When medical and dental students graduate from Texas Tech Health El Paso, they take with them a skill that sets them apart from their peers across the U.S.: the ability to speak medical Spanish.

The medical Spanish curriculum is one way Texas Tech Health El Paso leverages its location on the U.S.-Mexico border to benefit our students’ learning experience. We are the only health sciences center in the nation training medical and dental students in Spanish.

In their first two years, our future dentists and physicians study grammar, vocabulary and culture to connect more effectively with Spanish-speaking patients.

“The curriculum focuses on real clinical scenarios, patient interviews and culturally relevant health education,” said Spanish Language Program Director Gilberto Garcia, Ph.D.

Here in our Borderplex, our students find no shortage of opportunities to practice Spanish firsthand. These include clinics and community outreach events, where students conduct patient interviews in Spanish without an interpreter.

Students also participate in a three-week course called Society, Community, and the Individual (SCI) before medical and dental classes start in the fall. Known informally as “Immersion,” the SCI course takes students off campus to get to know the community they’ll be serving for the next four years. Our students dive in, building their vocabularies and practicing conversational Spanish.

First-year dental student Evelyn Fung said she enjoyed the immersion aspect of learning Spanish, which she described as an “organic introduction” to the language.

Fung’s experience included a Spanish-language tour of Downtown El Paso and a project to create educational materials on nutrition for Spanish and English speakers with diabetes.

“When health professionals and patients speak the same language, care becomes safer and more personal,” Fung said. “Connecting and building trust with our community is essential, and I’m proud to be part of a school that shares that commitment.”

“One patient expressed deep gratitude, explaining that it was the first time in years she felt completely understood by a health care provider.” 

-Spanish Language Program Gilberto Garcia, Ph.D., highlighting the positive impact of students who gain Spanish-speaking skills at Texas Tech Health El Paso.

Quick Facts:

• Over 90% of students reported that the program improved their confidence in communicating with Spanish-speaking patients.

• Test data consistently shows significant improvement in students’ language proficiency across all levels.

• To date, more than 800 medical and dental students have received instruction from the Spanish Language Program.