Learn Medical Spanish: Books, Certification, Online Classes, Immersion Trips, Interpreting & More
Why learn medical Spanish?
Because it makes a huge difference in the lives of your Spanish only patients when you can connect with them in their language (even if you only know basic medical Spanish phrases). Additionally, there are more reasons to learn medical Spanish in Colorado (and across the USA):
- First of all, you can physically see the sighs of relief when you use your medical Spanish with patients to establish a positive rapport and understand their situation.
- Secondly, you have more confidence and insight on patient conversations when using your interpreters because you know some basic medical Spanish and common medical Spanish phrases for high frequency ideas that you need to communicate.
- Additionally, many nursing jobs prefer candidates with some level of bilingualism, and most nursing schools don’t have space in their schedules to provide medical Spanish courses.
- Finally, Common Ground’s Spanish teachers are extremely engaging and fun to learn medical Spanish with, so our courses are low-stress and high-impact.
The best resources to Learn Medical Spanish for the healthcare is Common Ground International! Since 2001 we’ve been providing Spanish training and language services that help Spanish-only patients connect with their healthcare providers. Patients understand their conditions and treatment options, and receive better quality care because the medical team they’re working with can speak their language.
We work hard to help you learn medical Spanish. For example, we write articles and language tips to help you navigate the responsible use of Spanish with your patients. In fact, many of the blog posts are “Video Viernes” free medical Spanish lessons. Additionally, we address frequently asked questions and common mistakes that students make in our Spanish for healthcare courses.
The best medical Spanish books and study resources for anyone in healthcare looking to learn medical Spanish. We have curated a list of resources that we approve of and believe are useful to you. Furthermore, our books help you in your endeavor to learn more Spanish for your clinical work with patients.
A new certification for the healthcare industry is coming soon. This bilingual certification for healthcare reduces costs and improves the quality of care that Spanish-only patients receive. This is an advanced level certification because it blends Spanish fluidity and accuracy with cultural savvy and assesses your ability to do your job in Spanish. This is a certification for clinical staff, not administrative staff.
Turnkey online medical Spanish courses for universities and healthcare programs wanting to integrate Spanish for healthcare into their curriculum. Firstly, these courses can be credit bearing or non credit bearing, pass/fail or graded courses. Secondly, all of our faculty have graduate degrees in Spanish or a related healthcare field. Therefore, we are well-equipped to become an integral component of your faculty.
See more info below…
Live-taught and pre-packaged online medical Spanish courses open for registration. Our live-taught online medical Spanish Courses are taught by our instructors abroad so that you have conversations with native speakers. And our pre-packaged courses are taught by our senior medical Spanish instructor, Rory Foster.
We open our immersion trips to healthcare workers and students of all Spanish levels trying to learn medical Spanish. We help you gain proficiency in Spanish so that you can give back to local communities in need. Immersion trips currently run 2 times a year in Central and South America (Costa Rica & Ecuador). Dates are February-March and June-July, so you choose what works best for you! These are not clinically focused medical missions because we want you to use Spanish in a wide variety of contexts. Our focus is on language proficiency development while we deliver community and public health outreach to local communities in need.
Learn Medical Spanish with us on Medical Spanish Immersion Trips to Ecuador and Costa Rica:
1-2 weeks in length
3-6 weeks in length; you choose!
1-6wks total trip length
Learn Medical Spanish with us Online: Online Medical Spanish Courses
Clinical Medical Spanish
Intermediate Spanish for Pharmacists
Beginning Spanish for Pharmacists
Mastering Medical Spanish: Online Medical Spanish Course
1:1 Online Medical Spanish Classes
Complete Guide to Taking a Medical History in Spanish
Medical Spanish – Mastering the Past Tense in Spanish
Medical Spanish: Mastering Present Tense in Spanish
Mastering Ser & Estar in Medical Spanish Conversations
Medical Spanish: Intermediate Listening Comprehension
Medical Spanish Pronunciation
Stay connected with Common Ground’s Medical Spanish Community
Join our Learning Medical Spanish Facebook Group
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Free Medical Spanish Lessons & Terminology Downloads
Our goal is to help you improve your Spanish for free, so please use and share these free tools to learn Spanish terminology. These video lessons and downloads are completely free, so get yours today and share this page with your colleagues & coworkers who want free Spanish terminology as well!
