Christelle Azolin, Stephanie Martinez, Veronica Alvarez, and Tristan Vulcain
About the Authors: Christelle Azolin, Stephanie Martinez, Veronica Alvarez, and Tristan Vulcain are fourth-year medical students at the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Determined to address language barriers in their own community, their team led the creation, development, and publication of an innovative booklet to aid healthcare professionals in communicating with Spanish and Haitian Creole patients while waiting to be connected with a professional translator. Stephanie and Veronica are native Spanish speakers and served as former leaders for their Latino Medical Student Association chapter. Stephanie is pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine, and Veronica is pursuing a career in Pathology. Christelle and Tristan are native Haitian Creole speakers and served as former leaders for their White Coats 4 Black Lives chapter. Christelle is pursuing a career in Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Tristan is pursuing a career in Family Medicine. Though each is venturing into different specialties, altogether they are driven by a passion for improving healthcare in underserved communities and spearheading initiatives to combat barriers in healthcare access.
About the Work: In our ongoing commitment to bridging gaps in healthcare within our South Florida community, our team recently pioneered a groundbreaking Spanish and Haitian Creole Medical Translation Pocket Booklet based on our own experiences as medical students in clinical rotations where language barriers remain present. In creating this new resource, we hope to aid students and physicians in communicating with patients while waiting to be connected with a professional translator. Beyond the practicalities of clinical use in patient care, our booklet publication also emphasizes the intangible realms of building patient trust and rapport in various clinical settings. By having this additional resource to aid healthcare providers in addressing patients in their native language, it goes beyond clinical transaction, fostering a connection that resonates on a deeper level, ultimately helping provide more holistic patient care. With this publication, we intend to not just translate words, but to also build bridges of understanding and compassion in the intricate tapestry of healthcare.
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