Subject

English for Nursing I

  • code 09826
  • course 4
  • term Semester 1
  • type op
  • credits 6

Main language of instruction: English

Teaching staff

Head instructor

Office hours

Tuesdays 10-11am by appointment.

Introduction

In the event that the health authorities announce a new period of confinement due to the evolution of the health crisis caused by COVID-19, the teaching staff will promptly communicate how this may effect the teaching methodologies and activities as well as the assessment.

Introduction

This course in effective professional communication is designed to equip nurses interested in working in an international setting with both the language skills and cultural awareness to form a proactive part of any healthcare team.  Drawing on the learner’s knowledge and experience, the course is very practical with a task-based learning approach to language using clinical and academic settings as the context for skills and content that are transferable to any international arena.   This is a dynamic course where student engagement is fundamental to the individual’s success.

The program contains 3 elements that include teacher-led sessions, tutorials and autonomous learning.  The teacher-led component places equal emphasis listening, reading, speaking and writing skills through collaborative activities.  Tutorials will focus on student development and interpersonal skills and will include evaluated group projects.  The autonomous learning component focuses on developing reading, writing and listening skills, consolidating relevant grammar, specific lexis and increasing the autonomy of the learner when learning a foreign language.

Pre-course requirements

Students will be required to demonstrate a B1.2 English level in evaluated coursework in order to pass the course. Therefore,  students should have a minimum global English language level of B1.2 before the start of the course.

Objectives

To equip nurses with a working knowledge of professional English for the international nursing context by focusing on the nursing role and embedding the most relevant language and communication skills by:

  1. Creating a lexical basis related to healthcare.
  2. Developing listening comprehension skills through audio clips and simulated interactions between nurses, their colleagues and patients.
  3. Developing speaking skills through role play, simulation, problem solving and presentation.
  4. Improving fluency, pronunciation and intelligibility.
  5. Extending understanding of idiomatic and colloquial language.
  6.  Developing writing skills for clinical communications and academic purposes.
  7. Fostering critical thinking and reflective practices through simulation and feedback sessions.
  8. Developing a proactive attitude in discussions and decision-making.
  9. Developing skills that demonstrate an awareness of cultural diversity.
  10. Developing autonomous learning skills.

Competences / Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • 21. B - Oral and written communication.
  • 22. G - Use and management of information and research
  • 23. B - Ability to analyze and synthesize.
  • 24. G - Ability to work autonomously.
  • 29. B - Know the scientific terminology in another language (English).

Learning outcomes of the subject

Students will in English:

  • Carry out autonomous learning through the completion of writing tasks and the preparation of oral presentations.
  • Demonstrate a working knowledge of healthcare vocabulary as related to the body and aspects of the nursing process.
  • Draw on spoken and written information and apply it to tasks related to the nursing process and academic content.
  • Construct grammatically and functionally correct structures in spoken and written communication related to the nursing process and academic topics.
  • Demonstrate knowledge acquisition by accessing and managing information appropriate to the task.
  • Demonstrate an ability to think critically about issues and provide evidence to support a point of view.

Syllabus

Topics:

Topics covered include anatomy, physiology and disease, and those related to the nursing process, and issues of current interest in nursing, as well as learning about presentation skills as part of the broader concept of professional communication.

Language knowledge:

It is expected that students taking this course will have a good working knowledge of  English grammar at a minimum B1.2 level.  Therefore gaps in grammatical knowledge should be dealt with by the student at the recommendation of the teacher. 

The course addresses aspects of language that include clear pronunciation, intonation, formal and informal registers as well as specific structures such as direct and indirect question formation, reported speech, the use of past and perfect tenses, model and phrasal verbs.  

Teaching and learning activities

In person

There will be teacher-led sessions using a task-based learning approach to engage students in interactive activities involving problem-solving, simulation and role play, with equal emphasis placed on listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

Students will discuss course contents in collaborative tasks. They will give presentations as well as produce some writing assignments. Listening activities will comprise listening for general and specific information given in simulated situations and in presentations by other students.

For students enrolled in English for Nursing 1 (09826) and International Cooperation and Health (09824) there will be a common activity to develop English communication competencies.  This activity consists of a 20-minute presentation and its preparation which will be tutored and evaluated through both subjects.  International Cooperation and Health will focus on the content and English for Nursing will focus on the presentation skills.

The Internet will serve as a source for language tools and material which students can apply throughout their overall learning process. These materials will further form an integral part of the students’ autonomous learning, thus equipping and motivating students for the life-long learning of English related to their field.

The teacher-led component will constitute 40% of the course load (2.4 ECTS) and be based on the linguistic competencies outlined in the nursing degree program.

The tutorial projects will represent 20% of the course load (1.2 ECTS) and will consist of 2 oral presentations involving researched information.

The autonomous learning component 40% 2.4 ECTS) will include a range of guided activities for students to pursue and complete outside of class, with the aim of increasing students’ autonomy with respect to language learning.

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person

Activity

% final grade

Learning outcomes

 

 

Midterm exam

 

Final exam

 

 

 

10%

 

30%

 

 

-          Demonstrate a working knowledge of healthcare vocabulary as related to the body and aspects of the nursing process.

-          Construct grammatically and functionally correct structures in spoken and written communication related to the nursing process and academic topics.

-          Demonstrate autonomous learning through the completion of academic research and writing tasks.

 (comp. 29, 21, 24)

Cooperative Learning Activities

(discussions, role plays, problem-solving activities.  Please note that some tasks will be audio and video recorded for evaluation)

30%

-          Demonstrate a working knowledge of healthcare vocabulary as related to the body and aspects of the nursing process.

-          Draw on spoken and written information and apply it to tasks related to the nursing process and academic content.

-          Construct grammatically and functionally correct structures in spoken and written communication related to the nursing process and academic topics.

-          Demonstrate knowledge acquisition by accessing and managing information appropriate to the task.

(comp. 29, 23, 21, 22)

Oral presentations

 

 

30%

-          Demonstrate a working knowledge of healthcare vocabulary as related to the body and aspects of the nursing process.

-          Draw on spoken and written information and apply it to tasks related to the nursing process and academic content.

-          Construct grammatically and functionally correct structures in spoken and written communication related to the nursing process and academic topics.

-          Demonstrate knowledge acquisition by accessing and managing information appropriate to the task.

(comp. 29, 23, 21, 22)

 

The second sitting can only replace 50% of your final grade.

Distinctions will not be awarded on second sittings.

Bibliography and resources

  • Students can purchase a bound copy of the English 1 for International Nursing 2015-16 dossier from the photocopy department, or download it from the Moodle platform.
  • Intranet Moodle platform.

The course is based mainly on Skills for Life: Effective Communication for International Nurses, DFES, 2005.

And includes material developed from the following resources:

  • English for Nursing and Health Care, R.A Bradley, McGraw Hill, 2004
  • Cambridge English for Nursing, V Allum and P McGarr, CUP 2008
  • Anatomy and physiology, G Thibodeau, Mosby Publishing 1997
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