Logo of healthcare spanish Healthcare Spanish

Break down language barriers in health care

Learn common phrases and medical terms in Spanish by Healthcare Spanish.

Why this project is needed?

Traditional courses meet too infrequently and you need to learn useful phrases now!

While traditional coursework is a fine option, they present a problem. They either meet everyday at inconvenient times, or the meet weekly and give you very little time to actually practice speaking and listening to Spanish! Furthermore, it would take weeks or months before you actually get to learn useful phrases. Finally, most medical Spanish courses are not focused on terms you will use in your day to day work.

How urgent is the need for Spanish in health care?

By 2050, it is expected that one in five Americans -- 20 percent -- will be elderly. The population will also become increasingly diverse (see Figure 2). By 2050, racial and ethnic minorities will comprise 35 percent of the over 65 pop-ulation.7 As the population at risk of chronic conditions becomes increasingly diverse, more attention to linguistic and cultural barriers to care will be necessary.

— Georgetown University, Health Policy Institute

Our sections

doctors and pediatric patient

You will be able to help patients with basic movements during their hospital stay.

Patient orientation

dentist and patient

You will be able to assess your patient's comfort levels in Spanish.

Patient comfort

doctors and elderly male patient

You will be able to communicate procedures and discuss medication.

Communicating procedures

doctors and elderly female patient

You learn how to introduce yourself and others, and ask if the patient understands.

Making connections

discharge orders on clipboard

You learn how to communicate basic discharge information in Spanish.

Patient discharge

nurse and infant

This section contains phrases related to maternity and newborn care.

Maternity and newborns

People Say...

“The goal of culturally competent health care services is to provide the highest quality of care to every patient, regardless of race, ethnicity, cultural background, English proficiency or literacy. ”— Yolanda C. Padilla, PhD Griselda Villalobos, MSW, family and community health

“According to the U.S. Census, more than half of U.S. Latino residents age 5 and older speak English "very well," but a nevertheless significant number of Latino adults speak English "not well" or "not at all. ”— Karen Peterson-Iyer, Santa Clara University

“Language is an essential part of patient communication within the healthcare system and thus serves as a bridge to healthcare access and quality care. ”— Karen Peterson-Iyer, Santa Clara University