A comprehensive medical Spanish curriculum model: the Vida Medical Spanish Curriculum

Introduction: The healthcare system in the United States has long struggled with racial and language disparities, which can result in inadequate treatment of minority patients. With the projected growth of the Hispanic population in the US, there is an urgent need for medical schools to incorporate high-quality medical Spanish and cultural competency content to address the increasing demand for Spanish-speaking and culturally sensitive physicians. A comprehensive medical Spanish curriculum, aligned with the preclinical curriculum, could offer a solution to these issues by ensuring that Hispanic patients receive care that is linguistically and culturally appropriate, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for all. Methods: : The study used the Kirkpatrick Model to evaluate the medical Spanish curriculum's success. The evaluation process included a Spanish Objective Structured Clinical Examination and a survey with a 40-question Multiple-Choice Exam to evaluate the integration of Spanish language skills and cultural competency in clinical encounters. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize exam results, and mean exam results were compared between students of different proficiency levels using two-tailed t-tests. Results: and Discussion: The study found that students achieved a mean score of over 80% on all three components of the Spanish Objective Structured Clinical Examination and on the Multiple-Choice Exam, with advanced students scoring higher on some sections. Survey data suggest that students felt able to communicate in Spanish with patients after completing the course series. The study also provides a model for a medical Spanish curriculum that applies expert-recommended best practices to meet the needs of Hispanic patient populations. Limitations and conclusions: Baseline data on student perceptions and Spanish competency are not sufficient for making comparisons.