USA – Linguists work with medical students to help them relate to Spanish-speaking patients

A unique program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is helping health care professionals understand and treat patients better by teaching them how to communicate with patients who do not speak English. The three-semester Medical Spanish course benefits not only the patients who can now receive treatment, but also the doctors, who are no longer limited in the people they can help.

Hispanics make up 14 percent of the U.S. population. As that number grows, so will the need for Spanish-speaking health care workers. Now a program is breaking down language barriers and paving the way for better care.