Spanish for field visits in Latin America for medical students

Purpose and target

The purpose of the project is to test a model of Spanish language teaching to support master’s level medical students aiming to study abroad in Latin American countries. The model has been developed for the course International Perspectives – Global Health, which is offered in English to 5^th semester master’s students studying medicine at the University of Copenhagen. As part of the course, the students spend four weeks in Mexico, where they visit various hospitals, clinics, NGOs, businesses, embassies etc.

About the course

To enhance students’ learning outcomes from the study trip to Mexico, the course focused on instruction in spoken, Latin American Spanish. Although students usually work through interpreters, they will also observe and interact with doctors, patients and the general population on their own.

The goal is for students to develop basic verbal communication skills in Spanish, which will enable them to participate in conversation using an appropriate register when introducing themselves, demonstrating their understanding (or lack of it), asking simple clarification questions, saying goodbye, and so on. The course will also include words and phrases relating to diseases, healthcare needs, and treatment strategies that they are likely to encounter during their stay in Mexico.

The first run of the course was carried out from 3-30 October 2022. It consisted of two weekly seminars of two hours each, over the course of four weeks.