Reflections on my healthcare Spanish journey

So far in this class, I have learned a lot of Spanish words and phrases that can be specifically useful in healthcare. Before this class, I knew some basic phrases, but I did not know many words that would be useful to talking to a patient. I have been slowly learning how to talk about different health problems, how to ask simple questions, give some commands, and communicate with patients in an emergency room. I may not be very skilled yet, but it is a start. Even small things can help do good things. 

 

One challenge I have had is pronunciation. In some cases, we use the phrase "it is easier said than done" well in my case. It is easier done then said. Phrases can be hard for me to pronounce especially when I forget that some letters are silent or make an entirely different sound then the ones in English. I have been working on this by practicing phrases more than once as well as breaking them down. Practicing has made me more comfortable. 

 

Instead of only memorizing vocabulary. I have learned to think about a phrase or topic from different points of views. I can connect Spanish words and phrases to real situation in healthcare. This helped me understand that learning medical Spanish is not about earning individual words but also knowing how to communicate fully with another person. 

One thing that surprised me was how even though many phrases can be hard to remember, there are also simple phrases. and simple phrases can be very very important. Like asking where something hurts, asking if someone is alright or if they can walk, or saying help is on the way can make some huge differences if you know simple words. You don't need to be fluent at all in Spanish to help someone. I realized that knowing just a few simple words helps the most. 

 

Contrary to my initial expectations I have found the learning Spanish is useful, fun, and interesting. It has befitted me in many ways. My goal is to continue improving my pronunciation and continue expanding my vocabulary. As well as the ability to understand Spanish on a faster level when someone is speaking to me. I want to be more comfortable speaking Spanish for the future. Of course I joined this class to for the better of healthcare. But my main motivation....is to finally be able to have a conversation with my grandparents once and for all.

Thank you to my instructor and classmate.