COURSE SYLLABUS: HEALTH & SOCIETY IN THE HISPANIC WORLD

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Partner Institution: Elebaires (transcripted by the Universidad Abierta Interamericana)

Course Title: Health and Society in the Hispanic World (local title: Healthcare in Argentina)

Sessions offered: Winter Break (3 weeks), Summer Ic (5 weeks)

Instruction in: Spanish

Classroom Contact Hours: 45

College Credit (Semester Credit Hours): 3 credit hours

College Credit (Quarter Units): 4 quarter units

Prerequisites: students must be in a health care-related major

Course Code: SPAN 4343

Course  Level: 300-level

Course Description:

This course allows pre-med, nursing or other related fields interested in healthcare to learn about the differences in health care management between their home country and Argentina. Students will develop their comprehension and communication skills in order to prepare themselves for actual real-life situations. They will learn medical Spanish vocabulary, grammatical structures and general functions in order to familiarize themselves with specific social and health systems in Spanish. Students will have visits to public and private hospitals and clinics and opportunities for hands-on experience.

Program Schedule

1. Week 1

The first week there are 2 classes; each one approximately 1 ½ hours; in each class it will be explained the particularities of the Argentina health market, characterized by its high cost and its division in 3 subsectors (Public, Private, Social Security). We will show graphics that show what part of the population is covered under each division. There will be an analysis of each subsector.

a. Health in Argentina - Part I

Class given by a medical specialist in Health Administration

b. Health in Argentina - Part II

2. Week 2

a. Visit from a healthcare worker

Interview with the Medical Director of a Social Project in Argentina to evaluate the quality of medical attention that is given, its mode of operation and its costs.

b. Visit to a medical company that is a leader in the pre-paid market in Argentina.

With this visit the students will analyze the existing differences between medical coverage provided by private organizations and those of the other subsectors.

c. Visit to a public hospital.

Interview with an authority of the paid medical industry (private) and analysis of the general situation of public hospitals in Argentina.

3. Week 3

a. Visit to Fundación Favaloro, Hospital Austral or another leading clinic in the health market.

b. Interview the authorities, tour the instalations. Analysis of the quality of their services. (physical space, staff, equipment, etc.).

c. Visit to the National Academy of Medicine.

Interview an Argentine investigator trained in the US and who has returned to Argentina. Historical retrospective of the organization and of health in Argentina.

4. Week 4

a. Visit a private medical facility

Tour the installations, laboratories, etc. Interview with an employee there. Problem of the Argentine universities in the health field. Placement of health professionals in Argentina.

b. Visit the Orthodontics Department at the UBA (Universidad de Buenos Aires)

Interview a faculty member.

Course Policies

Punctuality is important, and there will be a window of 15 minutes maximum for tardiness. If a student is more than 30 minutes tardy to class, it will count as an absence. Absences should be documented and justified, and the professor will allow a maximum of two absences during the course without the Conceptual Grade being affected. Each student should come to class prepared as preparation and participation are taken into account when deciding the final grade. If the professor is late to a class or is absent from a class, the time will be made up. If for any reason the student must arrive to class late or must leave class early, he/she should notify the professor beforehand. No food or drinks are permitted in the classroom, with the exception of water, tea, or coffee. The use of cellphones and MP3 players during class is prohibited and will result in a lowering of

the final grade.

Course Methodology

1. Upon beginning the program the students will be given a notebook with basic information about each of the practical classes and field trips they will be doing. This packet will also include the program of activities with the description of each activity, résumés of the people interviewed, meeting points and other general information about the course.

2. All classes and interviews will be with professionals recognized in their field of expertise.

3. In each activity the student will have the possibility to ask all the questions they may have in regards to the topic of discussion.

4. There may be changes to the program schedule. In the case that activity must be replaced, a similar one or better one will be done in its place.

5. It is planned that every activity will last 2 to 3 hours in duration. 

Course Evaluation

End of the program:

• Each student will present a paper in which they will perform an analysis about a topic discussed in classes and that has seemed interesting to them.
• Final evaluation (multiple choice); about a the topics and materials reviewed in class.
• Discussion, resolving of questions, exchange of opinions, suggestions for next meetings, open discussion.

The final grade will be based on the following:

Written Work: 20%

Written Exams: 40%

Oral Presentation: 30%

*Conceptual Grade: 10%

Total: 100%

*The conceptual grade is based on punctuality, attendance, attention during class, behavior during class, and

participation.

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