Communicating and Coaching in Spanish for Chronic Care

Abstract

Background: Language barriers affect millions of health care consumers each year in the United States. One in five U.S. residents over the age of 5 years speaks a language other than English. Method: A multidisciplinary team consisting of applied linguists and nurse educators developed a graduate elective for nursing students who demonstrated a minimum Spanish proficiency level. The course was organized around three core content components: management of type 2 diabetes, motivational interviewing competencies, and strategic communication in Spanish. Course activities included discourse analysis, simulated mini-conversations, and standardized patient simulations. Results: A multidisciplinary team-teaching approach was ideal in assisting students to develop culturally sensitive clinical language skills. Conclusion: Language concordance is imperative to providing quality health care to non-English–speaking patients. Health care providers must be able to demonstrate empathy, an understanding of cultural dynamics, and the ability to provide care to non-English–speaking patients. [ J Nurs Educ . 2021;60(1):34–37.]