Twelve 2nd year DPT students recently completed a summer elective in Spanish with Dr. Carole Champagne.
The goal of this course is to provide the Doctor of Physical Therapy student with the tools to develop sufficient listening and speaking skills in Spanish in order to perform an assessment of a patient, assess a treatment’s effectiveness, and provide patient education and instruction in exercise and ADLs. The capstone of the class is to conduct a patient interaction of their choice in Spanish.
“It was a pleasure to work with a very astute and cohesive cohort. The PT students worked cooperatively as they supported each other through practical simulations of potential workplace situations with Spanish-speaking patients.Integration of multisensory learning theory has demonstrated positive pedagogical results. I focus on kinesthetic, tactile, and visual learning as students practice language through real-life and workplace situations. They simulate specific linguistic expressions and actions that they will encounter in their professional experiences. Thank you for the opportunity to work with your students! Muchas gracias!”
– Carole Champagne, PhD
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to think about physical therapy treatment in another language. Even with my limited clinical experience, I have already encountered a handful of Spanish-speaking patients. This course has inspired me to continue expanding my knowledge of the language so that I can provide a positive healthcare experience for this population.”
-M. Pollock, 2nd year DPT student
“Spanish for Physical Therapists has provided us with an important and valuable skill that enables us to effectively treat an entirely new patient population. The class was great!”
– B. Lloyd, 2nd year DPT student
