Version 1
: Received: 28 April 2023 / Approved: 29 April 2023 / Online: 29 April 2023 (04:40:05 CEST)
How to cite:
Ares, N.V.; Abdulrhim, S.H.; Anders, K.; Ali, R.M.; Mukhalalati, B.A.; Mraiche, F. Addressing Language Competence in Pharmacy Education: Spanish and Arabic Languages as an Example. Preprints2023, 2023041209. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1209.v1
Ares, N.V.; Abdulrhim, S.H.; Anders, K.; Ali, R.M.; Mukhalalati, B.A.; Mraiche, F. Addressing Language Competence in Pharmacy Education: Spanish and Arabic Languages as an Example. Preprints 2023, 2023041209. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1209.v1
Ares, N.V.; Abdulrhim, S.H.; Anders, K.; Ali, R.M.; Mukhalalati, B.A.; Mraiche, F. Addressing Language Competence in Pharmacy Education: Spanish and Arabic Languages as an Example. Preprints2023, 2023041209. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1209.v1
APA Style
Ares, N.V., Abdulrhim, S.H., Anders, K., Ali, R.M., Mukhalalati, B.A., & Mraiche, F. (2023). Addressing Language Competence in Pharmacy Education: Spanish and Arabic Languages as an Example. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1209.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Ares, N.V., Banan Abdulrzaq Mukhalalati and Fatima Mraiche. 2023 "Addressing Language Competence in Pharmacy Education: Spanish and Arabic Languages as an Example" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.1209.v1
Abstract
Effective communication is key for healthcare providers to provide optimal care for patients. Pharmacists’ fluency in a patient’s native language is vital to communicate effectively. Additionally, language concordance improves patients’ trust and ensures health equity. In the United States (US), Hispanics are the largest minority group, but only 36% of the pharmacy schools in the US offer Spanish courses in their curriculum. Conversely, Middle Eastern countries have implemented English as the language of instruction in pharmacy schools, though the native language of the patient population is Arabic. The discrepancy between the language of education and the language used by patients might lead to communication problems, thus limiting a pharmacist’s role in practice. This review aims to describe the efforts of pharmacy schools both in the US and Middle Eastern countries to incorporate second language (Spanish and Arabic, respectively) in their curriculum. Spanish language content has scarcely been introduced into the pharmacy curriculum in the US either as didactic elements (elective courses, lab sessions, modules within a course, or co-curricular programs) or as language immersion experiences (rotations and internships nationally or abroad). In Arabic-speaking countries, an Arabic course was introduced to the pharmacy curriculum to enhance students’ communication skills. This review provides an overview of what has been done in various pharmacy programs to prepare students for adequate multilingual speaking. The findings reveal the need for additional strategies to assess the impact of language courses on student performance and patient experience, as well as language competence in pharmacists and pharmacy students.
Keywords
communication skills; language competence; pharmacy education; Arabic; Spanish
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Medicine and Pharmacology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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