LMSA hosts medical Spanish-speaking workshop
On Monday, Feb. 19, NEOMED's Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) hosted a Medical Spanish Speaking Workshop in partnership with Student Services and the College of Medicine. Sophie Tayade and Meera Nair, first-year College of Medicine students, and Muneez Javed and Ricardo Velez-Hernandez, second-year College of Medicine students, shared the following article about their experience:
As part of the College of Medicine and Student Services Professional Development Series, the Latino Medical Student Association hosted a Medical Spanish Speaking Workshop. In this interactive workshop, students had the opportunity to practice intermediate Spanish medical terminology.
Over 50 students attended this sold-out event to learn about the importance of cultural competency and understanding language barriers. Students practiced reading and speaking medical Spanish while also learning about additional resources, such as a Medical Spanish Anki deck, and opportunities to practice at LMSA events.
Daniel Vazquez-Torres, M.D., a surgical critical care specialist in Ohio, introduced the workshop with his experiences as a Spanish-speaking physician. It was impactful to hear his first-hand account on how learning basic Spanish can go a long way for the patient. Dr. Vazquez-Torres shared that a patient was unresponsive in critical condition, and the team thought he would need end-of-life care. However, because Dr. Vazquez-Torres took a chance and tried speaking Spanish to him, he was able to respond, and the care team was able to accurately assess his condition and treat him.
Many NEOMED students have taken Spanish courses in high school and at the undergraduate level. With the growing population of Spanish-speaking patients, especially in Ohio, students were excited to learn how to expand the ways they can connect and serve their patients.
“Language barriers in health care have always been a cause dear to my heart. My mother, raised in India, completed nursing school after she moved to America. She often explains the complexities of having an accent in the field and the difficulties she's faced from it. I, like many others, took Spanish courses in high school and undergrad, but I wanted a find a way to maintain and improve upon my skills at NEOMED,” LMSA member Meera Nair share. “As Dr. Vazquez-Torres mentioned, the best way to improve your Spanish is to completely immerse yourself in Spanish-speaking opportunities such as the health fair and Proyecto Raices. The workshop provided a space for discussions that I will take with me for the rest of my career, and I hope to work with LMSA leaders to create more opportunities for language and cultural competency at NEOMED.”
Get Involved
Interested in practicing your Spanish? Reach out to Ricardo Velez-Hernandez at rvelezhernandez@neomed.edu or Francisco Reyes at freyes@neomed.edu to learn more about opportunities at NEOMED and in the Northeast Ohio community.
Up Next
Proyecto Raices – Volunteer with Spanish-speaking youth in Akron through STEM and cultural activities.
St. Bernard Health Fair – Volunteer at LMSA’s annual health fair at St. Bernard’s for Spanish-speaking patients.
Interested in attending an upcoming LMSA event? Sign up on campus groups to stay up to date!
LMSA Fundraiser
Date: Friday, March 15, at 6-8 p.m.
Date: Wednesday, March 27, at 7-8 p.m.
University Multicultural Festival (LMSA Table)
Date: Wednesday, April 10, at 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Gallery
NEOMED students and faculty practice their Spanish at the annual LMSA Health Fair in Akron this past January.
