The onset of COVID-19 has undoubtedly created a number of challenges in many areas. Educational institutions and businesses in nearly all industries have had to alter their infrastructure to keep students and employees safe, transitioning to remote learning and working conditions. While this change entails a learning curve, it has additionally allowed for new opportunities that had not previously been tapped into, and made spotlighted existing issues in many fields that were hidden and ignored pre- COVID-19, specifically in healthcare. Thus, the rapidly evolving educational environment with an unprecedented framework and increasing demand for advancements and restructuring in healthcare implies that this fall may be one of the best times for healthcare professionals to begin learning Medical Spanish. Below are three main reasons why.
Many educational institutions are practicing a fully or partially remote learning, allowing students a more flexible schedule.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, 64 colleges and universities have opted for fully remote education for the Fall semester, with an even higher number with plans for partial remote learning or remote learning for specific students and/or courses. Remote learning allows students to take classes online from virtually anywhere, often leaving more room in their schedules for other activities, such as learning a new language. Similarly, classes that may not have been accessible to some due to geographic limitations may now be an option for students across the globe, allowing more learning options for students and working professionals alike. Research suggests that there are many other benefits to online learning increase retention of information, and take less time, meaning the changes coronavirus have caused might be here to stay.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in the US, numerous medical institutions across the country have had to shift the classes, and even clinical rotations, online for their medical students. Canopy has launched a new eLearning system with flexible pricing models in March 2020, which has been adopted by a handful of medical schools that were looking for online learning tools or curriculum after the campus shut down since then.
Advancements in technology that are the result of forced remote instruction have improved online learning tools.
As many institutions are forced to utilize platforms that allow for virtual interaction, many platforms that provide these tools have improved their tools, allowing for easier and enhanced use. For example, according to Forbes, Zoom, an online platform that offers video conferencing has added 100 new features since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these include improved security with end-to-end encryption and changes in screen-sharing functions.
COVID-19 has spotlighted the need for bilingual providers to serve Limited-English-speaking patients, making the demand for bilingual healthcare professionals even greater.
Spanish-speaking populations have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. At Massachusetts General Hospital, the number of Spanish speaking-language patients jumped from approximately 10 percent to more than 50 percent during a surge in April. These Spanish-speaking patients were even more isolated than ever since family members could not visit or accompany them due to the social distancing restrictions in the hospital. Even worse, there are cases of hospitals and clinics refusing care for Spanish-speaking patients with COVID-19 symptoms because of communication barriers. The language barrier existing in our healthcare system has been escalated to a new level during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the demand for bilingual providers has increased significantly. Further, a greater push for higher compensation for bilingual providers is being seen. The conclusion is obvious that the U.S. needs more Spanish-speaking healthcare providers, especially during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act has clearly states that covered hospitals or health care providers must provide free, accurate and timely language assistance services and protect the privacy and independence of individuals with limited English proficiency. In addition to the qualified interpreter, bilingual providers and staff are considered qualified when providing language assistance if they have a demonstrated proficiency in speaking, understanding and communicating in English and at least one other language.
To help the health system empower its providers to meet with the compliance required in Section 1557 of the ACA, Canopy has announced the launch of the Canopy Credential™: Medical Bilingual (Medical English and Medical Spanish) Proficiency Test for Healthcare Professionals recently - the first-ever standardized proficiency test for Spanish-speaking bilingual providers. It has been adopted by some of Canopy’s valued customers and partners, and will soon be released to Canopy’s existing Medical Spanish learners.
