Spanish Immersion Course

The College of Medicine currently offers a Spanish immersion opportunity designed for first- and second-year medical students. FM 825, the Review of Medical Spanish, is directed by Samuel C. Matheny, M.D., MPH, professor and chair of Family and Community Medicine and Maria Gabriela Castro, M.D., assistant professor of Family and Community Medicine.

This course is designed to help students:

• learn basic medical Spanish vocabulary and phrases with emphasis in the history, physical and health information for common medical situations;
• describe health issues which are common or unique to various Hispanic groups, with particular emphasis on Hispanics in the Kentucky area and;
• discuss the importance of understanding one’s own individual concepts of race, ethnicity and culture and how those concepts shape interactions and decision-making for health professionals.

In past years, students taking this course have traveled to Morelia and Oaxaca, Mexico; and San Jose, Costa Rica and worked with a Spanish language school.

For more information on FM 825, contact Shari Levy, educational coordinator, at (859) 257-2826 or slevy@email.uky.edu.