SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN MEDICINA

COURSE PROGRAM

English I - Basic Communication in English for Medical Students

Code: LM1012
Credits: 2

II TRIMESTER 2016
(Compulsory Course for Medicine English Students)

A. Justification

English Language in our society is a pressing need in every study and work areas. That is why it is becoming
so important to improve the use of the four basic skills: speaking, listening, writing and reading in different
professional fields. That´s why medical students must be prepared to face such expectations and demands
since most of updates in this field are in English and they are not commonly translated into Spanish as soon as
the professionals might need them. In addition, there is an increasing number of English-speaking people who
decide to have their medical interventions done in different Latin American countries, so it is essential for a
professional from the health field to master basic proficiency skills to interact with the patients properly

B. Course description:

To start responding to the demand, the first course of English for Medicine is designed to promote oral
communication, listening skills, writing strategies reading comprehension at the A2 level according to the
Common European Framework. The Basic Communication in English for Medical Students course has been
designed to promote oral communication, listening skills, writing strategies and reading comprehension in
topics related to the field of Medicine. It is also intended to improve pronunciation and build vocabulary. . The
student will work with vocabulary and structures that will increase his/her ability to communicate in English
according to the situation, purpose, and roles of the participants.

C. Pre-requisite & requisites

 Admission to UNIBE as a student of Medicine is a pre-requisite of the course.
 It´s advisable for the student to have some knowledge of the most basic grammatical structures in order
to have a better performance throughout the course.
 Students are required to attend and participate in two-hour weekly classes. In addition, students are
required to work independently four hours a week for the four-month (fifteen-week) long course.

D. Course Objectives:

1. General Objective:

 Acquire the communicative career skills needed to further develop the career of Medicine.

 Expose students to vocabulary and structures that increase their ability to communicate in
English according to different situations, purposes and roles of the participants.
 2. Specific Objectives:

 Apply English communication skills in the medicine field.

 Describe and talk about different tasks doctors have in their field.
 Apply interpersonal skills to communicate with patients properly.
 Promote interest in the study of medical updates using the English language.
 Use the proper vocabulary to address patients and colleagues using the English
language.

E. CONTENTS AND VALUES

CONTENTS VALUES
General practice: clinical history, family history, Understands and identifies him/herself with the
asking patients questions about complaints patient´s situation and shows sensibility towards the
patient´s reality.
Instructions and procedures Expresses instructions and procedures properly,
showing understanding towards the patient´s
personal and health condition.
Medication Gives not only medical recommendations but also
suggestions to improve the patient´s lifestyle
Lifestyle Understands his/her patients´ lifestyle and provides
useful recommendations taking into consideration
the patient´s social and economic condition.

F. Methodology
The methodology integrates speaking, listening, writing and reading skills following the task based approach.
The program is learner-centered and active student participation is promoted and expected in all class
exercises and activities. Students will participate in individual and group activities such as discussions, role
playing, and presentations that promote real-life interactions, and academic reading comprehension in their
field of study. To achieve this goal, the following contents will be studied in class:
 English I - Basic Communication in English for Medical Students
COURSE CONTENTS AND TIMETABLE

Week Date Topics/Career Skills Language focus

Presenting complaints Listening skills:
 Asking patients about  Listening for specific details
personal details
 Asking patients Strategy focus:
questions about the  Asking short, gentle questions (information &
presenting complaints yes/no questions)
 Describing and asking
May 9th – May 13th

about pain Vocabulary focus:

 Medical complaints/symptoms
1  Technical & non-technical terms for body parts
(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for  Language for describing pain
Doctor-Patient Communication –  Adjectives for levels of pain
Unit 1)
Pronunciation power:
 Identifying and practicing word stress in three-
and four-syllable medical terms

Reading:
 Skimming and scanning to verify information
Presenting complaints Vocabulary focus:
 Asking patients  Medical abbreviations
questions about the
presenting complaints Grammar mark:
 Describing and asking  Using present simple, present continuous,
about pain present perfect and present perfect continuous
 Writing up a case report
May 16th – May 20th

statements and questions to make and

understand patient complaints
(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for
2 Doctor-Patient Communication – Strategy focus:
Unit 1)  Analyzing body language to help take a
patient’s history

