To do your job as a first responder effectively, you need to be able to communicate with the people you’re trying to help, or with someone who can communicate on their behalf. But what if the patient or their loved ones speak only Spanish, and you don’t know the language? From Texas to Illinois and from New York to California, the numbers of Spanish-speaking people are steadily increasing. Those four states, in addition to Florida and New Jersey, have some of the highest populations of Spanish speakers in the United States. However, they are just part of a larger trend throughout the country. Consider these facts:
What does all this mean to you as a paramedic or EMT? Risk or opportunity, depending on your level of Spanish proficiency. Considering that the Spanish language will continue to proliferate in the country, knowing English alone isn’t enough. The inability to converse in a second language can make a critical difference in providing appropriate care with certainty, which means it will become as important a job skill as knowing how to perform CPR.
Let’s put that risk into real numbers.
Risk: Contributing to a Staggering Statistic
Are you willing to accept the risk that you may not be able to understand 8% of your patients? Data attributed to the U.S. Census Bureau reports that nearly 25 million Americans—approximately 330 million people—have limited English proficiency. According to data from The Joint Commission, communication errors are a primary factor in almost 60% of problematic incidents that occur within healthcare facilities. It’s easy to see how language barriers can lead to tragedy in an emergency situation. Would you minimize the risk if you could by learning a second language?
Opportunity: Becoming More Valuable to Patients and Employers
Having the ability to communicate with a greater number of patients has many benefits for you and all parties involved:
A Spanish Program Created Specifically for First Responders
The University of Texas Permian Basin is helping to answer the growing need for Spanish-speaking emergency service providers with our online Certificate in Spanish for First Responders. Created to help healthcare professionals better serve the growing Spanish-speaking population, our 9-credit program provides instruction in translating the medical terminology you use every day into Spanish, enabling you to ask questions and explain to Spanish speakers what type of treatment you’re providing. You’ll build your proficiency in Spanish through virtual conversations that mirror real-life exchanges between Spanish-speaking patients and emergency personnel.
This certificate is made up of three online courses led by the same renowned professors who teach Spanish courses at the UT Permian Basin campus. These acknowledged authorities will instruct you not just on the Spanish language, but on contextual topics that will help you better understand your patients. Under their guidance, you’ll explore Spanish from multiple perspectives, including:
Our Certificate in Spanish for First Responders is available to you as a stand-alone online program or can be added to an existing degree program, should you wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree from UT Permian Basin.
Learning Online Means Learning on Your Schedule
Your job and family commitments are very important to you, but you needn’t neglect them to learn new career-enhancing skills. Our Certificate in Spanish for First Responders program is delivered in a 100% online asynchronous format that allows you to choose both the time and place to complete your coursework. On a break from work, after you put the kids to bed, on weekends—if the time is good for you and you have internet access, our program is ready and waiting. This unmatched flexibility makes earning an important professional credential incredibly convenient.
You’re only three courses away from being able to offer more effective care for an increasing number of patients. Apply to our online Certificate in Spanish for First Responders program now and make an even bigger difference in their lives!
Sources:
https://datacommons.org/place/country/USA?utm_medium=explore&mprop=count&popt=Person&hl=en
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7201401/
https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/fulltext/2018/04000/strategies_for_overcoming_language_barriers_in.7.aspx
https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/overcoming-language-barriers-in-healthcare/89359/
https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-06-07-00470.pdf
If you’ve ever wondered what you can do with a master’s degree in Spanish, you’re not alone. Whether you’re passionate about language and culture or looking for a flexible, globally relevant career, an MA in Spanish opens doors across many industries. From teaching and translation to travel and international affairs, this graduate degree offers more than you might expect.
And with flexible online Spanish degree programs now available, including a 100% online Master of Arts in Spanish from UT Permian Basin, it’s easier than ever to earn your degree without hitting pause on your life.
So, what can you actually do with this degree? Let’s break it down.
A Master of Arts in Spanish can open doors to a wide range of careers where language, culture, and communication intersect. With advanced Spanish-language skills and cultural expertise, you’ll be prepared for roles in many industries, including:
Whether you want to teach, write, travel, or serve bilingual communities, this degree equips you with the tools to thrive in a global, multilingual job market.
