Clinical Communication Skills in English for Advanced Language Learners

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2024-2025

Topic

The course focuses on the English language skills that doctors need to make consultations more effective in an English-speaking environment, for example how to structure medical history taking; how to reassure patients, gain the patient’s consent, signpost, show sympathy or address patients’ concerns in English during consultation. It also equips students with the necessary English language tools to handle sensitive and difficult situations in a clinical environment, such as talking to a difficult patient ((e.g. agitated, uncooperative, depressed, angry etc.), breaking bad news or disclosing medical errors in English. The course can serve as a language supplement to OSCE or PLAB 2 preparation courses. It can also help students prepare for international Medical English oral language exams. In classes, students can role-play patient-doctor dialogues with Simulated Patients and/or demonstrators who are native or near native speakers of English.

Lectures

Practices

Seminars

• 1. Introduction - Hild Gabriella
• 2. How to show sympathy or address patients’ concerns in English during consultation - Hild Gabriella
• 3. How to gain the patient’s consent during consultation in English - Hild Gabriella
• 4. How to handle a difficult patient during consultation in English - Hild Gabriella
• 5. Test 1 - Hild Gabriella
• 6. Practising patient consultation in English in Internal Medicine, Gynaecology - Hild Gabriella
• 7. Practising patient consultation in English in Surgery and Orthopaedics - Hild Gabriella
• 8. Practising patient consultation in English in Neurology - Hild Gabriella
• 9. How to break bad news in English - Hild Gabriella
• 10. How to disclose medical errors in English - Hild Gabriella
• 11. Test 2 - Hild Gabriella
• 12. Evaluation - Hild Gabriella

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

Notes

https://geekymedics.com/category/osce/clinical-examination/

https://mcc.ca/examinations/osce-orientation/knowledge-and-skills/

Recommended literature

Eric Glendinning and Ron Howard: Professional English in Use Medicine. Cambridge University Press (2007)

McCullagh Marie: Good Practice Student's Book. Communication Skills in English for the Medical Practitioner. Cambridge Univ ELT. (2008)

Pilling János: Medical Communication in Practice. (2020)

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

class attendance and tests

Mid-term exams

2 oral tests: mid-term test + end-of-term test (the given test dates can be rescheduled during the semester)

Role-play a consultation or history taking with a patient (Simulated patient or demonstrator) in English and complete 3 of the following tasks:

1. How to reassure patients during consultation in English

2. How to signpost during consultation in English

3. How to show sympathy or address patients’ concerns in English during consultation

4. How to gain the patient’s consent during consultation in English

5. How to handle a difficult patient (e.g. agitated, uncooperative, depressed, angry etc.) during consultation in English

6. How to break bad news in English

7. How to disclose medical errors in English

Making up for missed classes

When the course is offered at two different times per week during the semester the missed class can made up for by attending a class held at a different time.

Exam topics/questions

NA

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars

• Hild Gabriella
• Németh Tímea
• Szántóné Csongor Alexandra