Marymount University Supports Students with Medical Spanish Scholarships
Our organization recognizes Marymount University for its contribution of six scholarships for our Latinx Patient: Spanish & Culture virtual program. This fall, their Center for Global Education has supported their students who aspire to work in healthcare-related fields.
These scholarship recipients from Marymount University will learn how to support the underserved Latinx community that has shown a need for healthcare workers who have the language skills and cultural knowledge to support Latinx patients. The Center for Global Education has provided these select students an opportunity to gain new perspective as they prepare to enter their respective careers connected to healthcare.
Read on to learn more about their institution’s motivation and passion for supporting their students!
Jennifer Crystle, Marymount University’s Center for Global Education, Associate Director
Marymount is proud to be recognized as an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Earlier this year, Marymount launched the “Avanzamos” initiative to formalize our efforts to continue to support our growing Hispanic student population and an inclusive campus community. In order to support this initiative, the Center for Global Education is turning its attention to the internationalization of the Marymount curriculum. We are specifically considering ways to ensure that our language offerings meet the needs of our students and prepare them for work and life in an increasingly global world.
Victor Belancourt, Marymount University’s Center for Global Education, Executive Director
We are excited to partner with EdOdyssey to offer Marymount students the opportunity to earn a certificate in Medical Spanish. In order to show our support for these types of language initiatives, the Center for Global Education has offered six full scholarships for students to complete the certificate program this fall.
As part of the program, students will learn approaches to the uses of Spanish language in real, relevant healthcare scenarios and gain a deeper understanding of medical practices and public health factors involving Hispanic patients. With our strong programs in Nursing and Health professions, the Medical Spanish certificate will allow students to further distinguish themselves in competitive healthcare fields.
Amidst a global pandemic, Marymount University’s has directly addressed the need for better patient support for the at-risk Latinx community. According to Amanda Machado, below are two important reasons why the need for this support is so dire:
More than one-fourth of Latino adults in the United States lack a usual healthcare provider and almost half of Latinos never visit a medical professional during the course of the year.
Latinos are more likely than members of other groups to delay healthcare for an illness or drop out of treatment when symptoms disappear.
These Latinx patients need more support, and with that in mind, current and aspiring medical professionals in the field will need to be prepared for the future of healthcare. Massachusetts General Hospital Primary Care Physician, Carolina Abuelo, reported in August 2020 that the need and demand for healthcare workers with Medical Spanish language competencies is more important now than ever:
“The U.S. Census Bureau projects that Hispanic people will comprise nearly 25% of the U.S. population by 2045. Yet nationwide, the proportion of physicians who identify themselves as Spanish-speaking is less than 6%.”
“Language and cultural barriers are compounding trauma for populations who are already disproportionately enduring the pandemic. At Massachusetts General Hospital, we went from seeing approximately 10% Spanish-language patients to more than 50% during a surge in April.”
We want to thank the Global Center for Education at Marymount University again for their contribution and their passion for supporting the Latinx Patient: Spanish & Culture for Healthcare program.
Is your school or institution also seeking ways to provide students more access to meaningful virtual, global programming? Please contact us here if you wish to learn more about our Latinx program or if you wish to collaborate with us for future semesters!
Sources:
Abuelo, Carolina. “The U.S. Needs More Spanish-Speaking Doctors” https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2020-08-25/why-we-need-more-spanish-speaking-doctors 25, August, 2020.
Machado, Amanda. “Why Latinos Dread Going to the Doctor” https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/05/why-many-latinos-dread-going-to-the-doctor/361547/ 7, May, 2020.
