Nothing stops us!
The Covid crisis did not stop us and these months of September and October 2021 IHCAI Institute will carry out its seventh and eighth edition of the online medical Spanish course called “Give Me Five”. It is part of the catalog of options of the P010 family, which includes several modalities of Spanish aimed at students and professionals in the health sciences who need it as a working tool for their patients.
Both months will be held with senior medical students from Harvard Medical School, with which IHCAI has an academic agreement spanning almost 20 years of history. Previous editions with HMS and BU have shown that it is possible to teach a second language successfully at a distance. This is confirmed by the results of the evaluations of the six previous editions.
Taking the technological leap in distance learning was a challenge for the entire language department of the Institute. It was assumed with enthusiasm and also with some haste, motivated by the Covid-19 crisis that completely paralyzed the normal flow of students in the high season at our facilities in Costa Rica. However, because some teaching materials had already been modified with the future establishment of this type of course in mind, the jump was easier.
The achievements are produced by several elements that are combined to generate a qualitative change in the level of Spanish of the students who participate. First, the excellent profile of students who are highly motivated, hard-working, and genuinely sensibility to the Latino migrant population living in the United States. Second, the method and materials of the Institute that has been improving its educational resources since 2001, when it took our first medical Spanish course. And thirdly, excellent instructors who manage to drive the process dynamically and consistently.
In the case of Harvard Medical School, the formula is reinforced by a series of activities with the involvement of academics and the Latino population that seeks to compensate for the lack of cultural immersion, which is always a key factor in learning a second language.
IHCAI Institute thanks, once again, the trust and work of the Harvard authorities who make this valuable experience possible:
Nicte Mejia, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Director of Neurology Community Health, Diversity and Inclusion, and Departmental Community Health Improvement at MGH.
&
Kari Hannibal, Program Manager, Harvard Medical School. Office of Scholarly Engagement.
Faculty Team of Give Me Five 2021
Spanish Language Department:
Prof. Yuri Baidal / Program Coordinator
Prof. Alba Vargas / Spanish instructor –Grammar emphasis
Prof. Kenneth Porras Barahona / Spanish instructor –Floating classes emphasis
Clinical scenarios:
Prof. Franz Biehl / Clinical scenarios instructor – Clinical emphasis
Prof. Pía Robert / Clinical scenarios instructor – Clinical emphasis
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¡A todos y todas les deseo un mes fructífero e inolvidable!
Dr. Mario Tristan
Director General
IHCAI Institute
