Image similar to one used to teach medical Mandarin at Einstein
It’s no surprise that the U.S. is home to large numbers of Spanish speakers. According to the Census Bureau, in 2011 there were 38 million Spanish speakers in the U.S. Einstein’s medical Spanish program, and similar ones at other medical schools are designed to better prepare doctors for patient interactions.
What you may not be aware of is the increasing demand for speakers of medical Mandarin. In the past three decades, the number of Chinese speakers in the U.S. has increased 360 percent, fueled in part by greater Asian emigration. According to a 2013 Census report, Chinese is now the third most common spoken language in the U.S., behind English and Spanish. There are approximately 2.9 people who speak Chinese, with many of them adopting Mandarin as a “bridge dialect” – a single dialect used in languages like Chinese where many dialects are common including Cantonese and Taishanese.
In response, Einstein along with other medical schools have created medical Chinese or medical Mandarin courses. Now ending its first year, Einstein’s Mandarin elective for second year students is already gaining traction.
Read more about Einstein’s medical Mandarin program at: https://einstein.yu.edu/features/stories/1007/medical-mandarin-offering-further-means-of-communication-with-patients/
