Johns Hopkins University 
                                                              School of Medicine 
                                                   
                                                   
                                                       Medical Spanish Elective  
                                                                         
                 Course Directors​:               Dr. Angela Orozco (​aorozco1@jhmi.edu​) 
                                                  Dr. Colleen Christmas (​cchristm@jhmi.edu​) 
                  
                 Course Coordinator:              Cecilia Vichier-Guerre (cvichie1@jhmi.edu)  
                  
                 Course Facilitators​:            Ruoxi Yu (​ruoxi@jhmi.edu​), Zane Frazer (​zfrazer1@jhmi.edu​), Ben Miller 
                                                  (​bmille91@jhmi.edu​), Michelle Recto (​mrecto1@jhmi.edu​), Theresa 
                                                  Aguilar (​taguila2@jhmi.edu​)  
                  
                   Course Description:  
                          This two-week course aims to offer an intermediate and advanced-level platform for medical 
                 Spanish. Demographic predictions include a growing Spanish-speaking population. Provision of 
                 linguistic-concordant care improves health outcomes for individuals. This course aims to integrate 
                 foundational principles of medicine into Spanish, with the aim of students becoming better equipped 
                 to connect with Spanish-speaking patients, more comfortable in utilizing translation services, and 
                 more clearly aware of cultural issues related to the care of Spanish-speaking people.  
                          The course is designed to be taken remotely via an online platform complemented with daily 
                 interactive Zoom sessions. Students will have access to Canopy, an online medical Spanish training 
                 program, to build upon Spanish vocabulary, comprehension, and grammar related to patient 
                 encounters. Canopy has been utilized at other medical schools and we have confirmed its quality and 
                 ease of use. Students will role-play patient case scenarios in small groups via daily Zoom sessions. 
                 Large group discussions will be interspersed throughout the course to explore themes related to the 
                 course, such as health disparities among those with limited-English proficiency, interpretation 
                 services, and patient clinical correlations. Additionally, the course will connect students with 
                 multimedia sources, such as podcasts, television shows, and YouTube videos, to improve upon basic 
                 Spanish comprehension. 
                           Prior experience with ​at least​ two previous Spanish courses or equivalent is recommended 
                 given the content level of this course. Enrolled students will be asked to self-identify their proficiency 
                 and complete an initial Canopy assessment test to determine their proficiency level at the start of the 
                 course. This level will be used to pair students up into smaller groups to further practice their medical 
                 Spanish during the course. 
                          This course aims for three goals: (1) improve upon the medical Spanish of future physicians 
                 (2) encourage interested students to become Clinician Cultural and Linguistic Assessment (CCLA) 
                 certified (3) work towards strengthening structural and cultural competency regarding 
                 Spanish-speaking populations. This course will build on skills learned in Clinical Foundations of 
                 Medicine and clinical rotations to empower students to provide compassionate, relationally-centered 
                 care for Spanish-speaking patients during medical school and beyond. 
                  
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                  Course Learning Objectives: 
                  By the end of the elective, students will be able to: 
                       ● Improve upon basic Spanish pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and comprehension 
                       ● Understand basic medical Spanish vocabulary regarding common health concerns 
                       ● Develop a better understanding of the variation in socio-cultural beliefs and practices 
                           among Spanish-speaking populations 
                       ● Improve rapport-building skills with Spanish-speaking patients 
                       ● Understand the importance of language-concordant healthcare, whether through a 
                           certified bilingual provider or interpreter, as standard of care 
                   
                  Class Calendar​: 
                    Monday                 Tuesday               Wednesday              Thursday                Friday 
                    Canopy Level 1:        Canopy Level 1:       Canopy Level 1:        Canopy Level 2:         Canopy Level 2: 
                    Lesson 1, 2, 3, 4      Lesson 5, 6, 7, 8     Lesson 9, 10, 11,      Review, Lesson 2,       Lesson 5, 6, 7, 8 
                                                                 Review                 3, 4 
                    Greetings, pain        Diabetes, body        Cancer, organs,        STIs and                Meds/dosage, 
                    descriptions, GI       parts, minor          depression and         contraception, MI       urology, 
                    terms, basic           injuries, vaccines,   anxiety, headache      terms, pulmonary        obstetrics, pre- 
                    physical exam          allergies,            and migraines          terms                   and post-op terms 
                                           cardiology 
                    Group Zoom​:           Zoom​: Practice       Zoom​: Practice        Zoom​: Practice full    Zoom​: Practice 
                    Intro to course        obtaining a           discussing             patient encounter       preparing patient 
                                           history               diagnosis              Group Zoom              for surgery 
                    
                    Monday                Tuesday                 Wednesday               Thursday              Friday  
                    Canopy Level 2:       Canopy Level 3:         Canopy Level 3:         Canopy Level 3:       Canopy Level 3: 
                    Lesson 9, 10, 11,     Review, Lesson 1,       Lesson 4, 5, 6          Lesson 7, 8, 9        Lesson 10,11, 
                    Review                2, 3                                                                  Review 
                    Elder care, drug      Tuberculosis,           Discharge               Well child visit,     Depression and 
                    and alcohol,          metabolic, major        planning, cancer in  palliative care,         suicide, seizure 
                    stroke                trauma                  women                   HIV/AIDs terms 
                    Zoom​: Practice       Zoom​: Practice         Zoom​: Practice         Zoom​: Practice       Group Zoom 
                    obtaining a social    discussing              discharge planning  well child visit 
                    history               diagnosis as well       with patient            Group Zoom 
                    Group Zoom            lifestyle changes 
                   
                   
                  Required Text:​ If present, pre-readings will be distributed before each large group Zoom discussion. 
                   
