Spanish immersion program recommendations

blkgurlwithwings · Jan 22, 2010

Hey there, who did u end up going with.....city, price, clinical, etc. thx

geocachingRN · Jan 22, 2010

I ended up going to Pop-Wuj in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (also known as Xela). I found it through the UCSF website so I knew it was good, but I booked it on my own. I don't understand why the med school programs are sooo much cheaper than the nurse programs. I picked the cheapest one I could find for the med. school, it was $250/week, for 3 meal/day with family and 5 hours of private instruction/day. (w/o the volunteering in the clinic option the cost is $160/week). After two weeks immersion, I went to a 1 week cultural competency class continuing with language study in the afternoon. The last 3 weeks I worked everyday in the clinic or on the van in the mornings with yet more language classes every afternoon. Mostly first year med students and nurses were in this program. The med students could speak Spanish, but had no patient care. I focused on doing a good assessment and less on learning the Spanish in the medical setting. If I had to do it again, I would have focused on learning the Spanish and not volunteering in the clinic so much. I didn't learn as much as I would have expected.

I will be returning to Guate this summer, though I'm not sure I'll be go to the same school. I have been invited to to Antigua to stay with a friend of a friend. Antiqua is expensive and this would make the cost the same.

Xela is a better town, I found it more lively, and far less touristy than Antigua. However it is colder, since it it at elevation, and this year is shaping up to be a very wet, cold year. They do not heat their houses in Xela and my room was very cold, I heard the same complaint from my classmates.

Lake Atitlan is very beautiful and if I could find a place to stay with a good program, that would be my first choice.

I will be going somewhere this summer for 4-6 weeks just not sure where yet. I'm considering an immersion program through my local community college. I'd get credit for it and they have learning competencies I'd have to achieve, though it really is expensive and not one to one learning.

Links for schools and info in Guate:

http://www.xelapages.com/

http://www.medschool.ucsf.edu/intlprograms/Programs/Latin_America.aspx

eodiamse · Jan 25, 2010

Hi geocachingRN,

Your post was very helpful, especially the link to the UCSF website. I've always wanted to travel in Guatemala, and I also want to practice my clinical skills while getting some mileage on my spanish.

I'm an "intermediate" speaker, and I simply need more practice.

I'm currently a BSN student, have just finished Med-surg 1, and will have my Med-surg 2, OB, and mental health, and Peds rotations done by the time I plan to do spanish immersion again in August. With all those rotations under my belt, do you think the clinic/volunteer opportunities offered by Pop-Wuj will actually help my clinical practice?

Thanks

geocachingRN · Jan 25, 2010

As you are an intermediate level speaker, consider calling the US director of Pop-Wuj she can coordinate for you to volunteer at a clinic in Santa Cruz, on Lake Atitlan. You would be working with the indigenous popn and an American couple who run it and living at one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. My Spanish isn't good enough, maybe next year for me.

Good luck and please post when you have decided what program you would like to do.

MCGNurse · May 26, 2011

I'm a few years late seeing this thread! But, I also looked into Pop-Wuj. I've emailed the director of the Medical spanish language course and asked her a few questions which she did answer but not into much detail. I'm very interested in the program and I wanted to know more about your experience..

Did you have your classes and clinicals with the other American students? Also, how were arrangements at the airport?

(Most importantly,) Do you feel more confident speaking to Hispanics using medical spanish?