Clients following the Medical English course will
improve their knowledge of the sort of English required in the fields of human
biology, medical science, nursing, etc. Improved language skills can advance
their career and allow them to communicate fluently with their counterparts (and
perhaps work) in other countries.
Course Duration
The duration of each of these courses may vary depending on each student's
requirements.
Structure of the course
Each Medical English course consists of :
- 20 lessons per week of specialised Medical English tuition.
- projects, assignments, case studies, seminars, lectures and group sessions.
- progress reports and assignments.
- optional visits to relevant places of interests.
Entry Requirements
Please consult
the Director of Studies for information regarding the course entry dates. The
minimum age for entry to this course is eighteen. Furthermore, (except by
special arrangement) an upper-intermediate level of English is required for
entry to the course. Students may be required to take an aptitude test (prior
to arrival) to judge whether their standard of English is sufficient for this
course. They may wish to follow a course of English Language Studies (General
English) before beginning their course of Medical English to make sure that they
gain the maximum benefit from their studies.
Maximum Group
Size
There is maximum group size of eight, in order to allow optimum interaction
between group members and the teacher / lecturer. We also stipulate a minimum
group size of four, so that the student may benefit from certain projects and
class activities which require a high level of student input.
Assessment and
Certification
If a student follows an Medical English course and attends at least 80% of
his or her classes, he or she will receive a certificate on satisfactory
completion of all coursework and assessment pieces. By prior arrangement with
the Director of Studies, we will also supply periodic progress reports.
The course covers the main stages of medical communication, from the initial case-taking, to medical examination, investigation, diagnosis, plus medical and surgical treatment. The course introduces the student to relevant general English vocabulary and functional language, elements of style and register found in medical texts, specialist terminology, and the grammatical and phonological components of medical English. In addition, the course highlights the difference between North-American medical English and British medical usage, and introduces common abbreviations, presents medical news and the British medical system.
On
occasion, it is also possible to invite specialists working in the field of
medicine to give talks and lectures..
The main areas covered by this course are the following:
* Taking a history.
* Asking about symptoms.
* Recording information.
* Communicating information accurately.
* Examining a patient.
* Rephrasing, explaining, prompting.
* Investigations.
* Using a medical dictionary.
* Medical documents.
* Interpreting, explaining and discussing a diagnosis.
* Understanding diagrams and documents.
* Using a pharmacology reference.
* Case histories.
* Treatment: medical treatment, physiotherapy, surgical treatment, giving and
understanding instructions.
* Language functions.
* Common medical abbreviations.
* The National Health Service.
* The British hospital system, including current issues.
* The future of medicine.