UCLA Program to Address Shortage of Spanish-Speaking Physicians
Hispanics constitute 14% of the US population. However, only 5% of physicians in the United States are Hispanic. Because of the language barrier between the Spanish-speaking population and physicians who do not speak Spanish, millions of dollars are annually spent in unnecessary tests, emergency-room visits and inaccurate or delayed diagnoses. Lack of understanding between doctors and patients leads to confusion about medication dosage and side effects, doctors' instructions and follow-up medical care.
Physicians at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) are attempting to address this physician shortage started a 14-month pilot program to qualify graduates from Latin American countries to complete family medicine residency programs in California teaching hospitals.
Upon graduation from a medical college
abroad, the graduates receive prep courses for the USMLE, observership training
at a UCLA hospital and support in applying for a residency program. After
completing their residencies, participants commit to spending at least three
years in a 'medically underserved area'.
There are currently 14 Latin American medical graduates enrolled in the program,
which is entirely funded by private foundations.
The program plans to expand to other University of California campuses,
as well as other states struggling to serve Spanish-speaking patients.
Latin
American countries produce more medical school graduates than their hospitals
can accommodate for residency training. While about 12,000 students complete
medical school each year in Mexico, the country’s hospitals can offer only
4,300 residency slots. The UCLA program is designed to recruit the oversupply of
physicians to US communities in need of more Spanish-speaking physicians.
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