English for Health

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English for Health is designed for people working or hoping to work in the Healthcare Sector. It provides interactive learning material for students to practise their language skills at Intermediate to Advanced proficiency levels.

This tutorial provides you with a wide range of authentic health-related speaking and listening situations. You will be able to learn and practise the target language through stimulating communicative tasks and activities. You will also focus on developing the vocabulary and the language you need to function successfully in common everyday health contexts.

At the end of each level, students are expected to be able to use a range of functional language, using appropriate vocabulary and grammar structures, to perform the following tasks:

Level 1 - General Communication

At the end of this module, students are expected to be able to:

  • introduce themselves and another person.
  • use the telephone appropriately.
  • ask and give directions.
  • express likes and dislikes.
  • make generalisations.
  • ask for personal information to complete forms.

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Level 2 - Taking a History

At the end of this module, students are expected to be able to:

  • express certainty.
  • ask for clarification.
  • ask about a medical complaint.
  • inform a patient of what’s going to happen next.
  • ask about a patient’s condition.
  • ask about general health.
  • ask about pain.
  • ask about family history and social behaviours.
  • ask for and give advice.

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Level 3 - Examination and Diagnosis

At the end of this module, students are expected to be able to:

  • explain what is going to happen.
  • give reassurance.
  • explain consequences of action.
  • provide background information.
  • express degrees of possibility.
  • find out information about medical instruments.
  • give instructions.
  • give advice.
  • recognise language used in prescribing medication.

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Level 4 - Procedures and Treatments

At the end of this module, students are expected to be able to:

  • give a presentation.
  • ask for and give an opinion.
  • discuss options towards making a decision.
  • ask for more detailed information.
  • refer a patient to a medical colleague.
  • order a procedure.
  • emphasise important points.

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