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Program Directors

First Year Students Beginning Spanish Speakers Rural Track

First Year Students Advanced Beginner/ Intermediate Spanish Speakers Urban Clinics and Hospitals

Fourth Year Students and Residents Beginning Spanish Speakers Rural Health Track

Fourth Year Students and Residents Advanced Beginner/ Intermediate Spanish Speakers Rural Clinics and Hospitals

Fourth Year Students and Residents Advanced Beginner/ Intermediate Spanish Speakers Urban Clinics and Hospitals

 

Fourth Year Medical Students

and Resident Physicians

Beginning Spanish Speakers

January 30 - February 26, 2011

 

The Interhealth South America beginning speakers´ program is a study tour and service introduction to Ecuadorian and South American primary and community health care, integrated with immersion medical Spanish language instruction for fourth year medical students and primary care residents. For the first week of the program participants live with Ecuadorian families while participating in orientation activities and language study. The middle two weeks the group visits healthcare facilities in the high Andes Mountains, and works with rural community health brigades and local indigenous health activities. During the final week travel is to the upper Amazon River basin rain forest to take part in health programs and educational activities. The language portion of the program emphasizes medical vocabulary acquisition and use for beginning Spanish speakers. Directors are North American physicians who remain in Ecuador with participants the entire period of the program. Program components include:

* Seminar introduction to healthcare provision in South America

* Participation in group community health brigades

* Observation of primary and community healthcare programs

* Participation in local indigenous health activities

* Tours of Andes Mountain and upper Amazon River basin rain forest sites demonstrating a variety of natural environments

* Formal beginning level medical Spanish language instruction

* Interactive introduction to medical interviewing in Spanish

* Family homestay for a portion of the program

 

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES:

1. Completion of at least third year of medical school

2. Interest in taking part in international education programs in a group context

3. No previous study of Spanish language required