Spanish-speaking Medical Students

by Edmund Fabian Sagastume

Whether you’re a patient, parent, or friend, visiting a hospital or clinic is often a new and unique experience for many. This experience can also become considerably more challenging if you do not understand or speak English well or have recently moved to the United States for the first time. Both situations were particularly true for me at just 11 years old, when I found myself in the emergency department with my parents because of a scary allergic reaction to red dyes in juice. “To juice, of all things!” I told myself.

I will never forget how nervous and scared I felt that day– my first time in the United States, in a new and unknown hospital, knowing barely any English and unsure how to ask all the medical questions that my family and I had.  

Fortunately, here at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, there is a group of hardworking medical students who are elevating their clinical training as part of the LatinX Health Pathway to better serve you and your loved ones!  On the hospital floors or at your next clinic visit, you can recognize us by our “Hablo Español” ID badges– a symbol that we wear proudly. For many of us, being part of this pathway, directed by Dr. Daniel Yawman, MD, has allowed us to use our Spanish-speaking skills (as native or non-native speakers) to better understand the specific medical challenges faced by the diverse LatinX and Spanish-speaking communities that are part of the Greater Rochester Area.

If there are no medical students on your team, you can also access hospital-staffed interpreter services free of charge, 24/7 at any University of Rochester Medical Center location by doing the following:

Before your visit:

1. You can request an interpreter when you schedule your appointment.
2. If you would like to express your interpreter preferences for your healthcare appointments, please contact Interpreter_Services@urmc.rochester.edu and let them know how they can best serve your needs.

If hospitalized:

1. Please ask your nurse to page an interpreter.
2. You may reach out to Interpreter Servies by calling (585) 275-4778.

So next time you see us, whether as part of your healthcare team or rounding around the hospital, please reach out!

The image with the message and phrase “Hablo Español” was submitted by Edmund, who captured it as a means for this article to help community members identify the badges of the Latino Health Program group at URSMD.

Photo of 4 medical professionals by Los Muertos Crew and images of a Medical Practitioners in office by Lucas Guimarães Bueno, courtesy of pexels.com

Edmund Fabian Sagastume is originally from a small town in Honduras and relocated to New York City at a young age. He is currently a third-year medical student at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (URSMD), where he is a member of the institution’s LatinX Health Pathway and a former co-president of the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) chapter. His interests include fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for the Latino/a, Hispanic, and LatinX medical community at URSMD, as well as providing compassionate care to Spanish-speaking patients during his clinical clerkships. He aspires to continue serving Spanish-speaking communities as a future general surgeon.