PROGRAMS

Our Medical Spanish Immersion Program is held in Ensenada, Baja California for two weeks in the summer in collaboration with our partner university, Universidad Xochicalco School of Medicine. This program is designed for healthcare providers and students who seek to more effectively communicate with and provide care towards Spanish-speaking patients. Participants will develop intercultural competencies, network with a Mexican medical school community, learn about the path towards health equity in the face of disparities within a global public health context hands-on, deepen their Spanish fluency, practice interacting with and interviewing Latinx patients in their own language, and have tons of fun and an incredible international experience. They will receive a wide range of resources including an extensive MedSpanish Student Manual and Workbook as well as a Certificate of Completion from CENEU and Universidad Xochicalco.

What's in store during these two weeks at Universidad Xochicalco, Campus Ensenada?!

Students should plan to arrive at the U.S.- Mexico international border on the morning of June 24, 2024 (for the MSIP ‘24 I) or July 22, 2024 (for the MSIP ‘24 II). As a group, we will cross into Mexico all together and drive down to Universidad Xochicalco Ensenada's campus in the "Xochi Van" (university transport we will use throughout the trip) by an official university chauffeur. Once we arrive, you will meet the rest of the team (faculty, staff and peer mentors, who are Universidad Xochicalco medical students), tour the campus of the university, including the medical school, and receive an overview of the medical school and its curriculum. We'll host a welcome ceremony and luncheon and you'll start to get to know our Mexican peer mentors, then participate in a cultural activity to break the ice and start to learn some Mexican traditions. Afterwards, we'll drop you off with your host family for the evening, with whom you will have dinner, enjoy the evening and, of course, practice your Spanish.


The typical schedule for the rest of the weekdays includes 4 hours daily of classes on campus (with breaks in between, of course) in 1) Medical Spanish and 2) Spanish Language. All students will take Medical Spanish, and students will be placed in a separate Spanish Language class according to their level. The first half of each class will be theory-based and the second half will be set aside for you to practice with peer mentors.


Beyond our classes, students will also engage in clinical shadowing through our Public Health & Community Medicine module. The professors of the Public Health & Community Medicine program at Xochicalco will explain the health literacy, epidemiology, prevention and public health work that medical students do out in the communities, which you will be able to shadow as well as participate in first-hand. You will learn to conduct a health & living conditions interview with families and practice this during community outings, as well as shadow provider-patient interactions in clinicals, hospitals and health fairs.


Finally, students will participate in a variety of cultural activities, including cooking workshops at the campus Gastronomy lab, a dance & arts class, a community bonfire and a tour of Ensenada's cultural district and downtown. During the weekend, we'll spend the day visiting Valle de Guadalupe vineyards and participating in their wine-growing tours and tastings, and Sunday will be a rest day to spend with host families and explore the area. ¡Aprende, viaja y explora con nosotros! To learn more, you can fill out the interest form here. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@ceneu.com or regina@ceneu.com.