Abstract:

Foreign language classes for medical students are no longer what they used to be three decades ago or so. The transfer of medical vocabulary is still an important part of foreign language teaching, but students' exposure to medical terminology nowadays is by far more significant than it used to be in the past, therefore their knowledge in this respect is quite impressive. The role of the foreign language teachers has therefore changed within the last two decades. This is also the case of ESP teachers (English for Specific Purposes).

This paper is going to present the way in which foreign language courses at the "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iasi, Romania have been adapted and updated so as to respond to the present-day needs of our medical students who are supposed to develop more than the mere medical skills as such. Today the medical profession is seen from a more complex perspective that includes the transfer of inter and transdisciplinary skills that can also be acquired in foreign language classes. Thus, if the foreign language seminars still focus on practical activities meant to provide students with a thorough understanding of the medical terminology, foreign language courses have started to be designed in such a way so as to cover various topics from culture as part of foreign language teaching, going all the way through developing communication skills in healthcare settings, up to medical humanities. The fact that language and culture are inseparable is no longer a new thing for our students. Nonetheless, the vast field of Medical Humanities is still a new territory for them (the very fact that we do not have a generally acknowledged and accepted translation of this notion in the Romanian language is a solid reason to admit that the field is still insufficiently explored in our context).

This paper is going to show how Romanian medical students at the “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy have started to become familiarized with the field of Medical Humanities as part of their foreign language training. As foreign language teachers, we are aware of the complexity of the domain, however our role is limited to a philologist’s perspective, hence we may try to train students to grasp the role of fiction and storytelling in their understanding of the patient. Fiction, understood in a cultural context, can become the key tool to understand a people’s psychology and mentality. Since classes are delivered in foreign languages, we can provide students with examples coming from the literatures whose languages we teach. Undoubtedly this is a useful exercise for our students to understand more about the culture whose language they learn. Nonetheless, most of our students will eventually carry out their professional activities in the Romanian context, therefore we believe that an exploration of the contemporary Romanian fiction will enable them to understand more about the typology of their future patients. Health choices are always culturally dictated so a good understanding of the way in which Romanian patients tend to respond and cope with the very ideas of health or illness may be found in our fiction. A brief exploration of the literary works of some Romanian contemporary writers (not those writers who are included in school manuals) may be the best way to make our students understand the role of fiction in their training.

Keywords:

Foreign language teaching, English for specific purposes, medical students, medical humanities, fiction.