I’ve posted a link to my blog in my OPM signature, but I thought I’d mention it separately as a new topic.
I’ve been keeping a blog for about a year now, ever since I began my pre-med journey last January. I’ve written about my research experience, volunteering, and lots of other things.
Here is the link: My Bedside Manner
I welcome any and all comments and feedback. Check it out, if you have the time! Thanks. 
Terra, I love the blog! The story about fiber vs fever brought a big smile. I had a similar, quite embarassing moment during residency while working at our rural med clinic. My purpose was to inquire about a pregnant patient’s breastfeeding intentions. She and her companion at first looked at me aghast, and then nearly peed themselves laughing. I’m still not entirely sure, but I think I might have asked her if she planned to eat her baby! Needless to say, I’m looking for a good immersion Spanish course if you have any suggestions. Thanks for sharing “the ride” with us…I look forward to hearing more.
Glad you like my blog! I really enjoy writing it, and plan on keeping it up as much as possible during the semester (in addition to my OPM diary – they’re both very different, and I write different things in each).
Hm … a good Spanish immersion course. I don’t know of any in particular, but I know there are a LOT out there. I did a quick Google search myself and came up with a ton of results. I guess the key would be to ask a lot of questions about the program. I think one really important thing would be to spend as much time with Spanish-speaking people as possible, so perhaps living with a Spanish-speaking family, for example, might be one aspect of a program to look for. Also, obviously clinical experience would be another thing to ask about.
Another thought – a big part of whether the program is “good” is whether it is a good fit for you – i.e., works for your Spanish level. Some courses are geared toward total beginners; others are geared toward people who have a basic Spanish proficiency; others are geared toward people who really just need to learn the medical vocab.
At the OPM conference last summer, there was a representative from La Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, which has a medical Spanish immersion program in Guadalajara, Mexico. I can’t speak to the quality of the program (since I didn’t do it), but it looked pretty interesting. But as I said, there are a lot out there.
I was already fluent in Spanish to begin with, so my tactic was to buy a really good Spanish dictionary (I did a lot of searching and found the best to be the one by Onyria Herrera McElroy and Lola L. Grabb, Third Edition). I then made flashcards (hundreds, literally) and learned the medical terminology on my own time. With that self-teaching, I found that I’ve been able to translate very well at the clinic where I work – with a few exceptions, such as the fever/fiber incident. 