We have packaged up free medical Spanish lessons just for you, so we hope you enjoy them! Some months we’ll publish free Spanish lessons every week. However, other months when we’re on medical Spanish immersion, we publish less content. Enjoy, and additionally, don’t for get to share with your colleagues!
Discussing PTSD in Spanish
PTSD is lesson 4 in our 5-lesson series on discussing mental health in Spanish. If you missed the previous lessons, be sure to check out the lessons on: depression, anxiety & substance abuse. In today’s lesson on PTSD in Spanish, you’ll learn about: Una descripción del trastorno (a description of the disorder)Los…
Discussing Substance Abuse in Spanish
In today’s lesson, we’re addressing topic #3 from the mental health survey that our community members asked to learn about: addiction & substance abuse in Spanish. Here is the Discussing Substance Abuse in Spanish lesson that I taught on YouTube and to our Facebook group: As we learn to talk about addiction and…
Discussing Anxiety in Spanish
This is Lesson 2 of 5 in our Mental Health in Spanish series. In this free Medical Spanish lesson, you will learn how to talk about anxiety in Spanish with your patients: Hablar sobre la ansiedad. In this lesson we’re looking at: Tipos de ansiedad / Types of anxiety Síntomas de la…
Discussing Depression in Spanish
This is Lesson 1 of 5 in our Mental Health in Spanish series. In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to talk about depression with your patients in Spanish: Cómo hablar sobre la depresión en español con tus pacientes. In this lesson we’re looking at: The SIG E CAPS…
Giving Clinical Recommendations in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson, you will learn how to give clinical recommendations in Spanish and how to start using the subjunctive: Cómo dar recomendaciones clínicas en español y empezar a usar el subjuntivo. This lesson will provide you with two ways to give clinical recommendations in Spanish: one for beginners…
Learning Medical Spanish – Upper Respiratory Infections in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to talk about upper respiratory infections in Spanish: Infecciones de las vías respiratorias superiores. We will be talking about: Respiratory symptoms / Síntomas respiratorios Related Anatomy / Anatomía relacionada Examination and analysis / Exámenes y análisis Questions to rule out causes /…
Learning Medical Spanish – Discussing Contraception Options in Spanish
When you talk about contraception in Spanish, you generally cover a handful of subtopics: cost, effectiveness, any STI protections, OTC vs prescriptions, etc. So in this free medical Spanish lesson, you will learn how to discuss various aspects of contraception, including: Efficacy of preventing pregnancies How long a particular method lasts and/or…
Tú Commands in Spanish for Healthcare and Clinical Interactions with Young Patients
Medical Spanish Tú commands are a little bit tricky. When you work with kids in the clinical setting, you use commands all the time. Simple things like: “open your mouth”, “say ah”, “follow my finger”, etc are all commands. The tricky part of Tú commands in Spanish is that the affirmative (+)…
Usted Commands for Medical Spanish in the Clinic
Giving instructions, suggestions and requesting things is a daily aspect of working with patients. In order to say something like: “sit down, please”, “follow me”, “wait here for a moment”, “breathe deeply”, “breathe normal”; you have to use the command form in Spanish. So in this free Medical Spanish lesson, you will…
2 Medical Spanish Ways To Say “For How Long” & “How Long Ago” in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn: How to use “¿Cuánto tiempo hace que… ?” and “¿Hace cuánto que…?” Examples in the clinical setting to start using these phrases Here is the “For How Long” and “How Long Ago” in Spanish lesson that I taught on YouTube and to our Facebook…
36 Medical Spanish Transition Words to Use in The Clinical Setting
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how 36 Medical Spanish Transition Words Notes TODAY: Palabras de transición para español médico. In this free Medical lesson you will learn: What is a transition word Types of transition words Examples to be used in the clinical setting Here is the 36…
Medical Spanish – How to Get Your Word Order Straight in Spanish
Do you ever feel like you know exactly what you want to say, and you have all the right words in Spanish, but you just can’t get them out in the right order? In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to get your word order straight in Spanish: Cómo…
Medical Spanish Adverbs of Location, Frequency & Manner
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to say use some medical Spanish adverbs of location, frequency and manner: adverbios de ubicación, frecuencia y manera en español médico. In this lesson you will learn: What an adverb is Adverbs of location in Spanish (The sloth lives up in the…
