Spanish for the Health Professions Undergraduate Certificate
Introduction
Please click here to see Modern Languages department information.
The Undergraduate Certificate in Spanish for the Healthcare Professions seeks to facilitate effective communication between healthcare professionals and their Spanish speaking patients and clients. To enhance mutual understanding, which is of critical importance within a healthcare setting, students will learn to speak, comprehend, read, and write in Spanish, with a focus on specialized vocabulary and medical communication, and will acquire intercultural competence.
This certificate is available to all students across the University, as well as non-degree-seeking professionals with a prior degree who are seeking to increase their skill set.
Program Delivery
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This program can be completed entirely online, or it can combine online and on-campus and/or Study Abroad classes approved by the certificate advisor.
Declaring This Certificate
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You must complete the Application for the Certificate (available on the Department webpage). This requires an unofficial transcript from CU Denver showing that you are a current undergraduate student, or a copy of former transcripts indicating an undergraduate degree has been previously granted. This must be completed prior to completing the coursework (and applying for graduation, if you are a degree-seeking student) for the certificate.
- If you are a non-degree seeking student, you can apply by downloading and completing the Application for Non-Degree Admission online. After your application for admission has been approved, you will be able to enroll for certificate courses.
- For questions about the Spanish for the Health Professions certificate program contact Dr. Marisa Fernández (maria.fernandezmartinez@ucdenver.edu).
These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their Spanish for the Health Professions advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
General Requirements
Students must satisfy all requirements as outlined below and by the department offering the certificate.
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Click here for information about Academic Policies
Certificate Requirements
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Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours from approved courses.
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Students must complete six SPAN upper division (3000-level and above) credit hours.
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Students must earn a minimum grade of C (2.0) in all courses that apply to the certificate and must achieve a minimum cumulative certificate GPA of 2.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to certificate requirements.
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Students must complete a minimum of nine credit hours from approved courses with a minimum of six SPAN credit hours, with CU Denver faculty.
Certificate Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations
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If you have questions about your level of proficiency, please see the certificate advisor for guidance regarding placement.
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Electives with a health communication focus may be approved in consultation with certificate advisor.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following two courses, according to your Spanish proficiency level: | 6 | |
| Spanish for the Healthcare Professions I | ||
or SPAN 5740 | Spanish for the Healthcare Professions I | |
| Spanish for the Healthcare Professions II | ||
or SPAN 5750 | Spanish for the Healthcare Professions II | |
| Complete two courses from the following list of electives: 1 | 6 | |
| Immigrant Health | ||
| Ethnicity, Health and Social Justice | ||
| Chicano/a and Latino/a History | ||
| Culture, Racism and Alienation | ||
| Latino Families in School and Communities | ||
| Abuelos (Grandparents) Latino Families | ||
| Psychology of Cultural Diversity | ||
| Health Disparities | ||
| Sociology of Health Care | ||
| Second Year Spanish I (For students with a beginner level of Spanish proficiency) | ||
| Second Year Spanish II (For students with an intermediate level of Spanish proficiency) | ||
| Writing for Latinos | ||
| Advanced Spanish Grammar | ||
Another elective course with a health communication focus may be approved in consultation with the certificate advisor. | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
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Some courses may have prerequisites that apply.
Learning Spanish requires constant practice of the five skills involved in second language acquisition: speaking and listening, writing, reading, and cultural knowledge. All coursework, assessments and learning outcomes designed for this program align seamlessly with the steady improvement of these five skills.
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
- Communicate with their patients in Spanish in a culturally sensitive way.
- Write in Spanish, using the learned medical vocabulary in appropriate contexts. Write questions, instructions, prescriptions, diagnoses, etc., in Spanish.
- Read and comprehend Spanish articles related to the Healthcare field.
- Express an understanding of the cultural beliefs and social structures that affect men’s and women’s health in Latin America and the USA.