Spanish medical vocabulary

When traveling to a Spanish-speaking country it is essential that you know the basic medical vocabulary to be able to communicate your concerns in times of illness and stress. With Sprachcaffe you can learn the medical vocabulary lists you will need whether you want to work in the medical field in a Spanish-speaking country or need medical care on your trip.

Page content

»Hospital employees and wards
»Emergency rooms
»Medical instruments
»Example of a conversation between a patient and a doctor in Spanish

Hospital employees

Spanish	English
Doctor	Doctor
Enfermero/a	Nurse
Cirujano/a	Surgeon
Anestesista	Anesthesiologist
Pediatra	Pediatrician
Cardiólogo	Cardiologist
Radiólogo	Radiologist
Farmacéutico/a	Pharmacist
Terapeuta físico/a	Physical Therapist
Psicólogo/a	Psychologist
Recepcionista	Receptionist
Paramédico/a	Paramedic
Nutricionista	Nutritionist

Hospital wards

Spanish	English
Sala de emergencias	Emergency Room
Sala de operaciones	Operating Room
Unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI)	Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Sala de partos	Delivery Room
Consultorio médico	Doctor's Office
Laboratorio	Laboratory
Farmacia	Pharmacy
Sala de espera	Waiting Room
Sala de radiología	Radiology Room
Sala de rehabilitación	Rehabilitation Room
Quirófano	Operating Theater
Sala de observación	Observation Room
Sala de curas	Treatment Room
Habitación de paciente	Patient Room
Vestíbulo	Lobby

The emergency room terms in Spanish

Emergencies	Translation	Emergencies	Translation
Emergencia	Emergency	Fractura	Fracture
Llamada de emergencia	Emergency call	Convulsiones	Seizures
Servicios de emergencia	Emergency services	Intoxicación alimentaria	Food poisoning
Ambulancia	Ambulance	Pérdida de conciencia	Loss of consciousness
Paramédico	Paramedic	Esguince	Sprain
Hospital	Hospital	Choque anafiláctico	Anaphylactic shock
Herida	Wound	Desmayo	Fainting
Sangrado	Bleeding	Accidente cerebrovascular (ACV)	Stroke
Paro cardíaco	Cardiac arrest	Rescate	Rescue
Reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP)	Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)	Botiquín de primeros auxilios	First aid kit
Shock	Shock	Evacuación	Evacuation
Quemadura	Burn	Camilla	Stretcher
Envenenamiento	Poisoning	Triage	Triage
Dificultad respiratoria	Breathing difficulty	Socorrista	Rescuer
Dolor en el pecho	Chest pain	Teléfono de emergencia	Emergency phone

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Medical instruments

Estetoscopio - Stethoscope
Termómetro - Thermometer
Jeringa - Syringe
Fonendoscopio - Phonendoscope
Escalpelo - Scalpel
Monitor de signos vitales - Vital Signs Monitor
Rayos X - X-ray
Ecografía - Ultrasound
Resonancia magnética - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Electrocardiograma (ECG) - Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Sonda - Probe
Mascarilla de oxígeno - Oxygen Mask
Esfigmomanómetro (tensiómetro) - Blood Pressure Cuff
Microscopio - Microscope
Catéter - Catheter

Example of a conversation between a patient and an emergency room doctor

Paciente (Patient): Hola, me siento mal. (Hello, I don't feel well.)

Enfermero/a (Doctor): ¡Hola! ¿Qué te pasa? (Hello! What's going on?)

Paciente (Patient): Tengo dolor en el pecho y me duele la cabeza. (I have chest pain and a headache.)

Enfermero/a (Doctor): ¿Hace cuánto tiempo que tienes estos síntomas? (How long have you had these symptoms?)

Paciente (Patient): Comenzaron hace aproximadamente una hora. (They started about an hour ago.)

Enfermero/a (Doctor): ¿Tienes alguna alergia a medicamentos o condiciones médicas previas que debamos saber? (Do you have any allergies to medications or pre-existing medical conditions we should be aware of?)

Paciente (Patient): No, no soy alérgico a nada, pero tengo antecedentes de hipertensión. (No, I'm not allergic to anything, but I have a history of hypertension.)

Enfermero/a (Doctor): Gracias por la información. Estamos aquí para ayudarte. Por favor, siéntate y te haremos un electrocardiograma y algunos análisis de sangre. (Thank you for the information. We are here to help you. Please have a seat, and we'll perform an electrocardiogram and some blood tests.)

Paciente (Patient): Gracias. (Thank you.)

Find out how to be treated in the emergency room in Spanish

Learning medical vocabulary in Spanish can be a challenge, but with dedication and focus, it is entirely possible. We recommend that to learn medical vocabulary you watch some of your favorite medical-related series in Spanish. In addition, taking general Spanish courses will also help you improve your language skills and better understand the structure of the language. If you have any questions or need more examples, feel free to contact us or visit our Spanish courses.

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