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"Embracing diversity comes from within, not from the color of my skin"
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| Culturally Oriented Medicine |
While achieving proficiency
in Spanish is certainly an important part of the MedSpanish experience, it is by no means all of it. We also seek to give
students a firm grounding in the nature of Latino health care, via firsthand experience. At the same time, we provide cultural
literacy training in order to help future and current doctors operate effectively in an unfamiliar environment where the differences
go beyond language.
Health care in Mexico,
and among Latin Americans in general, is different from what Americans are used to. Mexico has very high quality physicians and hospitals for the wealthy. Interestingly,
healthcare is a constitutional right in Mexico,
although resources are scarce for the poor. The government run facilities that
we work with have surprisingly good preventative and health educational outreach programs. In addition, Mexico is implementing a “Seguro Popular” to provide
health care to the poorest of the poor. Medical care is developing quickly. There
is also a network of practices of traditional medicine that patients may resort to either before or at the same time as they
seek modern medical care. We introduce the student directly to these settings.
An important thing for the student to remember is that we are guests of the Mexican government, and that
resources and methodology are likely to be quite different. For that reason we must be culturally sensitive. Our role is to
be respectful at all times, advise, and learn, making ourselves useful while at the same time learning as much about the care
of Latinos as possible, and ultimately deferring to our Mexican colleagues.
Another part of the MedSpanish program to take advantage of is cultural literacy training. To work effectively,
you will need to understand the attitudes and mannerisms of both the patients and your Mexican colleagues. Working hours,
the relationships between men and women, and insurance regulations are all quite different from in the United States.
We believe the most effective way to address all of these concerns in a limited time frame is via MedSpanish.
We offer the most complete program targeted for medical students and professionals seeking to learn Spanish and expand their
ability to practice medicine among Latinos. Additionally, we are the only program that tailors our offerings on an individual
basis (in Latin America or at home via internet) to accommodate the tight schedules
of practicing physicians.
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