Al Lugah Educational Center (LEC)

Medical English (English for Medicine)

Aims of the Course

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.

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 client 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. The course also highlights the difference between North-American medical English and British medical usage, and introduces common abbreviations present in medical news and the British medical system. On occasions, it is also possible to invite specialists working in the field of medicine to give talks and lectures at LEC. 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.
Medical treatment, Physiotherapy, Surgical treatment, giving, understanding instructions.
Language functions.
Common medical abbreviations.
The future of medicine.