"SALUD" Program

Estudio Sampere: Cuenca

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Course description

Our SALUD (Health) program is aimed at students of medicine, nursing or pharmacy who wish to learn Spanish medical vocabulary, and get acquainted with medical healthcare practices in a Latin American country.
It also includes observation of medical practices in a non-profit health center in Cuenca, Ecuador. Due to Ecuadorian regulations, students may only participate as observers, and share their opinion with the healthcare personnel, but they cannot examine and/or explore patients.
This program consists of a full professional and linguistic immersion as, for the duration of the experience, participants will be in contact with the Spanish language, the work culture of the different health centers, the academic culture of the doctors, nurses and healthcare personnel, and the local culture of the patients. Students wishing to take part in this program are required to have a B1 level in Spanish, which may be acquired or consolidated with the intensive 4-week course included in this program.
However, if after this course they feel that they lack confidence in the language, they may also extend their Spanish course at Estudio Sampere until they feel they have the necessary tools to enjoy this experience.

OUR SALUD PROGRAM INCLUDES:
• Intensive Spanish course: Students will take part in a 4-week course on Spanish language, culture and civilization. These lessons are organized in small groups to ensure a communicative and progressive learning experience.
• One-to-one lessons: during the second, third and fourth week of the program, students will have 5 private (one-to-one) lessons per week, focused on the health system of Ecuador, related vocabulary and medical terminology.
• Medical observation: participants may participate as observers for three weeks in different hospitals and local clinics in Cuenca. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity, where every day provides the opportunity to
Learn from the experiences and decisions made by healthcare personnel, ask questions and see real medical situations.
• Visits to public and private healthcare facilities: participants will have the chance to see the different types of facilities available for Ecuadorian patients, according to the specialty and the type of condition that they suffer from.
• Guided tours and cultural activities: On the first day of the program, participants will enjoy a cultural guided walking tour, where they will see everything that Cuenca has to offer: lots of museums, estaurants and hotels, traditional bakeries, and craft workshops, among other options. Estudio Sampere Ecuador has a wide cultural range of cultural options for students to discover every week, which will very likely make them fall for this city with every passing day.
• Single room and full-board accommodation with a host family.
• All course materials.

Course topics

Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar and Activities

Class schedule

Course duration
4 weeks
Start dates
Every Monday
Classes per week
25 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 45 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday
School holidays
03 Mar 2025, 18 Apr 2025, 02 May 2025, 23 May 2025, 11 Aug 2025, 03 Nov 2025, 04 Nov 2025

Estudio Sampere does not hold classes on the holiday dates above. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

All levels, beginner to advanced
You will take a placement test on your first day to determine your class level.

Class size

Average 4 students
Maximum 6 students

Student age

Age range 16 years old and older

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
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school
photos

Photos

  • Entrance to Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 1/24
  • Classroom at Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 2/24
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  • Activities offered at Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 6/24
  • Activities offered at Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 7/24
  • Students of Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 8/24
  • Students of Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 9/24
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  • Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 17/24
  • Classroom at Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 18/24
  • Entrance to Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 19/24
  • Activities offered at Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 20/24
  • Activities offered at Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 21/24
  • 1-on-1 classes at Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 22/24
  • Classroom at Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 23/24
  • Building of Estudio Sampere: Cuenca 24/24
housing

Housing

Estudio Sampere offers the following housing types:
homestay

Homestay - Single-person room - Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Included
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Location: Single Room
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner (3 meals per week)
Facilities: Laundry
Distance to school: 20 minutes
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
Included
This option provides a full linguistic and cultural immersion, since students not only practice the language in class with their teachers, but also have real-life experiences with their host family. They help students on their day-to-day, and teach them vocabulary and expressions that are typical of each region, and of each member of the family. This way, students get a first-hand approach on how to live Spanish speakers, their local gastronomy and jargon.

At home, students will share the common areas with the rest of the family: the living room, kitchen, bathroom, but they will have, of course, their own private bedroom. In case of couples or friends traveling together, the choice of a double room is also available.

Families have been carefully hand-picked to meet our requirements. As language experts, we know that being away from home can affect the student’s learning and overall experience. Thus, our families are used to welcoming students and making them feel part of the family. We select the family based on the students’ interests, so that this experience can provide both an academic and a personal enrichment.
Students can choose the half-board option, if they also want to try the delicious local cuisine offered by each destination at local restaurants, or full-board if they want to take full advantage of the experience of discovering traditional dishes, prepared with great care by the families.

The Director of each school, always at the student’s disposal, can change a student’s accommodation if the need arises. If the student is not happy and wants to change family, the School will propose the names of three additional families that the student can visit and then make his/her choice. There is no extra cost if a student decides to change families.

Thanks to our more than 60 years of experience hosting students, we are confident that we will be able to fulfill your expectations. Our most recent satisfaction survey shows a 90% success rate, both for students and for members of the families
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.

Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you.

Flights and airport transfer

The closest airport to the school is Cuenca Airport (CUE).

The school offers airport pickup services. If you wish to be picked up, just give us your flight details and arrival date. The price of a one-way airport transfer from Cuenca Airport is $90. You must book your airport transfer in advance when you register.

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Cuenca based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from Estudio Sampere: Cuenca staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

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