Reading strategy:
 Skimming and scanning for finding information
to back a fact
Writing:
 Write a case report using past tense and
common medical abbreviations
 Working in General Practice Listening skills:
 Taking a family medical  Listening for specific information
history
 Taking a general medical Vocabulary focus:

May 23rd – May 27th

history  Medical jobs
 Writing a referral letter  Signs and symptoms of a condition
3
(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for Pronunciation power:
Doctor-Patient Communication –  Main stress in words and phrases
Unit 2)
Grammar mark:
 Using present perfect and past simple to
describe family and general medical history

Week Date Topics/ Career Skills Language focus

Working in General Practice Strategy focus:
 Taking a history in non-  Using short questions and non-technical
technical language language to take a general history
 Writing a referral letter  Expanding short questions to extract more
May 30th – June 3rd

information
(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for
Doctor-Patient Communication – Pronunciation power:
4 Unit 2)  Rising and falling intonation in questions

Reading/Writing work:
 Identifying parts of a referral letter
 Identifying verbs/medical terms in a referral
letter
 Using a checklist and a model to write a
referral letter
Instructions and procedures Listening skills:
 Following procedures in  Listening for reasons
training
 Giving and receiving Vocabulary focus:
Midterm 1 - Units 1&2

instructions  Instructions for a procedure

June 6th – June 10th

 Medical word partners: provide + feedback;

(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for identify + strengths; consider + age, etc
Doctor-Patient Communication –
5
Unit 3) Grammar mark:
 Imperatives to give direct instructions:
affirmative & negative statements
 You + Simple present to explain procedures

Reading:
 DOPS to provide feedback on procedural
skills
 Instructions and procedures Vocabulary focus:
 Giving and receiving  Giving direct instructions to patients: can
instructions you …, if you could …, (verb) + for me, I’d
 Making polite requests to like you to …
patients and colleagues
June 13th – June 17th  Understanding Strategy focus:
abbreviations  Soften instructions with now, ok, that’s it,
 Understanding case notes fine, just, etc.
6  Preparing a case presentation using a
(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for checklist
Doctor-Patient Communication –  Using Transition Expressions to guide
Unit 3) listeners in a presentation (Firstly, Secondly,
To Sum Up, the diagnosos is…)

Writing
 Identifying and using abbreviations in case
notes
Explaining and reassuring Vocabulary focus:
 Explaining  Procedures ending in –ectomy, -oscopy, - -
ORAL PRESENTATION

investigations/procedures ostomy, -(o)tomy

 Explaining complications
 Reassuring the patient Pronunciation power:
June 20th – June 24th

 Acknowledging a visual  Stressing words ending in –ectomy, -oscopy,

cue - -ostomy, -(o)tomy
7  Writing information about
complications Grammar mark:
 Present tense passive
(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for  Be going to for future
Doctor-Patient Communication –
Unit 4) Strategy focus:
 Reassuring patients to decreasing their fear
 Emphasizing key information to reassure
patients
Week Date Topics/ Career Skills Language focus
Explaining and reassuring Vocabulary focus:
 Briefly explaining procedures  Giving further explanations
 Explaining& discussing using:
complications Is there anything you’d like me to go
 Following up explanations over/repeat?
 Acknowledging visual cues Ok? Is everything clear? OK so far?
 Writing information about
complications Reading:
 Using synonyms to increase
June 27th – July 1st

(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for Doctor- reading comprehension

Patient Communication – Unit 4)  Understanding information
8 about a gastroscopy

Strategy focus:
 Acknowledging a patient’s
emotion by using language such
as you sound, it sounds, you
appear, you seem, etc.

Writing:
 Writing a section for a web page
explaining complications of a
procedure using prompts
Dealing with medication Vocabulary
 Understanding drug charts and  Drug classification
abbreviations  Common prescription
 Explaining benefits and side abbreviation
effects of medication
 Understanding and using patient Reading:
Midterm 2 - Units 3 & 4

language  Interpreting abbreviations on a

 Completing a clinical incident drug chart
July 4th – July 8th

report  Extracting key job-related

information for nurse
9 (Medicine 1- Essential Skills for Doctor- practitioners
Patient Communication – Unit 5)
Listening:
 Listen for specific details of
benefits and side effects of
aspirin

Dealing with medication Vocabulary:

July 11th – July

 Explaining benefits and side  Phrasal verbs for explaining

effects of medication medications
15th

10  Completing a clinical incident

report Grammar:
 Confirming a patient understands  Can/may to explain side effects
hot to take their medication
 Strategy focus:
(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for Doctor-  Clarifying and repeating to
Patient Communication – Unit 5) ensure patient understand
instruction: is everything clear
so far?, how do you feel about
taking this? Do you think you
will be able to remember …?
etc.

