The University of Arizona College of Medicine’s Rural Health Office is offering a series of courses experience in which health professionals learn how to communicate effectively with Spanish speaking patients. The workshops consist of medical dialogues, role playing, visual aids, cross-cultural discussions, "edutainment," daily practice and evening study with workbooks and tapes. These strategies strengthen the participant's ability to obtain a medical history, ask about symptoms, prescribe and interact effectively with Spanish speaking patients. Courses are held in conjunction with Rios Associates, a firm that has been presenting medical Spanish courses in the U.S. since 1983.

These accredited courses for physicians, nurses, dentists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other allied health professionals are intensive and individually tailored to the conversational needs of health care professionals. Physicians can earn up to 43 hours of Category 1 CME; the courses also offer credits from the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and the American Nursing Association.

The next course will be offered August 17 to 20 at the Canterbury Hotel in San Francisco; a special eight-day workshop will be offered October 27 to November 3 in La Paz, Mexico.

To learn more, visit the website at http://www.rho.arizona.edu/spanish/.