Medical Spanish curriculum: a five-year retrospective analysis of physician assistant student performance.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of medical Spanish instruction by assessing Spanish language comprehension in physician assistant (PA) education. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of Spanish pretest and posttest performance for all PA students who completed the University ofTexas...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Physician Assistant Education (Physician Assistant Education Association) Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 14 - 17
Autores principales: Forister JG, González CM
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Physician Assistant Education Association 2009
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of medical Spanish instruction by assessing Spanish language comprehension in physician assistant (PA) education. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of Spanish pretest and posttest performance for all PA students who completed the University ofTexas Southwestern (UTSW) PA Program between 2004 and 2008 (N = 171). The intervention involved having each student complete five credit hours (75 contact hours) of medical Spanish over three semesters. Results: The mean examination performance of all classes combined improved by 11.5%. This difference of the means was statistically significant (95% CI = 10% to 13%; paired t-test, t= 14.96; P< 0.0001). Each of the five classes improved; however, the mean examination scores of nonnative speakers improved more than those of native speakers. Conclusions: Medical Spanish instruction to PA students provides a basis for the development of foreign language competency for use in the clinical setting.