Medical Spanish lessons for physicians and residents
Become Fluent teaches physicians and residents the Spanish they use in the patient visit: taking a history, explaining an exam and giving discharge and medication instructions. Lessons are private, one-on-one and online, 60 minutes each, and built around your specialty and your level, from A1 to C1 and above. Your tutor has 15 years of teaching experience and an MA in Romance Languages.
Typical encounters
| Encounter | What you say | What you hear |
|---|---|---|
| Opening the visit | Greet the patient, ask what brings them in and ask about the main complaint. | A description of the symptom in the patient's own words, often fast and informal. |
| Taking the history | Ask about onset, duration, severity, medications, allergies and past illnesses. | Answers with regional words for symptoms and body parts. |
| Review of systems | Run through the body systems with short yes or no questions. | Short answers, hesitations and follow-up questions. |
| Exam instructions | Ask the patient to breathe in, turn, lie down or tell you where it hurts. | The patient's questions and reactions during the exam. |
| Explaining the plan | Explain a finding and next steps in plain language, then check understanding. | Concerns, objections and questions about what comes next. |
| Discharge and medication | Give clear instructions on medication, follow-up and when to return. | The patient repeating the instructions back, with mistakes to correct. |
Sample dialogue: the start of a history
| Speaker | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Physician | Buenos días. ¿Qué lo trae hoy? | Good morning. What brings you in today? |
| Patient | Tengo dolor en el pecho desde ayer. | I have had chest pain since yesterday. |
| Physician | ¿Dónde le duele exactamente? | Where exactly does it hurt? |
| Patient | Aquí, en el centro. | Here, in the center. |
| Physician | ¿El dolor es constante o va y viene? | Is the pain constant, or does it come and go? |
| Patient | Va y viene. Es peor cuando camino. | It comes and goes. It is worse when I walk. |
| Physician | ¿Toma algún medicamento? | Do you take any medication? |
| Patient | Sí, tomo pastillas para la presión. | Yes, I take pills for blood pressure. |
| Physician | ¿Es alérgico a algún medicamento? | Are you allergic to any medication? |
| Patient | No, no tengo alergias. | No, I have no allergies. |
A 10-session outline
- Assessment and goals. Your level, your specialty and the situations you meet at work.
- The opening of the visit. Greetings, introducing yourself and asking the reason for the visit.
- Describing symptoms. Onset, duration, location and severity.
- Medications and allergies. Questions and answers about what the patient takes.
- Past, family and social history. Illnesses, family history, work and daily habits.
- Review of systems. Fast, clear yes or no questions across the body systems.
- Exam instructions. Commands and questions during the physical exam.
- Explaining a diagnosis. Plain-language explanations and checking understanding.
- Medication and discharge instructions. Instructions for the patient to follow, and when to come back.
- A full simulated visit. A complete visit with feedback and a plan for the next sessions.
Your plan is adjusted to your specialty 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