Medical English (English for Medicine)

Clients following the ETC International College 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 your career and allow you to communicate fluently with your counterparts (and perhaps work) in other countries.

Students of Medical English (English for Medicine) at ETC International College also have the opportunity to spend time with a doctor at a clinic in Bournemouth, at additional cost. This gives the opportunity to put what you have learnt in the classroom into a real patient-centred context.

ETC English for Medicine / Medical English course student profile – who is a typical English for Medicine / Medical English student at ETC?

ETC English for Medicine / Medical English students are doctors, nurses and other health practitioners from Europe and around the world. Many of our clients are medical specialists from leading hospitals and clinics. Of course, studying English for Medicine / Medical English at ETC gives you a great opportunity to make new friends and build international contacts in the medical profession.

Small class sizes mean faster progress in your English for Medicine / Medical English studies.
Maximum group size 8 students per Medical English class.  ETC International believes in the benefits of personalised learning.  Our policy is to have a maximum of 8 students per English for Medicine / Medical English class.  This means you will benefit from greater teacher attention and improve your English for Medicine / Medical English faster.

Remember, studies show that you make faster progress when you study English in small groups.

Flexible courses

ETC English for Medicine / Medical English courses can be adapted to suit your needs. You can study Medical English for one week or as many weeks as you wish depending on the time you have available and your own learning needs.

English for Medicine / Medical English course format:
- 10 lessons per week of specialised Medical English tuition.
- 20 lessons per week of General English tuition.
- projects, assignments, case studies, seminars, lectures and group sessions.
- progress reports and assignments.
- optional visits to relevant places of interests, at additional cost.

English for Medicine / Medical English Entry Requirements
Course duration: minimum 1 week.
Minimum age: 18.
English level: working knowledge – upper-intermediate or above.
Group size: maximum 8 students. (Please note that there is a maximum of 14 students in the General English component of this course).

Please consult the Marketing Department or Director of Studies for information regarding the course entry dates, but we can normally accept clients for start dates on any Monday throughout the year, except when the centre is closed for a bank holiday.

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 at ETC) 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.
 

Typical Course Content

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 additional, 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.

Medical English (English for Medicine) course objectives and key themes / language focus
The main areas covered by this course are the following:

Communicating effectively with patients

Communicating effectively with professional colleagues

Discussing treatments, presenting opinions and assessments

Developing a winning CV and triumph in English at interviews

Learning how to fit into a professional team in the UK

Making medical applications during the course

Spending time at a UK doctor’s clinic (at additional cost).

Taking and understanding a patient history, asking about symptoms, recording information, communicating information accurately.

Examining a patient, rephrasing, explaining, prompting.
investigations.

Using a medical dictionary, medical documents.

Interpreting a diagnosis, explaining and discussing a diagnosis.

Understanding medical diagrams and documents.

Using general medical reference books and a pharmacology reference.

Examining case histories.

Studying the language as it relates to medical treatment: medical treatment, physiotherapy, surgical treatment, giving and understanding instructions.

Considering language functions appropriate to certain medical scenarios.

Learning common medical abbreviations.

Examining the structure and organisation of the British National Health Service, including a discussion of the British hospital system.

Discussing the future of medicine.

Assessment and Certification
If a student follows an ETC English for Medicine / 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. We will also supply periodic progress reports on request.

Effective teaching
Built into every English for Medicine / Medical English student’s course are the following:
Placement test.
Needs analysis.
Skills development.
Task-based activities.
Systems work.
Learner skills development.
Progress tests.
Tutorials.
Homework.
Academic counselling.
Supportive error correction and constructive feedback.

What our students say:
I´ll never forget the three weeks I spent in ETC, doing a General English Course and a Medical English course. Everybody (staff and students) welcomed me with open arms, and I found the lessons very dynamic, fun and participatory, really fantastic. Medical English has been wonderful. I learnt the vocabulary for treating a patient, the meaning of the acronyms used by doctor in UK, the organisation of the English health system..., all in three weeks and always great fun. Of course, I made many good friends. For me, this experience has been unforgettable and I recommend to all people who want to learn English, and all physicians who want to learn medical English. Thank you for all ETC. Kisses. Pilar.
Pilar Izquierdo Garcia, Spain. 15th March, 2011.

For further information about this course and how to enrol, please contact:
ETC Executive Centre, 22-26 West Hill Road,
Bournemouth. BH2 5PG. England.
Tel: + 44 (0) 1202 559044.
Fax: + 44 (0) 1202 780162.
Email: enquiries@etc-inter.net


ETC International College is a Specialist Training Centre offering a variety of professional courses.