Spanish for Healthcare Workers

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 30, 2003

My next goal is to become spanish fluent, college major will be nursing, minor in spanish. Make another 5 bucks an hour, plus i'll know what my pts. need.

Cynthiann · Sep 30, 2003

I plan on learning Spanish too. I would hate to constantly be in a situation where I'm always looking for a translator. Now you got me thinking that I need to start now and enroll in Spanish for the spring semester.

shape0fmyheart · Sep 30, 2003

I took Spanish for 4 years, from 8th-11th grade... I'm only a little over a year out of high school and I honestly can't remember a thing. It's something you have to use all the time or it's easy to forget, they say only young children have the ability of soaking up languages that way. Our school district here actually starts Spanish in kindergarten now. Anyway, I wish I could remember everything I learned, I feel like it was a waste of 4 years and a lot of frustration. I do like the language...

PJMommy · Sep 30, 2003

Ditto here. I'm envious of my classmates who speak it fluently. I took four years in college (the first time) and have since forgotten most of it. I plan to get some tapes to listen to during commute (they do sell them for medical professionals). Once I'm out there in a job, I might explore the possibility of getting into a 4 or 6 week immersion program.

P

colleen10 · Sep 30, 2003

I took Spanish in high school and although I couldn't conjugate to save my life I still do remember a little of it, the basics. I cannot speak it but I can understand/get the jist of what people are telling me.

My husband and his family all speak fluent Spanish, it stinks that I can't communicate with them but I can always tell when they are saying something about me:D

I think it would be cool :cool: to take a Spanish class designed specifically for health care workers, you might retain a bit more than you think. I wish they offered such courses up here in Pittsburgh, although, I doubt they do since we have like 5 Hispanic people in the entire city and my husband is one of them.

JudithL_in_NH · Sep 30, 2003

I signed up for Spanish for Healthcare Workers at my college during the summer, but it was cancelled due to low enrollment.

NH isn't exactly the capital of diversity--You more likely to run into a French speaker from Canada than a Spanish speaker. And even the Québeçois who speaks no English is pretty rare. (Luckily, I DO speak fluent French).

If I live ANYWHERE other than NH (well, maybe VT and ME, too) I know a big part of the client base will be Spanish speakers, and I really would like to be prepared for that.

JenNJFLCA · Oct 1, 2003

At my school it's mandatory that all nursing students take spanish 1. If you ask me, if they are going to make us take it, it should be a Spanish for Heathcare workers class. What good will Spanish 1 be? I might be able to ask them how the weather is outside, but that's about it. Since I live in FL, it is a good langauge to know, so I might take more spanish classes at the local community college to try and become somewhat fluent. I've got plenty of people I can practice with here!

fnimat1 · Oct 1, 2003

Spanish is definitely something that I want to take while I'm in nursing school. I took Spanish for 3 yrs. in high school but it's been almost 13 yrs. since I've been out. Since I only have nursing courses to take...I think it would be very valuable for me and for my future patients.

Fatima

Judy03 · Oct 1, 2003

Hi, I'm planning to become a LPN, I'm from Puerto Rico and English is my second language. I took the TABE test (in English) and I passed, Hooray!!! I'm going to start classes in January. In Puerto Rico I took English for 12 years in the school, and this help me a lot. I was here in New York for a year and a half and I want to help the Hispanic people. I think is a good idea to the Nurses and students to take Spanish classes, I think this need to be a "must" if you live in a state with many Hispanic people, like NY, FL and California. Good luck with the spanish classes, if you need help, I'm happy to help you. Buena suerte a todos!!! Thanks.

EyesForward · Oct 1, 2003

I drew 10 OB patients during morning draws at the hospital today, and every one of them, except one, was Hispanic and spoke little or no English. We have a 'scripted' speech we're supposed to give people when we draw. "Hello, I'm Wendy, I'm from the lab, I'm here to take some blood for a test your doctor ordered, deblah-deblah...please don't move...a little stick, etc." These people should hear at least the speech, even if I can't tell them congratulations on their new baby boy. Plus, they should be able to tell me "This vein in this arm is usually good for me", or "I tend to faint", and so on. It would make me feel so good to know at least casual conversational Spanish anyhow.

I'd be interested in the tapes mentioned by PJMommy. It's impossible to know the correct pronunciations, syntax, etc. by reading a dictionary, and I can't sqeeze in another regular class.

Judy, congrats on your TABE test and your acceptance into LPN school!

Altra, BSN, RN · Oct 1, 2003

I also plan to take a Spanish for Healthcare Workers class, possibly next summer. Colleen10 - I'm in Pittsburgh too, and I think you somewhat underestimate the number of Hispanic people here ... we may be up to a dozen or so ... lol. But, that won't always be the case, so I think it's really one of those necessary things.