Graeme Ritchie with nurses

Classroom interaction

MA student Mark with nurses

Payap University offers courses in English for Medical Purposes for nurses, nursing students and other health professionals. These can be arranged at times to suit the convenience of learners.

These courses aim to develop the abilities of medical professionals to communicate confidently with patients in English. The teaching methods used are likely to be different from those previously experienced by most students. Our emphasis is on classroom participation and interaction, with students having many opportunities to use English for communicative purposes both with their classmates and the instructor.

Topics include starting interviews with patients, obtaining basic information, taking health histories, performing physical examinations, and giving advice about treatment plans. There is also opportunity for learners to suggest areas that are of particular relevance to their own work situations. Under these topics, English vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar are included. The aim, however, is not to study these aspects of language as ends in themselves, but as a means to being able to communicate effectively.

FEEDBACK

Here are some comments from satisfied students:

- "I've studied English for 20 years (since kindergarten) but I haven't understood it at all, and I haven't been able to speak English. But taking this course has made me feel that I can listen and understand English. It doesn't seem too hard now."

- "This course was really directly related to my needs. It was easy to understand and should be useful for me in the future"

- "Studying was fun. Before I didn't like studying English, but now I want to study more."

- "The studying was fun, and I got knowledge and skills in using English. I think I'll be able to use this well in my daily life."

- "I'm happy that I took this short course. I can say that I got more knowledge from this course than I got from my previous four years of studying English. And I can use what I learned."