Medical Mandarin Course

Medical Mandarin Course Non-Credit Elective

Starting in 2010, Medical Mandarin aims to provide students with sufficient Medical Mandarin knowledge to facilitate effective patient communication and medical interviewing.

Eligible Participants: The course is open only to medical students. However, no prior experience in Mandarin is required.

Course Content: The course consists of a Beginner class and an Advanced class, which are both one hour in length. Participants in the Beginner class gain a basic foundation in Mandarin vocabulary and interview skills, whereas Advanced participants gain more in-depth clinical interviewing skills in Mandarin.

Clinical Experiences: Throughout the year, students participate in Mandarin-speaking community service events where they are paired side-by-side with American-Chinese physicians and health care professionals to provide medical care to a non-English-speaking population. Students also have the opportunity to complete a Global Health rotation in Taiwan or China during the summer after M1 year or during the spring of M4 year.

Course Instructors: Two second-year medical students teach the Advanced class, while the Beginner class is led by a second-year medical student and a Mandarin-speaking Rutgers graduate student.

Elective Directors: Calvin Wang (cw1028@rwjms.rutgers.edu), Celina Zhou (cz422@rwjms.rutgers.edu), Emily Wang (ew461@rwjms.rutgers.edu), George Hung (gah103@rwjms.rutgers.edu), Matthew Silverman (ms3648@rwjms.rutgers.edu)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Karen Lin


Objectives

Patient Care

Apply medical Mandarin terminology to obtain a history and perform a physical using Mandarin. Participate in community outreach activities with Mandarin-speaking patients.

Medical Knowledge

Learn the vocabulary of common diseases and complaints in Mandarin and English.

Practice-Based Learning and Improvement

Advocate for the use of qualified interpreters if encounters exceed student’s proficiency level.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Initiate conversations with Mandarin-speaking patients.

Professionalism

Discuss cultural beliefs and practices unique to the Mandarin-speaking community.

Systems-Based Practice

Facilitate improved patient access by bridging the language barrier between Mandarin-speaking patients and English-speaking physicians and staff.

 

Credit Requirements

Students who successfully fulfill the requirements will receive a notation of completion on their academic transcript.

To receive credit for the course, participants must:

  • Attend at least 8 lectures.

  • Participate in 2 community service events that serve patients whose primary language is Mandarin.

View the Medical Mandarin course description here.