Spanish for Healthcare Professionals Certificate

Learn how to communicate directly with clients and patients in Spanish to improve your quality of care. The ability to speak Spanish is increasingly important in the San Diego area. California is home to nearly 7 million people that are limited English proficient (LEP).

Overview of the Need for Healthcare Spanish

Additionally over the past few years the US has experienced an increase in the number of individuals with access to healthcare as a result of the Affordable Care Act. As more individuals who are LEP use private and public healthcare systems, the need for healthcare professionals to learn Spanish in order to effectively communicate with clients increases.

About the Spanish for Healthcare Professionals Program

The Specialized Certificate in Spanish for Healthcare professionals is designed for individuals with little or no formal training in Spanish. The goal of the program is to build student’s effectiveness in communicating with Spanish speaking clients in various healthcare settings. Students will learn both general Spanish and Spanish medical terminology in order to be able to understand their Spanish-speaking clients and increase their cultural competence which will help them connect and build rapport with clients and have more insight into client-interpreter conversations.

Professional Benefits and Community Impact

To the extent which healthcare professionals can learn to communicate directly with their clients in Spanish, the quality of care will improve. This translates into both cost savings and higher professional self-efficacy for the provider and less morbidity and mortality throughout the Spanish-speaking community.

The following table summarizes the positive outcomes associated with direct communication in a medical setting:

This Program Is Designed For:

• Healthcare professionals who desire to become certified in Spanish for Healthcare.
• Healthcare professionals seeking career advancement in the translation and interpretation field.
• Medical professionals seeking to enrich their ability to communicate with non-Native speakers in a medical setting.