Description

CIAM has designed the Medical Spanish, Health and Nutrition  Study Abroad Program, with the Fundación para la Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Gregorio Marañón, aimed at students of medicine and medical professionals of the healthcare field. The program covers specific terminology, Spanish language and culture and social environment and communicative interaction in medical centres.

Students will spend two weeks in Soria at CIAM and two weeks in Madrid at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital.

Student Profile

The program is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students of medicine (+18) and medical professionals of the healthcare field.

Dates

2 weeks in Soria, from May 2^nd to May 14th, 2023 at the CIAM in Soria (Spain)

2 weeks in Madrid: from May 15^th to Mat 27th, 2023 at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid (Spain)

Level of Spanish

For advanced students (B2, C1 and C2 level).

The average number of students per class

8-10 students per class.

Academic program

Methodology

Our methodology is based on an action-oriented approach according to the CFER that “views users and learners of a language primarily as ‘social agents’, i.e. members of society who have tasks (not exclusively language-related) to complete in a given set of circumstances, in a specific environment and with a particular field of action”. Our aim is that students can use their knowledge in real life. Students reach this aim thanks to our immersion program in the Spanish language and culture and in the small community of Soria. As well as studying grammatical structures, we stress the necessity of achieving communicative and intercultural competence. The four basic skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing) will be developed during the course through practice and the application of specific learning strategies.

We teach Spanish inside and outside our classrooms!

Program Objectives

• Ensure that students acquire both the communication skills and competencies of their work environment, as well as the social and cultural knowledge of the Hispanic world necessary for the best development of health practice;
• Acquire and use medical-related vocabulary;
• Differentiate the cultural aspects relevant to Spanish speaking patients;
• Expand knowledge about Spanish society and the healthcare system.

Program in Soria – 2 weeks

Medical Spanish Course (15 hours/week)

2 or 3 hours a day from Monday to Friday in the afternoon

In this course, students acquire conversational skills to speak with Spanish speaking patients or people in general; they will be able to use communication strategies to hold formal or informal conversations related to different health aspects. In shorts, students will exercise themselves to interact and maintain a conversation in a great variety of situations, to expose a problem, to express their opinion and to ask for clarification. Students will be able to read general and specialized texts as well as to write texts typical of the medical field such as medical records, diagnosis and prescriptions.

Contents

• Salud y bienestar;
• La salud pública en Estados Unidos y en España;
• El centro de salud: organización de las tareas de atención primaria;
• La consulta, el paciente y los síntomas: historia clínica;
• La consulta, el paciente y el diagnóstico: tratamiento, pruebas y cómo comunicar el
• diagnóstico;
• El centro hospitalario: urgencias y admisión;
• Dietética y nutrición;
• La naturaleza y la salud;
• Temas éticos en situaciones de pandemia.

Bibliography

• A.A. V.V., Profesionales de la salud, EnClaveELE, Madrid.
• Florián Reyes y A.M. Ruiz Martínez, Ciencia de la salud: manual de español profesional, Editorial Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, 2007.

Talks and Meetings with Professionals (4 hours/week)

• Working in Health Care Spanish System: Twice a week, students will have a 1-hour class dealing with specific health subjects with a doctor or healthcare professionals to talk about and practice specific medical and nutrition vocabulary. 4-hour workshop.

Service Learning in Elderly Care Homes (3- 6 hours/ week)

• Owing to the post-COVID-19 situation, in 2022 service learning in Elderly Care Homes will be possible only if the Government Health Measures will permit it.

Cultural activities and excursions in Soria

Cultural Activities

• We visit the monuments of Soria with a guide (Santo Domingo Church, San Juan de la Rabanera Church, Palacio de los Condes de Gómara and the Plaza Mayor);
• An interview on the Radio SER or on the Radio CIAM. (Activity for all levels);
• Flamenco workshop;
• We prepare a brunch or an afternoon snack at the CIAM with local and regional food after having interviewed people in the city, or in a supermarket and bought the recommended food and goods (the purchase of the local food is carried out by the participants).

Excursions

• Half-a-day study trip to the “Laguna Negra” and Adventure Park (Vinuesa Aventura);
• Half-a-day study trip to Castillo de Gormaz, Burgo de Osma and Catalañazor.