How To Talk About Coronavirus in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to talk about the Coronavirus in Spanish with your patients: Cómo hablar sobre el Coronavirus en español. In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn: Characteristics of the Coronavirus How it is transmitted Symptoms and Treatments Vulnerable populations How to prevent…
Mental Health Conversations in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to have Mental Health Conversations in Spanish with your patients: Conversaciones sobre salud mental. Here is the Mental Health Conversations in Spanish lesson that I taught to the Facebook group: Download the Mental Health in Spanish Notes TODAY In this free Spanish Medical…
192 Must Know Spanish Verbs for Healthcare
Verbs are the glue that stick all of your Spanish vocabulary together and allow you to string together complete thoughts in Spanish. In this lesson you will learn 192 essential verbs for Spanish communication in clinical settings. Here is the 192 Must-Know Spanish Verbs for Healthcare lesson that I taught to the Facebook…
High Blood Pressure and Hypertension conversations in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson, you will learn how to have high blood pressure and hypertension conversations in Spanish: Presión alta e hipertensión. Here is the High Blood Pressure and Hypertension conversations in Spanish that I taught to the Facebook group: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see all of our lessons and get…
Media Use in Children and Adolescents – Anticipatory Guidance in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson, you will learn how to talk about media use amongst children and adolescents in Spanish: Consumo de medios, tiempo de pantalla y redes sociales. In this lesson, I teach you how to discuss the following in Spanish: Common social media, TV and screen time vocabulary. Risks…
Smoking, Vaping & Tobacco Cessation in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson, you will learn how to talk about smoking, vaping, and tobacco cessation in Spanish: Fumar, vapear y dejar de usar tabaco. In this lesson you will learn: Tobacco-related vocabulary Tobacco risks for unborn babies Tobacco risks for babies and children Risk factors to start using tobacco…
Motivational Interviewing in Spanish
The first thing to learn is the different terms used in English and Spanish: Motivational Interview is Intervención Motivacional. In some Spanish speaking regions is also acceptable to say Entrevista Motivacional. These intervenciones motivacionales help people to control and talk through their own behaviors in order to be able to improve their…
Weight Loss and Management – Anticipatory Guidance in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to talk about weight loss and management anticipatory guidance in Spanish: Orientación temprana para controlar peso y evitar obesidad. Last week, we started this “Orientación temprana” topic talking about anticipatory guidance for diabetes. This week, we talk about weight loss and management…
Giving Spanish Anticipatory Guidance in Diabetes
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to cover the main details about anticipatory guidance in diabetes – and doing it in Spanish: Orientación temprana para diabetes. In this free medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to give anticipatory guidance in diabetes and discuss the following: How to…
2 Medical Spanish Pronunciation Rules to help you ACE medical Spanish words
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn two easy rules for making sure you’re pronouncing medical Spanish words properly. These 2 medical Spanish pronunciation rules apply to all Spanish words as well, and they’re especially great for all of you learners who are learning new vocabulary through self-study with your…
Learn Medical Spanish – Taking Family Medical History in Spanish
Family Medical histories in Spanish are an important aspect of gaining a patient’s complete medical history. In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn: Vocabulary for family members in Spanish Additional vocabulary for hereditary illnesses in Spanish Common questions regarding family history in Spanish Here is the Medical Spanish lesson on…
Learn Medical Spanish – 7 Easy Phrases for Communicating Treatment Plans in Spanish
In this free Medical Spanish lesson you will learn 7 easy phrases for communicating treatment plans in Spanish and being able to talk about them with your Latino patients. These 7 easy phrases include: Talking about future plans Explaining steps or instructions the patient must take Explaining things the patient has to…