Curious about particular career paths? Potential roles include (but are certainly not limited to):
Completing a graduate degree is a considerable accomplishment, and something to be proud of. But once you’ve got your degree in hand, what’s next?
The truth is: what you do with your degree is up to you. To get the greatest value out of your educational investment, it helps to know what kind of opportunities an MA in Spanish can open.
Here’s how a master’s degree in Spanish can help you level-up your career:
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2025, the median weekly earnings for professionals with a master’s degree were $1,840, compared to $1,543 for those with only a bachelor’s degree—a difference of over $15,000 annually. That wage boost can really add up over the course of your career, especially if your role involves bilingual communication or international engagement.
BLS data also shows a direct link between higher education and employment stability, with graduate degree holders experiencing the lowest unemployment rates of all education levels.
In fact, in 2024, the unemployment rate for individuals with a master’s degree was just 2.2%, compared to 2.5% for those with a bachelor’s degree alone. That slight margin can make a big difference during economic uncertainty or industry shifts, giving you added peace of mind.
An MA in Spanish can lead to jobs in:
Spanish remains the most spoken non-English language in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 22% of U.S. residents aged 5 and older spoke a language other than English at home in 2023, with 13.2% speaking Spanish.
This linguistic trend reflects the growing Hispanic population, which reached 65.2 million in July 2023. That figure represents a remarkable 19.5% of the total U.S. population.
The increasing number of Spanish speakers in the United States indicates a growing need for bilingual individuals to serve them in a variety of professional capacities. Outside of the professional world, people need to converse with one another in many contexts, whether getting into an elevator or going to a doctor’s appointment.
With a master’s degree in Spanish, you’ll be prepared to successfully navigate professional and social settings as the demographics of the United States continue to evolve.
There are more than 20 countries and territories outside the continental United States where Spanish is the primary language spoken. There are different dialects and cultural norms, of course, but they share many commonalities. Your Master of Arts in Spanish prepares you to live and work in one of those areas, should your career, your family, ambitions, or other factors lead you there in the future.
If you decide to pursue a PhD later, you’ll be prepared to thrive in programs including Hispanic studies, Spanish linguistics, and Spanish literature. A master’s degree can also make you a more competitive candidate for selective doctoral programs and may even allow you to transfer credits or fulfill preliminary requirements ahead of time.
The University of Texas Permian Basin offers a 100% online master’s degree in Spanish that helps you build your proficiency not only in the language, but in diverse aspects of Spanish culture, literature, language-teaching methodology, and linguistics.
This online program’s curriculum is identical to UT Permian Basin’s on-campus program, and it’s taught by the same acclaimed faculty who teach on campus. You’ll get the quality education you expect and deserve from UT Permian Basin, with the added convenience of an online format. And there are other advantages:
If you’ve previously earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and meet the other admission requirements, you can apply to become part of this rewarding graduate program!
Most individuals can’t simply put their life on hold to earn a master’s degree—and we don’t expect you to. When you choose UT Permian Basin’s online MA in Spanish program, you’ll quickly discover how successfully our asynchronous, 100% online format serves students who have jobs and families. Complete coursework on your own schedule from practically anywhere on the planet. You can continue to meet your professional and personal commitments while earning a career-transforming graduate degree.
Broaden your professional horizons with an online Master of Arts in Spanish from UT Permian Basin!
