"It's very powerful": language as a complex asset among Latinx medical students and residents

Latinx physicians are underrepresented in the US medical workforce, with only 6% of physicians identifying as Latinx, despite the increasing Latinx population. Language concordance between physicians and patients improves clinical outcomes, yet many Latinx medical learners face both challenges and opportunities related to their multilingualism during training. This study explores the role of linguistic capital-defined as the language (often multiple languages) skills of a person or group and how those skills can be used as a source of social mobility and power-among Latinx medical learners in navigating assets and challenges across medical education.

The authors conducted 34 semistructured interviews with Latinx medical students and residents at a large Midwest public medical school and health system from September 2023 to March 2024. Participants discussed their multilingualism and its impact on their experiences in medical education. Using constructivist qualitative methods, the authors analyzed data through constant comparative analysis and applied the community cultural wealth framework to uncover how linguistic capital functions as an asset and a challenge.

Interviews were conducted with 20 Latinx medical students and 14 Latinx residents. Participants highlighted benefits of multilingualism in fostering effective patient communication, culturally concordant care, and trust-building. Logistical benefits were also emphasized, such as facilitating workflow and improving patient histories. However, participants faced challenges, including inappropriate requests to serve as ad hoc interpreters and identity threats in clinical and educational settings. Despite these barriers, participants expressed pride in their linguistic identity and its role in improving patient care.

This study highlights complexities of multilingualism for Latinx learners in medicine. Although multilingualism is an asset for improving care for linguistically minoritized populations, learners often face systemic barriers. Medical education should establish standardized policies to protect learners, enhance training on interpreter use, and formally recognize and incentivize language skills.