Location
Moultrie, GA
Start Date
17-4-2026 12:00 PM
End Date
17-4-2026 1:00 PM
Description
Introduction
Every year, thousands of people experience sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital. When a bystander knows cardiopulmonary resuscitation and acts quickly, survival improves dramatically. Hispanic and Black individuals are 30% less likely to receive bystander CPR than non-Hispanic white individuals, mainly due to the limited access to Spanish-language CPR training.
Migrant farmworkers in Georgia are particularly affected by this gap. Nearly 90% of farmworkers seen at Georgia's migrant health clinics are Hispanic or Latino, with over 85% preferring to receive services in a language other than English. Many have health conditions like hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, all risk factors for cardiac emergencies.
Research Question: Can bilingual medical students be trained to deliver culturally responsive, Spanish-language CPR and first aid instruction to migrant farmworkers, and what competencies and instructional components define an effective preparation model?
Methods
Thirteen bilingual medical students from the Latino Medical Student Association at the PCOM South Georgia campus were trained to serve as CPR and first aid facilitators for migrant farmworkers in Colquitt County, Georgia.
The facilitator preparation model was designed around two competency domains:
-
Clinical and Technical Competence:
○ Mastery of CPR, AED use, and first aid using the American Heart Association CPR in Schools with First Aid Training Kit, including Spanish-language materials of content describing farmworker-relevant emergencies (e.g., heat illness, traumatic bleeding, etc.) and hands-on skills practice.
-
Cultural Competence:
○ Training in adult learning principles, culturally responsive communication, and hands-on coaching to support participant engagement and skill acquisition. Training included a structured review of Spanish medical terminology to ensure clarity and cultural relevance.
Facilitator preparation sessions were held at the PCOM South Georgia campus prior to the farmworker training sessions at Southern Valley Fruits and Vegetables. After the CPR training sessions, the student facilitators completed feedback surveys about their own experiences facilitating the training.
Results
The students were trained as CPR and first-aid facilitators across two migrant farmworker training sessions. The facilitators reported feeling prepared to deliver the curriculum in Spanish and to handle questions and hands-on coaching in real time. The sessions lasted approximately 2 hours each and covered CPR techniques, AED use, and first aid for farm-specific emergencies, including heat illness, choking, bleeding control, and allergic reactions. Improved knowledge and self-reported confidence in assessments among farmworkers indicated that the facilitator preparation model was effective. Student reflections demonstrated improvements in cultural humility, instructional skill, and awareness of rural health disparities. Facilitators identified areas for improvement in the training process (timing and pacing) and in addressing nuances in medical terminology.
Discussion
This project demonstrates that bilingual medical students can be effectively prepared to deliver culturally responsive emergency skills training in Spanish in underserved communities. A structured facilitator model integrating technical competency, linguistic adaptation, and communication training is feasible within medical education and scalable to similar settings. Leveraging medical students as instructors may represent a cost-effective strategy to reduce disparities in linguistically diverse populations. Future work should evaluate long-term skill retention and replication of this model across other rural and migrant communities.
Embargo Period
10-17-2026
Preparing Bilingual Medical Students to Deliver Emergency Skills Training in Linguistically Diverse Communities
Moultrie, GA
Introduction
Every year, thousands of people experience sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital. When a bystander knows cardiopulmonary resuscitation and acts quickly, survival improves dramatically. Hispanic and Black individuals are 30% less likely to receive bystander CPR than non-Hispanic white individuals, mainly due to the limited access to Spanish-language CPR training.
Migrant farmworkers in Georgia are particularly affected by this gap. Nearly 90% of farmworkers seen at Georgia's migrant health clinics are Hispanic or Latino, with over 85% preferring to receive services in a language other than English. Many have health conditions like hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, all risk factors for cardiac emergencies.
Research Question: Can bilingual medical students be trained to deliver culturally responsive, Spanish-language CPR and first aid instruction to migrant farmworkers, and what competencies and instructional components define an effective preparation model?
Methods
Thirteen bilingual medical students from the Latino Medical Student Association at the PCOM South Georgia campus were trained to serve as CPR and first aid facilitators for migrant farmworkers in Colquitt County, Georgia.
The facilitator preparation model was designed around two competency domains:
-
Clinical and Technical Competence:
○ Mastery of CPR, AED use, and first aid using the American Heart Association CPR in Schools with First Aid Training Kit, including Spanish-language materials of content describing farmworker-relevant emergencies (e.g., heat illness, traumatic bleeding, etc.) and hands-on skills practice.
-
Cultural Competence:
○ Training in adult learning principles, culturally responsive communication, and hands-on coaching to support participant engagement and skill acquisition. Training included a structured review of Spanish medical terminology to ensure clarity and cultural relevance.
Facilitator preparation sessions were held at the PCOM South Georgia campus prior to the farmworker training sessions at Southern Valley Fruits and Vegetables. After the CPR training sessions, the student facilitators completed feedback surveys about their own experiences facilitating the training.
Results
The students were trained as CPR and first-aid facilitators across two migrant farmworker training sessions. The facilitators reported feeling prepared to deliver the curriculum in Spanish and to handle questions and hands-on coaching in real time. The sessions lasted approximately 2 hours each and covered CPR techniques, AED use, and first aid for farm-specific emergencies, including heat illness, choking, bleeding control, and allergic reactions. Improved knowledge and self-reported confidence in assessments among farmworkers indicated that the facilitator preparation model was effective. Student reflections demonstrated improvements in cultural humility, instructional skill, and awareness of rural health disparities. Facilitators identified areas for improvement in the training process (timing and pacing) and in addressing nuances in medical terminology.
Discussion
This project demonstrates that bilingual medical students can be effectively prepared to deliver culturally responsive emergency skills training in Spanish in underserved communities. A structured facilitator model integrating technical competency, linguistic adaptation, and communication training is feasible within medical education and scalable to similar settings. Leveraging medical students as instructors may represent a cost-effective strategy to reduce disparities in linguistically diverse populations. Future work should evaluate long-term skill retention and replication of this model across other rural and migrant communities.