Presented By: Veronica Marie Benitez, Nova Southeastern University
Co-Authors: Kyle Bauckman, Nova Southeastern University
Rolando De Leon, Nova Southeastern University

Purpose 
 6% of non-Hispanic white physicians express Spanish-language proficiency, in contrast to 69%-92% of Latino doctors. Paradoxically, the number of Latino physicians has declined over the past three decades. Communication disconnects between Spanish-speaking patients and healthcare providers are associated with adverse outcomes, longer hospital admissions, reduced access to care, and lower service quality. Medical schools in the U.S. have incorporated some form of Spanish training into their curricula to address these disparities. How these projects are integrated into the longitudinal curriculum has yet to be explored. Currently, our institution lacks a framework for a medical Spanish program. We aim to develop guidelines for meaningful implementation of medical Spanish for all fluency levels to augment a more equitable patient care experience.

Methods
Medical Spanish modules were reviewed and evaluated for its use as an effective and feasible medical Spanish program. The online platform's three levels were compared alongside our first-year pre-clinical curriculum.

Results 
Medical Spanish learning modules are an efficient framework to teaching medical Spanish in parallel to the ongoing curriculum. Tailored implementation of the online platform alongside the pre-clinical curriculum allows students to adapt the patient interview skills necessary to lead clinical interactions in Spanish.

Conclusions 
By engaging in a language program, medical students can make significant strides to improve Spanish language proficiency and minimize the language barrier that is linked to adverse health outcomes among Spanish-speaking populations. We aim to explore optimal integration of medical Spanish modules within pre-clinical curricula and its perception by students following clerkship rotations.