                   
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        Assignments 
          ● Written translation assignments: In order to practice Spanish vocabulary and grammar, students 
            will translate health information sheets regarding common conditions in small groups. The 
            answer key will be provided the following day. 
          ● Patient case scenario role-play with feedback: students will be observed by the course 
            coordinator for one of the patient case scenario sessions in order to receive formative feedback. 
         
         
        Evaluation and Grading 
        Canopy software completion (40%) 
        Participation (40%) 
            Large Group Participation (20%) 
            Small group participation (20%) 
        Written Translation Assignments (20%) 
         
        Grading Scale: ​Grading scale is determined by the School of Medicine. Electives are graded on a P/F 
        scale. This course is intended to help students improve upon their medical Spanish. The quality of 
        reflection and participation will be determined by the course director. 
          ● Fail (F): ​Student has unexcused absences, fails to participate in group discussions, or does 
            not complete assignments. 
          ● Pass (P):​ Student is present at all sessions and participates in group discussion, completes 
            assignments in a thoughtful manner.  
         
        Expectations 
        Participation in the online Canopy curriculum, group lectures/discussions, and other activities is an 
        essential part of the instructional process.  Students are expected to participate regularly; those who 
        are compelled to miss Zoom session should inform their instructors of the reasons for absences. The 
        instructor will clearly communicate expectations and grading policy in the course syllabus. 
         
        Professional Behavior Expectations on Clinical Clerkships 
        Clerkship students are expected to demonstrate professional behaviors as outlined in the ​JHU SOM 
        Honor Code​ and in the AAMC subcompetencies on professionalism: 
          1.     Demonstrate behaviors that show compassion, integrity, and respect for others  
          2.     Demonstrate behaviors that show responsiveness to patient needs that supersedes self-interest 
          3.     Demonstrate behaviors that show respect for patient privacy and autonomy 
          4.     Demonstrate behaviors that show accountability to self, patients, colleagues, the profession, 
            and society. [Link to ​Accountability Policy​ ] 
          
        Clerkship directors will communicate discipline specific expectations/tasks for which students will be 
        held accountable. ​As with other Clerkship domains such as knowledge and skills, students who deviate 
        from these expectations, may have their final grade lowered, or the deviation may result in failure of 
        the clerkship. 
          
        Serious breaches of professionalism should be expected to result in failure of the clerkship in which the 
        breach is detected.  These breaches will be handled on a case-by-case basis by the clerkship director. All 
        such matters will also be referred to the Disciplinary Committee.  Examples of such unprofessional 
        behaviors include but are not limited to:  cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty; 
        forgery or falsification of documents/records; lying or misrepresentation of facts, figures, or clinical 
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       data; failure to obtain appropriate supervision for clinical care; physical violence, bullying or harassment 
       against others, or other significant lapses in personal ethical conduct that raise concern regarding the 
       moral character of the student in question.  
        
       JHUSOM Policy on Attendance 
       This course is heavily dependent on participation, if you need to miss a required session, you need to let 
       the course leader and course coordinator know ahead of time. The JHUSOM policy on attendance in the 
       curriculum is posted at ​https://hpo.johnshopkins.edu/som/policies/886/39178/policy_39178.pdf​.  
        
       Classroom Accommodations for Students with Disabilities 
       If you are a student with a documented disability who requires an academic adjustment, auxiliary aid 
       or other similar accommodations, please contact the Office of Student Affairs at 410-955-3416. You 
       must also notify the course director and course coordinator in advance of the start of the course and 
       well in advance of any exam or assessment so that appropriate preparations can be completed 
       before an event requiring accommodation. 
        
       Statement of Diversity and Inclusion 
       Johns Hopkins University is a community committed to sharing values of diversity and inclusion in order 
       to achieve and sustain excellence. We believe excellence is best promoted by being a diverse group of 
       students, faculty, and staff who are committed to creating a climate of mutual respect that is supportive 
       of one another’s success. 
        
       Teacher Learner Conduct Policy 
       The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is committed to fostering an environment that 
       promotes academic and professional success in learners and teachers at all levels. The achievement 
       of such success is dependent on an environment free of behaviors, which can undermine the 
       important missions of our institution. An atmosphere of mutual respect, collegiality, fairness, and 
       trust is essential. Students should review the JHUSOM Guidelines for Conduct in Teacher/Learner 
       Relationships ​  ​http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/students/policies/​. 
        
       Student Honor Code 
       Students are reminded of the honor code developed by the medical student body, introduced in 
       September 1991, is as follows:  
        
        As a student at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, I pledge: 
         ● To do my own work and be honest in my interactions with peers, faculty, and staff. This 
           applies to my work on examinations, assignments, and papers as well as work in the 
           laboratory. 
         ● To uphold the high standard of conduct in patient care which has always been maintained by 
           the Johns Hopkins medical community. 
         ● To base my interactions with other students on mutual respect and cooperation. 
         ● To act on infractions of the honor code and to maintain the confidentiality of all parties 
           involved. 
         ● To encourage my peers to uphold this honor code. 
        
       It is the expectation that Hopkins students live by this code. 
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