SPAN 311 Lit, Cultural Humility, and Lang in Latinx Health Care

This course is designed for students planning to work in the health care field and who want to acquire more skills in medical Spanish. We will develop new critical perspectives on health care for Latin Americans and Hispanics in the US through the study of literature, language, and culture. Specifically, we will develop medical language skills and cultural competency for health care situations. Outside class students will participate as an informal intern and perform a variety of tasks with the Shelby County Health Equity Collective. The work will focus on Latinx patients and include shadowing an interpreter, filing, other tasks as relevant, etc. (for nursing students, also taking vitals). Students will also attend seminars at local non-profits. We will learn about cultural humility, the legalities of medical records, issues of confidentiality, informed consent, and patient privacy/rights. We will also gather information about other programs geared toward the Latin American and Latinx community. Finally, we will learn about the WIC (Women, Infant, Children) program, communicable diseases, cultural, and environmental health issues for Latinx in the Mid-South.