
If you’re like most EM clinicians, communicating with Spanish-speaking patients can be a struggle.
Maybe you just try to “get by” with limited Spanish, or maybe you wait for an interpreter.
Either way, it can take up a lot of your time, and the result isn’t always satisfying.
I’ve seen this over and over again, and that’s why I created this course.
Essential EM Spanish will teach you the exact skills you need to confidently perform a complete H&P in Spanish.
You’ll also learn how to explain testing, treatment, and disposition to your Spanish-speaking patients.
That way, you can feel more connected to your patients, and also provide them better (and faster) care.
Join over 750 students who’ve enrolled in this course, so you can start improving your medical Spanish skills today.
In Essential EM Spanish, you’ll learn relevant Spanish phrases using a combination of video, audio, text, and a mobile app.
I designed it that way so that you can learn anywhere, any time — even if you’re busy (and I’m sure you are).
You can also listen, watch, read, or quiz yourself. In other words, you can adapt the course to your learning style.
In Essential EM Spanish, you’ll learn how to manage the 10 most common chief complaints in the Emergency Room (see list below).
5 bonus sections* cover other important scenarios, like stroke, cardiac arrhythmia or arrest, a more detailed review of systems, and dispositioning your patient.
While there’s no way you could be ready for every possible situation, with this course you’ll be able to handle the majority of cases with Spanish-speakers.
*Note: The 5th bonus section (COVID-19) was added in the 2021 update, and isn’t listed in the image below.
For each chief complaint, you’ll learn the Spanish phrases you need to handle an ED visit from start to finish.
In other words, you’ll be able to take a history, do a physical exam, and explain your plan for testing, treatment, and disposition to the patient.
Ben Tanner is fluent in Spanish, and has been practicing emergency medicine in Las Vegas since 2014.
He’s officially certified to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients without an interpreter, and does so routinely.
A native Spanish speaker, Carmen Vega has been working as a Spanish interpreter with emergency department and other hospital patients in Las Vegas since 2010. Carmen reviewed phrases used in the course to refine and improve translations.
If you don’t currently understand any Spanish, you can still talk to your Spanish patients using this course.
That’s because you’ll use mainly yes/no questions.
For the other questions (short answer), we’ll teach you the basic terminology you need to understand the patient’s response.
To make sure the patient can understand you, you’ll use layman’s terminology throughout the course.
Ultimately, the course is designed to guide you through every step of an ER visit.
But wait, there’s more. 😉
If you’re a total beginner with Spanish, you can at least get the fundamentals down with this course.
For example, you’ll learn basic grammar, simple pronunciation rules, numbers, time, and some of the most common Spanish words.
All of this info is super common and useful!
For each chief complaint, you’ll also learn:
As a final bonus, you’ll learn how to say all the common medical specialties.
That way, you’ll have an easier time telling patients whom to follow up with, who will consult on their case in the hospital, or why you need to transfer them to a different hospital.
(*Students and EMS personnel may also contact [email protected] to request an individual discount code.)
Essential EM Spanish is for you if:
Essential EM Spanish may not be for you if:
23 AMA category 1 CME credits
The course was designed with your busy lifestyle in mind. Even if you have no spare time, you can still listen to the audio on your commute or at the gym. You can also use the Cheat Sheets or the mobile app for quick review during shifts, or as a reference at the bedside.
All of the above. The course provides education on basic Spanish, and the patient questions are mainly yes-or-no so that even a novice can understand the answers. On the other hand, there is plenty of medical vocabulary that even a lot of intermediate and advanced speakers won’t already know, so almost anyone can improve their skills with this course.
That’s why the course is designed with mainly yes/no questions. The rest of the questions are short-answer, and the course will teach you enough Spanish to understand those answers as well. However, if a patient refuses to cooperate and goes off on tangents, a dialogue is provided in the course manual (on page 4) to let the patient know you don’t understand and help them get back on track.
Of course you should still offer to use an interpreter, but you probably won’t need one nearly as often!
At a minimum, you’ll have access through the current expiration date (Nov 2024). But mostly likely even longer, as we plan to keep renewing the accreditation each time it expires.
Those were just a few of the FAQ’s. For the full list, visit the FAQ page.
If you’d like to see what the course materials look like and sound like, you can see samples and demos on this page.
And if you still have more questions after that, feel free to send me a message through my contact form.
Imagine yourself a year from now.
Will you still feel frustrated when you encounter Spanish-speaking patients?
Or, with the help of this course, will you gain the confidence and skill you need to communicate clearly with them, leading to a better experience for both you and the patient?
By starting today, you can build a skill set that will serve you for the rest of your career (and life).
*The button above will take you to ceme.org, where you can sign up for Essential EM Spanish.
Use the “REGISTER/TAKE COURSE” tab to login or create an account.
(A discount code may be applied at checkout.)