Medical Spanish Programs in Costa Rica and Ecuador
Medical Spanish immersion and community health education in Latin America, built for medical students. February and July every year.
We are based in both countries. That is the difference between a program that sends students to Latin America and one that operates there. Our staff and our community partnerships are on the ground year round.
This is not a clinical program. You are not placed in a hospital or clinic, and you do not observe or assist in patient care. The patient-facing work here is community health education. You work directly with community members, in Spanish, on health topics those communities identified.
Why Costa Rica and Ecuador
Costa Rica
Costa Rica has one of the strongest public health systems in Latin America and a long record of universal coverage. Living there gives you a view of how a country organizes preventive and primary care at a population level.
Ecuador
Ecuador offers a wider range of community settings, from urban neighborhoods to rural parishes, and a broader spectrum of the health problems communities are managing themselves.
Both are Spanish-speaking, and both are places we have worked for years.
Who This Is For
Medical students at any stage, and international medical graduates building Spanish for practice in the United States.
There is no Spanish minimum. Instruction is set to your level.
Your cohort is interprofessional. You work alongside nursing, PA, pharmacy and public health students.
Timing and Length
When
Twice a year, February and July.
Length
Three and four week programs within a four-week block. Start dates and lengths are flexible in most cases.
What the Program Includes
Documentation
Records of hours and activities for your school.
Community health education
Work in underserved communities on health topics those communities identified, delivered in Spanish and prepared extensively before departure.
Medical Spanish instruction
Roughly 20 hours a week at our partner language school, oriented toward history taking, patient communication, and clinical vocabulary. This is the core of the program and the reason most students come.
Host family lodging
One student per household.
What this is, and what it is not
Short-term international health work has a poor record when it is designed around what visitors want to do rather than what communities need. A great deal of harm has been done by programs that place undertrained students in care settings.
We do not do that, and we are direct about it. You will not be in a hospital. You will not observe patient care. What you will get is Spanish good enough to use with patients when you get home, and a working understanding of how another country organizes health for its population.
For most students that turns out to be the more useful of the two.
For Medical Schools and Faculty
We build custom programs, faculty-led cohorts, and group enrollment for medical schools. See our programs for institutions or request a proposal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Reserve Your Spot
Reserve your spot, or call (888) 879-2575. Related programs: global health electives, emergency medicine rotations, and all international rotations.