7 Medical Spanish uses for PARA in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson teaches you 7 Medical Spanish uses for PARA in Spanish: ¿Para qué sirve PARA? 🙂 Last week, we learned how to use POR, so now it’s time to learn how to use PARA in Spanish in the medical setting, so that you can speak confidently with your Spanish…
6 Medical Spanish Uses for POR in Spanish
If you are not a native Spanish speaker, I’m sure 100% sure that you sometimes have to guess about whether you should use Para or Por in Spanish. In this lesson I help you figure out when to use POR in Spanish as we focus on using por in the medical setting.…
Tener Expressions – 13 Things You ARE in English but HAVE in Medical Spanish Contexts
This Free Medical Spanish lesson teaches you 13 Tener expressions, so that you know when to use HAVE in Spanish vs BE in English. These 13 tener expressions are used in everyday spoken language. However, the problem is that sometimes we just translate them literally into Spanish and they don’t make any…
Top 10 Prescription Medications Described in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson teaches you how to talk about the top 10 prescription medications described in Spanish: Top 10 medicamentos recetados descritos en español. In this medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to explain what each prescription medication is, their functions, how to take them and their side effects. Here…
Learn Medical Spanish – How to Explain Top 10 Hospital Procedures in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson teaches you how to explain the top 10 hospital procedures in Spanish to your Spanish speaking patients: 10 procedimientos hospitalarios más comunes. For each procedure, I discuss what the procedure is for. In this medical Spanish lesson you will learn how to explain the following hospital procedures in…
Medical Spanish Conditional Verbs and Patient Conversations
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on learning how to use Medical Spanish conditional verbs during conversations with patients: Verbos condicionales en español médico para conversar con los pacientes. The conditional tense helps you sound more pleasant when giving instructions and making requests in Spanish. In this medical Spanish lesson you will learn:…
Learn Medical Spanish – Numbers, Dates & Vital Signs in Spanish for Patient Intake Forms
This free Medical Spanish lesson focuses on learning how to express numbers, dates and vital signs in Spanish: Números, fechas y signos vitales en español. Numbers in Spanish form an integral part of the basic patient intake, and it’s crucial to be able to understand large numbers for checking patients in. In…
Learn Medical Spanish – Patient Intake Questions in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on learning how to ask Patient Intake Questions and talk through patient intake information in Spanish: Preguntas para Ingresar al Paciente. In this lesson you’ll notice that talking through basic patient demographic information on your intake forms requires a good command of numbers and requires special focus…
Learn Medical Spanish – How to ask “Have You Ever…?” questions to your patients in Spanish
Have you ever is a great phrase that gives you insight into your patient’s history with a given problem or his/her medical history. This free Medical Spanish lesson focuses on learning how to ask questions to your patients using the Have You Ever… in Spanish: ¿Alguna vez ha….? In this lesson you…
Learn Medical Spanish – 16 Organs and Their Functions in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on talking about 16 organs and their functions with your Spanish speaking patients: los órganos y sus funciones. In this lesson you will learn about: The name of these 16 organs in Spanish. The main function of each of them to be able to explain it to…
Learn Medical Spanish – Talking About Palliative Care in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on talking through initial conversation around palliative care in Spanish with your Latino patients: Atención paliativa. Palliative care is a delicate topic as you speak with patients with severe illnesses and you definitely want to make sure you’ve got language support with you as you are discussing…
Learn Medical Spanish – Talking through Signs and Symptoms in Spanish with your patients
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on talking through the different signs and symptoms in Spanish your patient could have when they see you in the clinic. In this lesson you will learn about: Two important Spanish verbs you need to learn in order to talk about signs and symptoms in Spanish. Useful…
Learn Medical Spanish – Discussing Back Pain in Spanish
This free Medical Spanish lesson focuses on discussing back pain in Spanish: el dolor de espalda. In this lesson I teach on common causes of back pain anatomy of the back and areas that are commonly painful pain descriptions in Spanish common tests and procedures to assess back pain Here is the Medical…
