Washington State University offers Spanish classes for veterinary students

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Sonia Lopez-Lopez, PhD, a Spanish professor at Washington State University, understands the challenges a trip to the veterinarian poses for clients who only speak Spanish. With Spanish being her first language, she had first-hand exposure to these struggles, inspiring her to launch a course for veterinary students to teach them how to speak to these clients.

“I have seen the struggle of veterinarians, workers, and clients because of the language barrier and it’s important to train students in all the areas of the language so they are prepared for those conversations when they are professionals. That’s what this course is all about,” Lopez-Lopez said, according to an article from Washington State University.¹

According to the US Census Bureau, it was estimated that in 2019 Spanish was spoken by 42 million people living in the United States.² The language barrier between veterinary professionals and Spanish-speaking clients can create an uncomfortable and confusing experience for everyone, especially in a setting where a miscommunication could have fatal consequences.

For 12 years, Lopez-Lopez created a 2-part course, formally known as Beginners and Intermediate Veterinary Spanish, and has provided hundreds of veterinary professionals with the tools they need to create a comfortable environment for Spanish speaking clients. The course is funded by the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

“For the beginner group, I teach them how to use a few simple sentences to get the information they need. We don’t worry about past tense because even if you’re not proficient, we’re focused on giving them the confidence and the skills to manage interactions with clients,” Lopez-Lopez said.

For those in the intermediate group, they also review the cultural aspects of the Spanish language as well as exercises to prepare students if they were to own their own clinic. The students also read up to date veterinary articles in Spanish to practice their reading skills, but also learn about research that happens in in the Hispanic world as an added component to the program.

Enrolled students are asked whether they have subject matter that should be included in the course and the course is a bi-weekly elective to make it more accommodating for veterinary students’ busy schedule. The course is also available to any veterinary student at the school, in addition to students at universities within the school’s regional program in veterinary medicine via zoom.¹

“I really love the students,” Lopez-Lopez said. “They’re very responsible and I’m always so proud of them. We only meet with each group twice a week, but I can see how much they learn from the beginning to the end of the semester.”

Reference

1. Babcock J. Spanish for veterinarians, their clients, and pets. WSU Insider. Published October 4, 2024. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://news.wsu.edu/news/2024/10/04/spanish-for-veterinarians-their-clients-and-pets/
2. Dietrich S, Hernandez E. What Languages Do We Speak in the United States? Census.gov. Published December 6, 2022. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/12/languages-we-speak-in-united-states.html