Program in Madrid – 2 weeks

Immersion Program

5 hours a day, from Monday to Friday, in the Gregorio Marañón University Hospital: active involvement in the health care field with Spanish specialist and medical staff (24 hours/week)

From this time, one hour a day will be with a specific medical tutor who will guide the student through the hospital activity.5 days/week (from Monday to Friday) activity at Gregorio Marañón University Hospital.

From 9.0 am to 2.0 pm, the student will be integrated into one of the hospital units (Medical Department, Surgical Department, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology).

During his/her daily activity, each student could stay with senior specialists in clinics, operating room, or visiting hospitalized patients.

It would be optional to stay on call 24 hours with the medical staff.

Students will listen to patients and to medical specialists in a real hospital environment and they would participate and practice his/her Spanish language in those specific situations.

Afternoon activity: students will have the opportunity to attend a 4-hour seminar/week with professionals to improve their Medical Spanish.

Cultural Activities

• Visit the Prado Museum: to enjoy the permanent collection with paintings of Goya, Velázquez, El Greco and other Spanish masters.
• Visit the Reina Sofia Museum: here is possible to delight modern Spanish art with paintings of Picasso and Dali.
• Visit the city: Plaza Mayor, it has been the site of historic events in the Spanish capital during the last 5 centuries and Retiro Park, a gorgeous and great green area in the centre of Madrid with beautiful woods to walk through and historical buildings to visit.

Cultural Experience

• Visit the Royal National Academy of Medicine with a doctor: it was founded in 1861 and still preserves the timeless charm.
• Visit the Natural Sciences Museum: in this stunning building is possible to delight collections of animals, plants along with human history.

Wellness and Health Experiences

• Forest bathing: an introduction to forest therapy in one of the most amazing urban forest in Madrid.
• Therapeutic dance: body movement has the power to change emotions. It is possible to fight against anxiety or depression with dancing.

Accommodation

Along with the excellence in all our courses, CIAM also seeks to ensure that the stay of our students in Soria is positive in all possible ways. Therefore, one of our top priorities is to make our students feel comfortable during their stay.

Homestay in Soria

Accommodation with a Spanish family is probably the best option for a student who seeks to integrate into the culture of our country and achieve a complete linguistic immersion. The director of CIAM together with our staff personally selects the host families after a thorough visit to their home and an extensive interview. The students are assigned to a family after we carefully read the form that all of our students have to fill out with their personal data before arriving in Soria. Families in Soria welcome our students because they are interested in having a cultural experience and not for economic reasons. This means that students will be treated as members of the family. In order to reach a true linguistic immersion, only one student per family is suggested.

Dormitory in Madrid

Students will lodge in a single room with a private bath in a dormitory in Madrid, half board (breakfast and supper).

Lunch is not included in the fee, but students may eat at the Gregorio Marañón canteen (around 5 euros each meal).

Visa Information

Citizens who do not pertain to the European Union should obtain information regarding studying in Spain through the nearest Spanish Embassy or Consulate.

If the student requests a letter confirming their study at CIAM to request a visa, the advance payment must be paid the total cost of the program. In this case, payment must be made via bank transfer or online payment. Once CIAM has received the advance payment, we will send a confirmation letter to the address provided by the student. The student bears the sole responsibility for requesting a visa. CIAM recommends that the student begins the visa process as early as possible.

CIAM is never responsible in the case a student is denied a visa. If the student is unable to attend our course because the visa request is denied, they or their representative must present the official document of denial (with date, signature, and stamp) sent by the Spanish Consulate or Embassy, where it clearly states the student’s name, passport number and visa requested.

In order to receive reimbursement for the advance payment, the student must communicate with CIAM the cancellation in writing (presented with the visa denial documentation) at least 21 days before the start of the course. CIAM will return the advance payment, minus any administrative costs (bank fees, telephone calls, etc.). If the cancellation request is received within 21 days of the start of the course, no reimbursement will be awarded.

Course Fee and Scholarship

Course fee:	4,200 euros;
Excursions, accommodation and accident and medical insurance:	Included in the course fee;
Scholarships:	CIAM offers 5 scholarships of 150 euros to the first  3 students who enroll in the program.