Learn Medical Spanish – Discussing Headaches in Spanish
This Free Medical Spanish lesson focuses on discussing headaches in Spanish: el dolor de cabeza. In this lesson, we’re discussing stress headaches, migraines, cluster headaches, sinus pain, strokes, concussions and vision problems. For each cause of headaches, I’m sharing a basic description in Spanish and some simple tests and procedures. Here is the…
Learn Medical Spanish – Questions and Phrases to Assess Child Abuse and Neglect in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on learning how assess child abuse and neglect in Spanish. This is a delicate topic requested by a community member who wanted to know the best vocabulary to talk about child abuse and neglect in Spanish with Spanish speaking parents (and children) in a respectful way that…
Learn Medical Spanish – How To Talk About and Evaluate Chest Pain in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on talking about and evaluating chest pain in Spanish: el dolor de pecho. Here is the Medical Spanish lesson I taught to the Facebook group: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see all of our lessons and get the latest videos right away! Download Chest Pain in Spanish Notes TODAY…
Learn Medical Spanish – Less Common Causes of Abdominal Pain in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on learning how to talk about the less common causes of abdominal pain in Spanish: Causas menos comunes del dolor abdominal. Here is the Medical Spanish lesson I taught to the Facebook group: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see all of our lessons and get the latest…
Learn Medical Spanish – How To Talk About Abdominal Pain in Spanish
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on learning how to talk about abdominal pain in Spanish: dolor abdominal o dolor de estómago. Some time ago, we talked about how to talk about pain in Spanish, so in this case we are going to be more specific and talk about abdominal pain and the…
Latino Culture & Healthcare: Natural Medicines, Home Remedies & Alternative Treatments
This is the last topic related to Latino Culture & Healthcare. In this case doña Sandra and I were talking about natural medicines, home remedies & alternative treatments some Latino patients tend to take while getting medical attention. In general, the rule of thumb with alternative medicine is to recognize their use, assess whether…
5 Tricky Medical Spanish Words: Stop, Failure, Stay, Keep & Free
This free Medical Spanish lesson focuses on understanding the different meanings of these 5 tricky medical Spanish words: Stop, Failure, Stay, Keep, and Free Some time ago, we talked 4 tricky medical words in Spanish: back, butt, rate, and screen. In this case, I have added 5 new ones I think you…
Latino Culture & Healthcare: Allowing Enough Time and Space for your Latino Patients
This is the fourth topic related to Latino Culture & Healthcare. In this case doña Sandra and I were talking about allowing enough time and space for your Latino patients to build a positive rapport with you… Some of the questions that doña Sandra addressed in this conversation are: How important is it…
Latino Culture & Healthcare: The Influence of Religion and Faith with your Latino Patients
This is the third topic related to Latino Culture & Healthcare that I discussed with doña Sandra while on Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica. Faith and Religion may play a more important role in the perspective of your Latino Patient than you might expect. In this video, Sandra and I discuss different…
Body Parts and 31 Medical Spanish Prepositions Explained
This Medical Spanish Video Viernes lesson focuses on explaining the Body Parts and how to use 31 Medical Spanish Prepositions. Also, at the end of the post, you should find other prepositions you could find useful. They are not so common as those ones I explained in the video but you could…
Latino Culture & Healthcare: Latino Patients and the Influence of Families
This is the second topic related to Latino Culture & Healthcare. In this case doña Sandra and I were talking about Latino Patients and the influence of families. Specifically, the importance of family and its influence on Latino patients. Some of the questions that doña Sandra addressed are: What is the meaning…
Latino Culture and Healthcare: Authority and Power Differences between Providers and Patients
The fact that many Latino patients view healthcare providers as an authority figure affects the relationship you have with your patients. This conversation is intended to help you understand this perspective, lower barriers between you and your patients, and give you some language tools to help you involve your patients in care…
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