English for Medics International Spring Programme

• Applications for this programme have now closed

The English for Medics International Spring Programme is ideal for medical students and health professionals who want to improve their English for use in a hospital or medical setting. The course has been running for nearly twenty years and was initially devised with the support of a University of Leicester alumnus who is now a doctor in Japan.

Aims

The main aims of the course are to develop participants’ ability to communicate when using English for medical purposes and to provide them with opportunities to find out about the health system and medical practice in the UK. We focus on all four language skills – speaking, listening, reading and writing but the main emphasis will be on improving spoken English. An important aspect of the course is to learn to communicate in an appropriate way. When health professionals communicate with patients, they are expected to have a good ‘bedside manner’.

Why join the English for Medics International Spring Programme?

• Improve English skills specifically for use in a medical environment
• Learn about the UK health system and meet British medical professionals and academics
• Develop general English language skills for everyday communication
• Enhance research and academic skills through a small-scale medical research project
• Find out what it’s like to study at a British university
• Meet and socialise with other international medical students during day trips and social events
• Up to 18 hours of face-to-face taught classes per week on the University of Leicester campus. Classes generally take place between 9:30-11:00, 11:30-13:00 and 14:00-16:00
• Maximum class size of 16 students

Course description

This intensive course primarily focuses on language used in medical contexts. Participants will be provided with opportunities to use new medical vocabulary and structures in different contexts such as with a patient or consulting with fellow health professionals.

The strands of the course are:

• Medical research project, culminating in the presentation of an academic poster at a research exhibition
• Patient consultation, culminating in an assessed consultation
• Guest lectures and seminars from healthcare professionals
• Classes exploring contemporary UK health issues

As an indication, some of the topics covered in the healthcare lectures and seminars have previously included:

• Genetics
• Perspectives from a general practitioner (GP)
• Perspectives from an emergency doctor
• Perspectives from a local medical student
• Palliative care
• Introduction to the National Health Service (history, structure, challenges, future)
• Midwifery
• Physiotherapy
• Molecular and cell biology (developments in diabetes research)
• International medical education approaches