Spanish for Animal Care and Science
For DVM Students: Spanish for the Veterinary Professional
Spanish for the Veterinary Professional is currently only available to students enrolled in the Colorado State University D.V.M. Program. The language program will be available online to D.V.M. students at other institutions starting Fall 2024, and to practicing veterinarians starting Fall 2025.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Our unique language program is designed for those in the veterinary field who aspire to improve their engagement and communication with Spanish-speaking animal caretakers. The Spanish for veterinarians program provides students with the language skills necessary to communicate about animal health in a clinical setting. With these skills, veterinarians can create rapport, build trust, and develop relationships with Spanish-speaking pet owners. This program is designed specifically for the future veterinary practitioner to engage with clients and build successful treatment and wellness plans to support animal care through shared language.
Through the collaboration of veterinary and second language acquisition experts from CSU’s D.V.M. Program and Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, the curriculum was created to ensure the content reflects the actual language needs of the veterinary field and their clientele. Program content and design is informed by data gathered from a comprehensive language needs analysis conducted alongside veterinary professionals in Colombia and Mexico, and predominantly Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S.
Learn more about the program from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
For Undergraduates: Spanish for Animal Care
There is increasing awareness of the need for field-specific communication skills in Spanish on the part of animal science and veterinary professionals.
Animal well-being is at stake when English-speaking professionals encounter a monolingual Spanish-speaking workforce. Currently, between 80% and 90% of the work force on livestock farms is made up of Spanish-speakers. Additionally, small animal veterinarians increasingly need the communicative skills to interact with Spanish-speaking pet owners about animal care.
Our Spanish language program addresses this workplace communication gap. Starting in the Fall of 2018, the CSU Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department began offering a unique series in Spanish for Animal Health and Care. The program is based on a triangulated language needs analysis and aims to develop intermediate to advanced-level communication skills in Spanish in large and small animal care. The program focuses on the basic terminology and the linguistic skills necessary to successfully complete relevant every-day tasks in Spanish. All targeted linguistic forms, communicative activities and assessments are task-based and practical in nature.
or email us at cla_llc-help@colostate.edu