Welcome
Dear Visitor,
Welcome to the homepage of the Department of Languages for Biomedical Purposes and Communication (LBPC) at the University of Pécs Medical School (UPMS).
Our Mission
“Our primary objectives focus upon the education and research among the various fields of Languages for Specific Purposes and Communication (LSPC) in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and health sciences. Additionally, LBPC strives towards developing, nurturing and monitoring the attending examination protocol regarding Languages for Biomedical Purposes (LBP).”
Our Vision
"Our vision is to professionally enhance, inspire and strengthen the essence regarding our clientele's strategic use of languages for a specific purpose in areas of biomedicine and academic research, duly anointing each candidate enrolled in our programs regarding the development of their language skills acquisition with verve, and confidence."
Our Strategic Goals - 2021
To exemplify and demonstrate the benefits regarding a favourable impact upon the institute and its student population, fulfilling the academic needs among both local and international students, instructors and clinicians participating in various international programs offered at UPMS.
Additionally, we strive towards elevating the profile regarding research conducted at LBPC, ushering in a delivery resplendent with professionalism, ingenuity, and creativity.
Lastly, our annual ambition is to review and revitalize our hybrid educational materials, enhance our online presence as educators, address lessons learned in the past ten months and improve the exam methodology to assure all are aligned with the resources demanded by an increasingly digital world.
Departmental Staff
“Our staff includes an eclectic portfolio of specialized instructors and researchers who are committed to teaching contemporary forms of LBP to aspiring students and professionals in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and health sciences. Astonishingly, we do so, in the languages of English, German, Latin and Hungarian.”
Accreditations and Credentials
Once our department aligned itself with the Bologna process, we were fully authorized to offer credited courses at the tertiary education level.
In contrast with the previous obligatory language instruction, all LBP courses in German and English are now elective or optional. Traditional language instruction was replaced with professional communication coursework aimed at imparting skills and knowledge which are deemed essential prerequisites regarding professional competency.
Concepts and Functions
This course offers students the acquisition of language principles in reference to written and oral specific communication from a functional aspect and learning the most relevant concepts and linguistic tools regarding LBP.
Discourse and Genres
This course introduces students to the most common genres in the field of biomedicine including research articles, case studies and patient information leaflets. Additionally, genre specific conventions globally accepted by the biomedical discourse community are discussed.
Presentation Techniques
Students are taught principles and strategies considered beneficial in the preparation of an oral presentation in particular at biomedical conferences. Moreover, students acquire poster design skills and are taught the nomenclature regarding graphic design and printing.
Taking Medical History
These courses focus on developing practical professional skills and hone the students’ bedside manner through role-playing scenarios. Students analyze and demonstrate how to perform in a variety of simulated professional situations, including doctor-patient interactions based on semi-authentic medical cases.
Taking Medical History with Actors
Course performances based on authentic medical cases include physicians, professionally trained actors or actresses and amateur actors or actresses as simulated patients in the MediSkillsLab.
How to Present Medical Case Reports
The course aims to discuss the etiquette regarding biomedical case reports including their primary communication purpose, discourse structure and lexico-grammatical features. In addition, students are taught effective conventions and strategies how to present these case reports at biomedical conferences.
Intercultural Competence in Doctor-Patient Communication
The course objective is towards increasing medical students’ awareness of sociocultural influences on health beliefs, attitudes and behaviors as well as providing skills to understand and manage these factors during medical care with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Preparatory Course for Scholarships and Internships Abroad
The focus of the course is to prepare students, who are considering, have applied for, or have already received international scholarships or internships. Moreover, students will acquire specific skills and competences deemed necessary for their study or practice abroad period. The course covers a variety of key topics including the development of their medical English language skills and addressing problems arising from cultural differences in medical settings.
Writing Up Research
Students acquire specific skills how to effectively compose biomedical research articles intended for publication. The primary focus is on the discourse structure and lexico-grammatical features of the well-known IMRAD format.
Medical Translation
Students are taught mediation and translation strategies including accuracy, appropriateness and contemporary forms of the language in the field of biomedical sciences.
Courses for Pharmacy and Dentistry students
Communication courses in reference to the characteristics of languages for specific purposes in pharmacy and dentistry taught in both English and German are also available.
Courses for Advanced Students
These oral and written courses provide an opportunity for an intensified, thorough exposure to LBP, learning language structures and increasing the strength regarding vocabulary, speaking and writing skills including mediation strategies, reading and listening comprehension.
Preparatory Courses
Passing a complex (written and oral) biomedical language exam in English (for Pharmacy students in English or German) is a criterion requirement at the UPMS.
The students may take either the state-recognized PROFEX test or the LBPC Internal Language Exam.
The courses are designed to prepare students to meet the requirements of these language examinations.
Medical Hungarian/ Clinical Hungarian
International students may enroll in elective language courses for medical purposes. These courses are offered during 4 semesters, 4 classes per week.
Students are required to pass both the oral and written final language examination for medical purposes in Hungarian.
Clinical Hungarian courses are also offered to students from their third year on, aligned to their clinical studies.
Latin Language and Medical Terminology
This course offers students an elective course supplemented with specific components in pharmacy and dentistry and is available to students of instructional programs in all three languages.
Courses offered in the first semester are elective.
Optional courses in the spring semester include Greek-Latin Principles of Language for Medical Purposes, Latin in Medicine and in Clinical Practice, Medications in a Nutshell and Dental Latin.
Educational Materials
The textbook, “English for Doctors,” written by Móriczné Győrffy Mária deserves special attention. The book is a result of compiling years of research and was published in numerous countries throughout Europe, and even in Japan and China.
The book entitled “What seems to be the problem?”, written by Anita Hegedűs, strives to educate medical students in the field of biomedical history taking.
The colleagues of the department have authored numerous course materials pioneering professional efforts regarding the field of teaching languages for biomedical purposes. Professional accomplishments aligned to the department are considered to be leading works in teaching LBP and are notable throughout research.
PROFEX Language Test
In 2000, the PROFessional Examination Test for biomedical purposes earned state accreditation as the first examination in support of languages for specific purposes throughout Hungary.
The examination center used for this examination system is located at LBPC at the UPMS.
To meet the increasing needs in support of students and biomedical professionals, 20 additional examination sites have been established throughout the country and exclusively, one outside Hungary, in Romania. In 2007, the examination levels (B1, B2 and C1) of PROFEX were synchronized with the recommendations of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages proposed by the Council of Europe.
Professional networks
To promote the teaching of languages for biomedical purposes the department has established a sprawling national and international network. Today, cooperation flourishes among notable experts of international repute in the fields of biomedical education, research and testing.
In addition to these accomplishments, staff members of the department have earned several grants from the European Union.