Job Discussion Forums

guitarcries · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 21 Location: Japan

Next week I'll begin teaching a nursing English class to some nurses employed at a hospital here in town. The problem is that most of them have little-to-no English ability. I'm feeling pretty lost in how to approach this class. They have a nursing English textbook that they want to use, and they want to begin with the unit on gynecology. How can I teach vocabulary like hot flashes, menstruation, and osteoporosis to these women who can barely say anything at all in English? Unfortunately the textbook is really thin on actual practice; it gives mostly vocabulary (with Japanese translation), a few sample sentences (i.e. I'm having hot flashes), and a couple of short sample conversations.

Please, I need any help I can get. Is this even possible?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

saloc · Joined: 04 Jul 2003 Posts: 102

Basically, it is pretty much pointless to use the nursing book if their ability is very low. If you do, as Glenski said, all you can do is teach them vocabulary (and the vocabulary is the one thing they can easily look up for themselves anyway). It is far more important to teach them how to communicate with patients etc and that basically means just teaching general English. Specialised courses like nursing English, business English and the like are pretty much pointless IMHO if people can't form simple sentences anyway! I had to teach a couple of nurses once and it became clear pretty quickly that it was a waste of time using the nurses' English book. We just ditched it after a few weeks and concentrated on basic grammar and communication skills, introducing relevant role plays etc which at least corresponded to their level. If you use the nurses book, you'll probably be using gramar structures way beyond their ability by page two, and unless a patient comes in and says exactly what the text book says they will be lost!
You can certainly encourage them to learn the specialized medical vocabulary, but the focus of your lessons should probably be pretty general communication skills, and. wherever possible showing how they can be applied in a hospital situation.
Unfortunately, my experience is that just because they have had six years of English at school, it does not necessarily mean that they know the basics. The basics seem to have passed a lot of them by!