Health Services and Medical Spanish Program

  Guatemala

Quetzaltenango,  Xela

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: All year round, beginning the first and third Monday of each month and continues for at least four weeks.

Description: Spanish for Medical Professionals - Learn Medical Spanish in the Pop-Wuj Clinic by immersing yourself into the culture of Guatemalan. The clinical experience in the Pop-Wuj Clinic is suitable for an elective rotation for medicine students and credits are given by most Medical Schools.

One of the most important goals of Pop Wuj's Medical Program is to increase students' cultural competency in addition to their language skills. To deliver healthcare in a compassionate way, with the knowledge of the culture and history of the population one works with, is an essential value to Pop Wuj's vision of the Medical Program.

For participants, the medical program gives the opportunity for a better understanding of the origin, development, treatment, and cultural characteristics of certain illnesses. Participants are encouraged to select and research a health topic of interest, develop an essay, and, toward the end of the program, present their work to other participants in a round-table discussion atmosphere. Frequently, program participants have used these essays to give health education presentations to patients who wait their turn in a clinic waiting room or beneficiaries of other Pop Wuj community development projects. This is a significant part of preventative medicine and education for many community members. These presentations and round-table discussions are given completely in Spanish and provide program participants of all levels the opportunity to demonstrate their progress.

As the student's Spanish language ability becomes more proficient, patient interactions become more frequent. This is determined by the student, the teacher, and the clinic director. By the end of the student's stay, much of his/her participation in the medical program consists of clinical activity. Clinical activity begins the second week of the program and is contingent upon participation in the supplemental curriculum.

It is important that participants in the Medical program understand that it will be difficult to have time for tourist activities. It is possible to travel on the weekend, however the week is well structured with classes and activities. In addition, it will be a different experience from those entered in the regular immersion program with additional hours for clinic time, lectures, and mobile clinics.

Highlights: There are four core components to our program: (1) language instruction, (2) a home stay with a local family, (3) a supplemental curriculum, and (4) clinical exerience for qualified individuals.

The program's foundation is the one-on-one classroom setting. The goal of the classroom sessions is to give every student the tools necessary to take a history and perform a physical examination in Spanish or address simple healthcare needs. Outside the classroom, students have access to medical conferences (topics ranging from the Guatemalan healthcare system to endemic diseases to local, non-traditional medicines), which are simultaneously translated from Spanish to English, and hands-on clinical volunteer experience. Additionally, medical students, nurses, and doctors studying at Pop Wuj can receive further history and physical tutoring from Guatemalan medical students and residents.

The way the program is structured is all students have 4 hours a day of individualized language instruction and participate in the medical program the other 2-5 hours a day. During the beginning of the student's stay, the medical program consists more of the supplemental curriculum including cultural competency lectures, workshops, and observation at clinics. We feel it is important that patients encounter compassion and understanding, in accordance to their own traditional beliefs and value systems, which every human being deserves. For this reason, Pop Wuj offers cultural competency lectures in the first week. Topics include historical, socio-cultural, and economic information in relation to healthcare delivery and issues in Guatemala. This information complements what is learned in the classroom and clinical placement. As mentioned before, cultural competency is an important part of the mission of Pop Wuj--to be dedicated to the respect and understanding of the beliefs, values, and traditions that form the foundation and survival of the people of Guatemala.

The Pop Wuj Clinic

Staffed by a local doctor, the clinic will serve scholarship students, children at the "Guardería" or day-care center , women and children in our latrine and stove projects, Pop Wuj teachers and families, and the local public. It will also be a place for visiting doctors, practitioners of other health-related disciplines, and groups of students from around the world to set up shop and attend to patients while improving their own healthcare and medical Spanish skills. Based on years of work in Xela and the rural areas that surround the city, Pop Wuj teachers believe that lack of access to healthcare is one of the most pressing problems in present-day Guatemala. The Pop Wuj Clinic exists to address that need. Since its opening, the Pop Wuj clinic has opened its doors students and healthcare professionals interested in helping in this process with donations of time, ideas, money or equipment are most encouraged to do so!

Note: The Excursion, Medical, and Social programs include all that the Immersion Program consists of in addition to the unique focus that each of these specialized programs offer their participants.

Qualifications: Since June 2002 Pop Wuj has offered a health and medical education and clinical experience program for medical students, providers, public health professionals, and other healthcare practitioners (e.g., doctors, medical students, nurses, paramedics, physical therapists). For years we have attracted a growing number of healthcare students and professionals.

Cost in US$: USD 1,150 or USD 950

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Guatemala Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post-Program Services Include:

• Job and Internship Network

Pop Wuj - Spanish School Guatemala's Mission Statement: Pop Wuj - Spanish School Guatemala is a Non-Profit Organization run by teachers to support sustainable community development. After the teachers draw a modest wage and take care of expenses, the remaining income is dedicated to financing the thriving rural development projects and educational endeavors that the school has undertaken and nurtured over the past 18 years. Learn Spanish while helping the people of Guatemala through a host of Volunteer opportunities in our Community Development Projects. Pop Wuj - Spanish School Guatemala offers a variety of Spanish Courses to suit personal needs and preferences including Spanish Immersion Course, Medical Spanish, Social Work and Spanish for Teachers as well as Excursion Spanish Immersion Program.

Year Founded: 1992