  1. Guide to Spanish pronunciation and articulation [alphabet, phonemes, basic syntax and medical terms as cognates}
  2. Practical speaking activities with application of medical vocabulary [anatomy (standard and colloquial), making appointments, pain expressions, medical vocabulary, gather and assess information]
  3. Situational activities in the areas of nursing and related medical careers [admitting, obtaining medical histories, orientation/concerns, assessment, care and comfort]
  4. Cultural considerations in the care of patients [use of interpreters, folk illnesses and cures, migrant health issues, folk beliefs, social and family interaction with the health care providers]

Learning Outcomes (General)

The student will be able to:

  1. Articulate minimal courtesy expressions, Q/A, medical and related vocabulary.
  2. Demonstrate Spanish-English language differences in the clinic/hospital admissions setting.
  3. Translate medical terms between Spanish and English.
  4. Explain the Hispanic medical culture and beliefs in a foreign (US) setting.

Learning Outcomes (MnTC)

Goal 6/The Humanities, the Arts, Literature, and Philosophy

The student will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate awareness of the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities.
  2. Understand those works as expressions of individual and human values within a historical and social context.
  3. Engage in the creative process or interpretive performance.
Goal 8/Global Perspectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of cultural, social, religious and linguistic differences.
  2. Understand the role of a world citizen and the responsibility world citizens share for their common global future.

Methods for Evaluation of Student Learning

Methods may include but are not limited to:

RCTC Core Outcome(s)

This course contributes to meeting the following RCTC Core Outcome(s):

Global Awareness and Diversity
Students will demonstrate an understanding of and respect for human diversity through their words and actions.

Special Information (if any)

None