ABSTRACT
The first visit with a health care provider can be a very intimidating experience for a patient with limited English-speaking proficiency who feels uneasy about potential language barriers. During the first encounter, a simple greeting and introduction in the target language can go a long way in establishing a sense of trust. In this first chapter, students of Beginning Medical Spanish will acquire the oral communicative skills that will allow them to put new Hispanic patients at ease by greeting them in Spanish in a manner appropriate to the time of the day and to their social status. Students will learn how to properly introduce themselves, identify their occupation in the medical setting and ask for their patients’ names using the verb (llamarse). By the end of the chapter they will understand the differences between cultural “competence” and “humility” and the ways that culture influences and may limit our perceptions of the others. By understanding the power imbalances that can frame interactions between health care professionals and staff, they will develop the necessary sensitivity to hold appropriate cultural interactions with Hispanic patients. They will incorporate the correct social and linguistic register when addressing patients and family members, usted(es) vs tú, while taking into consideration their age, gender, title, and marital status. Lastly, they will self-reflectively examine their own culture and demonstrate awareness of the cultural concept of respeto and of the hierarchical social structures that can sometimes frame relationship-exchanges for some Hispanic individuals or families.
