Are PAs getting lost in translation?

Juliana S. Rossi, MA

Physician Assistant student, 2008

Hofstra University

Hempstead New York

 

 “Buenos dias, como estas?” I say, as I look up and find a smiling woman coming in for her lab results.  She seems glad to see me, and says that every doctor’s office should have someone who can translate for patients. As a student physician assistant (PA), I will be at this particular office for 5 weeks and will be able to assist as a translator for this woman and other Spanish-speaking patients. Using my Peruvian background and ability to speak fluent Spanish is very handy when it comes to assisting patients with their medical needs. This is not the first time that I have been asked to translate. In fact, I am asked constantly. Whether it is for a patient at a family practice office or someone about to have surgery, it always comes down to the same question, “Does anyone here speak Spanish?”  As I raise my hand to respond, I realize that I often seem to be the only one. Time and time again, clinicians are unable to communicate with their patients due to language barriers, and important medical information is being lost somewhere between the lines. Both in person and in print, patients are daunted by the lack of information available in Spanish and by their inability to find anyone in the health sector who understands or can communicate with them.(1)

Effective communication is an intrinsic part of a comprehensive medical plan of action. This leads me to ask, Why are students graduating from accredited physician assistant programs without the proper communication tools? Could implementing a medical Spanish course as part of the curriculum benefit soon-to-be-clinicians? By 2030, the Latino population will be the largest minority in the United States.(2) As the Latino population continues to grow, it is clear that newly graduating health care practitioners will find it necessary to speak Spanish. Perhaps taking a medical Spanish course during the didactic year should be required. Implementing a medical Spanish course in PA programs will enable students to be more marketable once they graduate, and will instill trust in their Spanish-speaking patients. Recognizing and promoting the value of diversity is included in the professional oath for PAs. Yet, by not being able to communicate appropriately with our patients, we are doing them an injustice.

Several programs such as University of Chapel Hill School of Medicine and UT Southwestern Allied Health Sciences School are already offering medical Spanish courses as part of their commitment to serve minority populations in their areas. The time has comes for us to put down the translator phone and enhance our skills so that we can communicate directly with our Spanish-speaking patients.  Otherwise, future PAs—and their patients—will be lost in translation.

REFERENCES

[1] New NCLR study finds Hispanics in the South are reluctant to use health care system. http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/26851/. Accessed September 15, 2008.

[2] Spanish course offered to students helps break down barriers to health care. http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may02/medspan053102.htm. Accessed September 15, 2008.

 

Comments

[q see]

This conversation is indeed useful especially for students

[lacoste observe]

This conversation is indeed useful especially for students