Medical Spanish lessons for EMTs and paramedics
Become Fluent teaches EMTs and paramedics the Spanish they need on the scene: introducing yourself, checking responsiveness, asking about pain, allergies and medication, and explaining what happens next. Lessons are private, one-on-one and online, 60 minutes each, and built around your service and your level, from A1 to C1 and above. Practice is built for short, urgent exchanges, where you have seconds to be clear. Your tutor has 15 years of teaching experience and an MA in Romance Languages.
Typical encounters
| Encounter | What you say | What you hear |
|---|---|---|
| Arriving on scene | Introduce yourself and your team, calm the patient and ask what happened. | A frightened account, often from the patient, a relative or a bystander at once. |
| Primary assessment | Check responsiveness and breathing and give simple commands: look at me, squeeze my hand. | Short answers, and signs the patient does not understand you. |
| Chest pain and breathing | Ask where it hurts, how long, and whether it spreads to the arm or back. | Descriptions of pressure, burning or shortness of breath in everyday words. |
| Trauma and falls | Ask what happened, where it hurts and whether the patient can move, and tell them not to move. | Accounts of the accident, and questions about whether they will be all right. |
| History, allergies and medication | Ask about allergies, medication, conditions and the last meal. | Names of medication, often by brand or by what the pills look like. |
| Transport and handoff | Explain you are taking the patient to the hospital, and answer the family's questions. | Worry, requests to come along and questions about the cost. |
Sample dialogue: chest pain on scene
| Speaker | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Paramedic | Buenas tardes. Somos paramédicos. ¿Cómo se llama? | Good afternoon. We are paramedics. What is your name? |
| Patient | Me llamo Luis Herrera. | My name is Luis Herrera. |
| Paramedic | Señor Herrera, ¿qué le pasó? | Mr. Herrera, what happened? |
| Patient | Me duele el pecho y me falta el aire. | My chest hurts and I can't catch my breath. |
| Paramedic | ¿Desde cuándo tiene el dolor? | How long have you had the pain? |
| Patient | Desde hace media hora. | For half an hour. |
| Paramedic | ¿Siente el dolor en el brazo o en la espalda? | Do you feel the pain in your arm or your back? |
| Patient | Sí, en el brazo izquierdo. | Yes, in my left arm. |
| Paramedic | ¿Es alérgico a algún medicamento? | Are you allergic to any medication? |
| Patient | Soy alérgico a la penicilina. | I am allergic to penicillin. |
| Paramedic | Vamos a llevarlo al hospital ahora mismo. Respire despacio. | We are taking you to the hospital right now. Breathe slowly. |
A 10-session outline
- Assessment and goals. Your level, your service area and the calls you run most often.
- Arriving on scene. Introductions, calming the patient and asking what happened.
- Responsiveness and commands. Short, clear instructions that a frightened patient can follow.
- Pain and breathing. Where, how bad, since when and whether it spreads.
- Trauma and falls. What happened, what hurts and telling the patient not to move.
- Allergies, medication and history. The questions you ask on every call, quickly and clearly.
- Body parts and symptoms. Everyday words and regional variation.
- Family, bystanders and consent. Explaining what you are doing and why, and answering worried relatives.
- Transport and handoff. Telling the patient what happens next, and a short report for the receiving team.
- A full simulated call. A call from dispatch to handoff, with feedback and a plan for the next sessions.
Your plan is adjusted to your service and your level after the first lesson.
Your tutor
- Ross Torres, founder of Become Fluent
- 15 years of teaching experience
- MA in Romance Languages, University of New Orleans
- Certificate in Spanish-English legal interpretation, San Francisco State University
- Native English and Spanish speaker
These lessons are language training. They are not a clinical qualification or an interpreter qualification.
Book a free 30-minute trial lesson
Tell us your role and where you are with Spanish. Your tutor will plan the first lessons around them.
Book a free 30-minute trial lesson