Professional English for Nursing and Health Care (3cr)

Objective

The core objective of the course is that the student • understands the significance of English skills, interaction and communication as part of their professional skills. • recognizes their own role as a communicator in patient situations in the field of Health Care and Nursing. After completion of the course the student • when conducting a patient interview, can ask relevant questions relating to the patient’s previous health. • can inform patients about the most common nursing practices, procedures and ward routines. • can communicate in English as part of a multi-professional care team. • understands and can use articles and texts in the field. • can further develop their English skills in the field by effectively using dictionaries and other language learning tools.

Content

• patient interview • guidance and instruction sessions prior to and during examinations • telehealth nursing • relevant terminology in the field of health care and nursing • relevant terminology in anatomy • relevant medical terminology

Qualifications

Upper Secondary School studies or equivalent skills Common European Framework for Languages Level B2.1

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The student • Can communicate in familiar, simple and routine situations in a manner that is mostly understandable. • Can provide patients/clients with simple oral and written instructions. • Can ask patients/clients necessary questions regarding their lifestyle, as well as previous and current health status. • Can employ basic nursing and health care terminology passably. • Knows how to search information in professional sources but may have problems in interpreting and utilizing it. • Understands the main points in relatively easy nursing-related texts when consulting a dictionary. • Can communicate in English but has problems with grammar and style. • Manages simple conversations provided that the other person talks slowly and clearly, and sometimes repeats the information. • Responds to questions in discussions, but pauses, mistakes and reformulations occur. • Understands the significance of knowing professional English, and works purposefully to gain linguistic competence in one’s special field. • Is aware of some ways to further develop one’s professional language skills and language learning skills by utilizing different tools and strategies. • Makes progress in the course, based on one’s individual level and linguistic needs.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student • Communicates fairly clearly in multi-professional and multi-cultural interaction situations. • Is capable of providing patients/clients with individual instructions in the most common patient guidance situations. • Responds to the questions asked by patients/clients fairly successfully. • Can employ and utilize relevant nursing terminology. • Can search information in scientific publications and other professional sources to promote one’s professional growth. • Can critically assess the references. • Can apply and utilize most of the information obtained. • Can pronounce fairly clearly and effortlessly. • Employs grammatical structures fairly successfully, and self-corrects potential errors if causing misunderstandings. • Can re-formulate one’s sentences if and when needed. • Understands and employs field-specific terminology fairly accurately. • Can utilize various resources and dictionaries. • Expresses oneself and conveys the message to the reader/listener fairly idiomatically without misunderstandings (H4). • Conveys the information to the reader/listener understandably without misunderstandings, but somewhat non-idiomatically, at times with features from the mother tongue (H3). • Works in an active and self-directed manner to improve one’s special field English, based on one’s level, linguistic needs and personal interests.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student • Communicates successfully even in demanding multi-professional and multi-cultural interaction situations (e.g., oral and written reports, documentation, potential extra-curricular activities, such as projects or international collaboration). • Interviews and instructs patients/clients successfully adapting to the interaction situation. • Employs and utilizes specific terminology and field-specific concepts. • Speaks fluently and idiomatically. • Can search for information in scientific publications and other professional sources, interprets it, and utilizes it with ease to promote one’s professional growth. • Can critically assess the references. • Communicates effortlessly and in a way appropriate to the situation. • Responds to questions in discussions appropriately and without delay. • Can pronounce clearly and effortlessly. • Employs grammatical structures almost flawlessly, and self-corrects potential errors. • Can utilize a vast variety of resources and dictionaries. • Expresses oneself fluently and conveys the message to the reader/listener idiomatically without misunderstandings. • Works in an active and self-directed manner to further improve and maintain one’s special field English, based on one’s level, linguistic needs and personal interests.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Reasons for failing the course: • Written / Oral exam is failed. • The student has considerable problems in linguistic structures and grammar. • One's health care and nursing terminology is very limited, or almost non-existent. • One fails to convey the relevant message across to a listener or a reader. • Negligence or delays in submitting the assignments. • Non-compliance to attendance requirements.