Spanish for Healthcare Professionals Graduate Certificate
This graduate certificate is tailored for students in the Colleges of Medicine, Allied Health, and Nursing as well as for healthcare professionals. Focusing on the multiple dimensions of effective communication-- language-related, cultural, and ethical-- the program prepares learners to serve the growing monolingual Spanish-speaking and Limited English populations (LEP) in the United States.
Certificate Description
The 4-course program is for current and future healthcare professionals interested in building or expanding their Spanish-language and cultural skills. Each class builds on language and vocabulary at the same time as medical terminology. Besides language proficiency the program also equips students with the requisite cultural competency to treat Spanish-speaking patient populations with sensitivity and respect in healthcare settings. The certificate consists of 12 credit hours earned by taking three fully online courses and by doing a practicum at a University of South Alabama-approved healthcare facility either within the United States or in a Spanish-speaking country.
Admission Requirements
- A Bachelor's degree in any field.
- A grade point average of 3.0 or greater (A=4.0) on all undergraduate work.
- International applicants whose native language is not English must have a minimum score of 550 on the written TOEFL, or a minimum score of 79 in the internet-based TOEFL, or a minimum band score of 6.5 on the IELTS, or a minimum overall score of 58 on the PTE academic test, or a minimum score of 100 on the Duolingo test.
- A GRE score is not required. Each application will be reviewed by the Program Director, who reviews all applications holistically. This Director may reserve the right to evaluate additional credentials, such as but not limited to course work taken and letters of recommendation.
Certificate Requirements
The core classes for this certificate program are defined as LG 511, Introductory Spanish for Healthcare professionals, LG 512, Intermediate Spanish for Healthcare Professionals, LG 513, Advanced Spanish for Healthcare professionals, and LG 514, Practicum: Spanish for Healthcare Professionals. The student will complete a minimum of 9 credit hours of classwork courses and 3 credit hours practicum.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| LG 511 | Intro Span for Health Profs | 3 |
| LG 512 | Inter Span for Health Profs | 3 |
| LG 513 | Adv Span for Health Profs | 3 |
| LG 514 | Pract Span for Health Profs | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |