Spanish for the Health Professions undergraduate certificate

Become a more inclusive healthcare practitioner

There is an increasing demand for Spanish-speaking healthcare providers in Arizona and across the United States, as communication plays a critical role in health outcomes. You can ensure that more Spanish-speaking patients get equitable care by learning the language skills to provide it. NAU’s 19-unit Undergraduate Certificate in Spanish for the Health Professions will help you do that.

Program overview: Connecting Spanish proficiency with healthcare applications

When you enroll in this 19-unit certificate program, you’ll begin with two semesters of Spanish. If you already speak some Spanish, you may be able to receive retroactive test credit for your level of proficiency. After that, you’ll take part in NAU’s specialized Spanish for Health Professions coursework, practicing your language skills in your desired career field with both classroom and hands-on learning opportunities. Looking for more detail? See the listing for Undergraduate Certificate Spanish for the Health Professions in our academic catalog.

Healthcare communication happens verbally, in writing, and with technology, so you’ll practice all these skills. Practical experience in working with short reports, prescriptions, instructions, descriptions, diagnoses, and other topics of interest in the healthcare system will equip you for a diverse array of positions in the field.

Experiential learning: Highlights from this exciting language-based certificate

Immersed in the Flagstaff campus, you’ll learn from the unique perspective of Northern Arizona’s Spanish-speaking communities. The skills you gain will help you become an effective healthcare practitioner for Spanish speakers across Arizona and the entire United States. The experiential learning opportunities you’ll enjoy include:

• interviews with the experts—where you’ll connect classroom knowledge with the real-world experience of Spanish speakers who work in healthcare settings
• live-action opportunities to practice Spanish in a healthcare setting—where you’ll volunteer at a local health institution with short assignments of different types, such as interpreting, translating documents, assisting a Spanish-speaking health employee, and more

Only at NAU: A unique program tailored to your career goals

Our Spanish for the Health Professions program is designed for students interested in healthcare. The coursework combines language acquisition with practical applications specific to the medical field. Unlike general language programs, this certificate focuses on medical terminology, cultural competency, and communication skills needed in healthcare settings, making it highly relevant and applicable.

NAU’s multidisciplinary approach includes real-world examples, authentic materials, and a focus on community-based service learning through partnerships with medical institutions and providers with a private practice. This prepares you not just linguistically but also culturally to work with Spanish-speaking patients.