Guest: Jessuri 'Suri' Alvarez Jaquez

Dental Assistant

Pima Medical Institute Graduate

For Spanish-speaking patients, a bilingual dental assistant can transform fear and confusion into trust, comfort and better communication.

Recent dental assisting graduate Jessuri “Suri” Alvarez Jaquez shares how speaking Spanish helps her connect with children and parents, explain dental care more clearly and create a safer experience for families navigating language barriers.

Suri reflects on growing up in a Spanish-speaking household, learning to recognize bilingualism as a professional strength and seeing her own mother in the patients she serves. She also discusses pediatric dental care, supporting patients with special needs, reducing dental anxiety and building trust that brings families back.

Now preparing for the next step in her career through dental hygiene, Suri shows how language, culture and compassion can become powerful skills in healthcare.Voices of Vital Care explores the people, pathways and perspectives shaping the future of healthcare.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, stance, or position of Pima Medical Institute.

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