Week Date Topics/ Career Skills Language focus

Lifestyle Listening:
 Asking about family history  Determining specific details of a
 Asking about social history family and social history
 Expressing difficulty of change Vocabulary:
concisely  Expressing difficulty of change: I
 Explaining risks & benefits of don’t see why,, it’s impossible for
exercising me to…, when I try to …, etc.
July 18th – July 22nd

 Advising patients on actions to  Language for exercise

reduce work stress
11  Showing sympathy Grammar:
 Could to advise stress reduction
(Medicine 1- Essential Skills for Doctor-
Writing:
Patient Communication – Unit 6)  Writing an email reply

Strategy focus:
 Being sympathetic to a patient that
has difficulty with lifestyle changes:
have you tried …, have you thought
of…, what do you think the problem
is? Etc.
Lifestyle Grammar:
 Encouraging patients  Modals: could/can/should in
JULY 25TH : HOLIDAY

 Motivating patients affirmative & negative statements to

make suggestions
July 25th – July 29th

 Finding out about a patient’s

lifestyle Strategy focus:
 Being empathetic and being
12 (Medicine 1- Essential Skills for Doctor- sympathetic
Patient Communication – Unit 6)
Reading:
 Using predicting strategies for text
comprehension

Speaking naturally:
 Word stress in noun phrases
August 1st – August 5th
REVIEW AND FINAL ORAL INTERVIEWS
13
End of classes
AUGUST 2ND: HOLIDAY
August 8th – August 12th
14
FINAL EXAMS
 (Medicine 1- Essential Skills for Doctor-Patient Communication – Units 1-6)
August 15th – August 19th
15 EXÁMENES EXTRAORDINARIOS
AUGUST 15TH : HOLIDAY

F. Evaluation
Students will be evaluated on the four skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing, and each evaluation will
mirror course contents. In addition, students are responsible for assigned work outside of class, including on-
line practices and research, in order to enhance their learning experience. Minimum passing grade is 70%.

The grade will be distributed as follows:

10% homework
20% oral presentation
40% two tests ( 20 % each )
30% final exam ( written part 20% - oral interview 10%)

**** Students will be exempted from the FINAL TEST if the accumulative score is 60 or above.****

G. Course Regulations:

1. Attendance: In accordance with University regulations, regular student attendance is required.

Three absences, justified or unjustified, will automatically mean course failure. Absences can be
excused to instructor within a week through doctor’s note for sickness and official document for any
other case.
2. Tardiness is not accepted. Students have ten minutes to arrive to class after the scheduled class
time has begun. Any late arrival after ten minutes will be considered an absence.
3. Classroom guidelines: In accordance with University regulations, students will uphold a respectful
behavior towards the class, the teacher and their peers, including being on time, speaking in a polite
tone, and being responsible with their assignments. Cell phone and tablets usage is limited to
reference and research only as directed by the instructor. Students are expected to keep a positive
attitude towards the English study and they will require to take two extra class hours per week (at
least) to review the contents.
4. Copyright: Due to the need for compliance with the copyright laws of Costa Rica, it´s advisable for
the students to purchase the course books required for the program. Universidad de Iberoamérica-
UNIBE does not support the sale or distribution of photocopied copyrighted work, such as the course
books. The only photocopies allowed will be those assigned by the professor at the copy shop.

H. Course materials

1. Technologic devices when required by the professor for a specific program purpose.
2. Virtual Classroom: The professor will upload meaningful material and assignments to the Unibe´s
Virtual Classroom to help students understand and apply contents properly
 3. A notebook: It´s recommended for students to have a notebook for the course exclusively.
4. The student´s book: English in Medicine I ( units 1-6 )

I. Bibliography

McCarter S. (2009 ) Medicine 1, Essential Skills for Doctor-Patient Communication. Oxford University
Press. (Units 1-6)

https://elt.oup.com/student/oefc/medicine1/?cc=global&selLanguage=en
(for online practices)