How to Become Bilingual in the Healthcare Industry

In the healthcare industry, there is an ever growing need for the services of bilingual staff. Spanish is the most common second language that a healthcare worker will utilize over the course of their work day. Speaking someone's language, in some instances, is the difference between life and death. If healthcare professionals are able to communicate with their charges, important information may be lost and live-saving care delayed. Even with state-of-the-art training at the top medical colleges in the world, healthcare staff cannot effectively perform their duties unless and until they are able to communicate with their patients. There are many ways to go about becoming bilingual in the healthcare industry. Some methods will make you 100 percent proficient in a second language while others will only provide you with essential vocabulary related to your field of work. How much time you have to invest in the program is one determining factor in the results. Here are some of the ways healthcare workers can study and learn a second language.

Immersion

I've found that the best and quickest way to learn a second language (mine being Spanish) is to immerse yourself in the culture. Spend time with people who speak the language and ask them to only speak to you in that language, too. Visit local markets and other venues where the language is prominent and absorb what you can. Watch movies and television shows with subtitles. Make an effort to communicate with others in the language you are trying to learn.

Community Programs

Many communities offer language programs as a continuing education series. Night and evening classes will instruct you in the basics of a language and include conversational dialogs to help you get a core grasp of the dialect and usages that you can build on later. These courses usually meet twice a week over the course of six weeks. Some are free and others charge a nominal fee.

Libraries

Libraries offer a wealth of information on languages. You can check out any number of books on the language you wish to study that will teach you the fundamental basics that you can review at your own pace. As your grasp of the language increases, you can proceed to more difficult lessons and books.

Audio / Video Lessons

Some companies offer audio and video lessons to learn different languages. You can watch the instructional videos at your own leisure and listen to the audio books while driving in the car. This is a good method because you get to hear the pronunciation of the words rather than just guessing what they might be. This is your most expensive options as these courses can easily cost $200-$300.