Student and Faculty Diversity is Insufficient to Ensure High-Quality Medical Spanish Education in US Medical Schools

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health 2021-10, Vol.23 (5), p.1105-1109
• Main Authors: Ortega, Pilar, Shin, Tiffany M., Francone, Nicolás O., Santos, Maria Paola, Girotti, Jorge A., Varjavand, Nielufar, Park, Yoon Soo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brief Communication; College faculty; Comparative Law; Curricula; Education; Electives; Health care; Health services; Institutional aspects; International & Foreign Law; Medical education; Medical schools; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Private International Law; Public Health; Recruitment; Schools; Sociology; Students; Teachers; Workplace diversity
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-021-01198-4

Medical Spanish education aims to reduce linguistic barriers in healthcare and has historically been led by Hispanic/Latinx students and faculty, often without formal training or institutional support. We surveyed 158 US medical schools about their medical Spanish programs. We then examined national trends in Underrepresented in Medicine and Hispanic/Latinx faculty and students as factors associated with meeting medical Spanish basic standards for curricula, educators, assessment, and course credit. We received responses from 125 schools (79%), of which 98 (78%) reported offering some form of medical Spanish. Schools with greater racial/ethnic diversity were more likely to have medical Spanish required courses (P-values