Sources:
https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/unemployment-earnings-education.htm
https://apnews.com/article/immigration-census-foreign-languages-f91c4b4785926e31e7317b2b8b7d9533
If you’re like most people, when you decide to learn Spanish to advance your career, you might reach for your phone. In 2023 alone, there were 231 million language learning app downloads. Social media, websites, and AI offer instant translations. But how good are these quick fixes? Is their content accurate? And can they actually…
About 41 million people speak Spanish in the United States. Worldwide, that number jumps to 595 million. It’s the official language of 21 countries and territories across four continents. How Can a Spanish Major Help Your Career? Spanish language skills are certainly handy for social situations and travel. But more importantly, Spanish fluency and cultural…
Did you know that Spanish is the second-most spoken language in the world? It comes in as a close second only to Mandarin Chinese. In the United States alone, about 42 million people speak Spanish as their first language, and it’s one of very few languages that can help you communicate across multiple continents. It…
What if you or someone you love were experiencing a medical emergency but were unable to communicate with the people trained to help you? You’d be unable to tell those healthcare professionals what symptoms you were experiencing or what other conditions you might have that they’d need to know before treating you. Nightmare situations like this are a reality every day in the United States and elsewhere. Language barriers may prevent people from getting the medical attention they need in a timely fashion, potentially leading to more serious conditions or death.
In an emergency, effective communication is especially critical at the first touch point, when first responders are involved. It remains important, however, as the patient’s condition is stabilized and during the recovery phase, when healthcare providers may continue to administer medications. If you work as an EMT, paramedic, or in another healthcare role, knowing how to speak another language in an emergency could quite literally save your patient’s life. Interpreters, whether a patient’s bilingual family member or a professional interpreter, can be helpful when you’re assisting a patient, but they may not always be available in an emergency.
The Source of Treatment Errors and Their Unfortunate Outcomes
Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau states that almost 25 million people in our country can be described as having limited English proficiency (LEP). Further, according to data originating with The Joint Commission, errors related to communication were the main contributing factor in nearly 60% of serious adverse events reported at healthcare facilities. You may already have some practical knowledge of a language other than English, but do you know enough of it to avoid those errors and provide effective, even lifesaving healthcare to a person who speaks only that language?
Not knowing how to communicate with a patient due to language barriers can result in many unfortunate outcomes, including:
Consider Expanding Your Spanish Proficiency
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that there are nearly 60.5 million Hispanic people in the United States, a considerable statistic that will only increase with time. In fact, the United States has more Spanish-speaking people than Spain itself does, and we’re expected to surpass Mexico as the country with the most Spanish speakers by 2050, when that number will reach an estimated 132.8 million. With the ubiquity and continuing proliferation of the Spanish language in the U.S., it may be the most important language apart from English that you can broaden your understanding of, from a professional standpoint.
An Online Program Designed Just for You
What if there were a program specifically designed to help first responders and healthcare professionals provide care to Spanish-speaking patients? The University of Texas Permian Basin is leading the way with our online Certificate in Spanish for First Responders. This 9-credit program teaches you how to use common medical terminology when treating a Spanish-speaking patient, so you can explain to them or their loved ones what type of treatment you’re administering. You’ll hone your Spanish skills by engaging in virtual conversations that recreate real-life interactions between first responders and Spanish-speaking patients.
Our program consists of three courses, all taught by the same acclaimed faculty who teach Spanish courses on campus at UT Permian Basin. These experts will guide you through various aspects related to the language, including:
You can earn your Certificate in Spanish for First Responders as a stand-alone education credential or while you’re simultaneously earning a degree through UT Permian Basin.
Learn at Your Own Pace
Between your work and personal responsibilities, you may have a very busy schedule. The asynchronous, 100% online format of our Certificate in Spanish for First Responders program allows you to learn on your own time, around other professional and personal obligations, from just about anywhere in the world. Are nights best for you? Or maybe weekends? Want to make the most of your lunch breaks? You can complete your coursework when and where it’s convenient for you. This flexibility makes our program one of the best ways to gain career-enhancing credentials.
Just three courses stand between you and the ability to provide a better quality of care for Spanish speakers. Apply for our online Certificate in Spanish for First Responders program today!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7201401/
https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/fulltext/2018/04000/strategies_for_overcoming_language_barriers_in.7.aspx
https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/overcoming-language-barriers-in-healthcare/89359/
https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-06-07-00470.pdf
https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/494284-isolated-with-no-family-members-for-non-english-speakers-with
https://cdn.mdedge.com/files/s3fs-public/pdfs/journals/658_ftp.pdf
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/reports/2019/02/20/466144/language-access-life-death-consequences-migrants/
https://psmag.com/social-justice/death-and-dying-lost-in-translation