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Spanish for the Healthcare Professional
Basic Spanish for Healthcare Professionals is a relatively new offering of the Allied Health Department of Northwestern CT Community College in Winsted. This March, the one-credit course will be offered for only the third time, and it will be held at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington. The luxury of its small size, with enrollment capped at 20, makes this class special. Its popularity is due in part to its growing reputation and partly to the fact that the hospital supports its staff members who take the course.
Basic Spanish for Healthcare Professionals targets beginning Spanish learners who have had little or no Spanish; however, a background in high school Spanish has been found to be helpful to those who have taken the class. Because the students come prepared for an academic challenge, the pace of the class is brisk. The environment is song-filled, with bashful doctors, nurses, psychologists and others—who claim not to be musically inclined—having fun as they are taught to use catchy phrases and silly songs as useful learning tools. They also delight in the humor of role-playing, situational dialogues, mystery games, and body part Bingo.
The first part of the class covers general Spanish, such as greetings, farewells and forming questions. It then glides into terminology that is targeted specifically to medical professionals. The instructor is well qualified with a master's degree in Spanish from Middlebury College. She has 13 years of teaching experience; six of those have been at Northwestern.
For most students who have taken Basic Spanish for Healthcare Professionals, time seems to fly and they are eager to continue with a follow-up class. Linda Ripley, CMA, a student who took the class, shared her perspective: "The class is fun and fast-paced, you learn a lot, and it makes you want to continue on with the learning."
If you are interested in having this course taught at your institution, call the Allied Health Department of Northwestern CT Community College at 860-738-6308, or the CT Office of Rural Health at 860-738-6378.
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