Abstract:

Health Care Professionals who teach Medical English in non-English speaking countries naturally want to teach their students everything. Unfortunately, in the real world that is not always possible. In the context of a given program, whether it be nursing, physical therapy, or anything else, English, while often required in Japan, is not a high priority as it is usually not tested on the licensing exam. Moreover, in response to changes in health care, clinical-based requirements increase so English requirements sometimes decrease. For example, one Japanese nursing school decreased the English program from two years to one year. The English instructor must make decisions about what to teach students in as few as one or two semesters. As visitors to a country can and do have medical issues, being able to communicate in a foreign language enables the staff to treat these patients safely and more efficiently. This presentation will outline suggestions for teaching a pared-down Medical English curriculum.

Keywords:

Radiology, Medical English, health care.