Healthcare Syllabus
SAMPLE SYLLABUS – MEDICAL
WHO IS THIS SYLLABUS SUITABLE FOR?
This Medical syllabus is suitable for second language learners working in the medical industry, who want to improve their competence in the target language, using meaningful real-world contexts relevant to their professional working lives.
Actual course content and training format will be tailor-made after a process of consultation. The sample outline below gives an idea of what may be covered. The language levels are based on the Common European Framework.
SAMPLE COURSE OUTLINE
Level A1/A2/B1 (Beginner - Lower-Intermediate Level)
1. Communicative/Thematic Content may include:
- Introducing self & others
- Describing routines, working responsibilities
- Working with colleagues, typical conversations, key vocabulary
- Describing people – physical appearance, behaviour, character
- Telephoning – key phrases; making and receiving a call; taking a message
- Time – dates, timetables, making appointments
- Symptoms: common symptoms, possible causes
- Asking questions, possible responses
- Giving diagnoses
- Prescribing, giving advice
- Describing frequency
- Medical Emergencies
- Feelings & emotions
- Travel – modes, key functional language,
- Eating & drinking
- The weather – climate, temperature, forecasts, change
- Language of clinic/hospital/surgery
- The alphabet, spelling names & words
- Writing memos and e-mails
2. Key functional content
- Instructions – understanding/giving
- Explaining problems
- Language of Opinion
- Reassuring
- Difficult Conversations – expressing disagreement, resolving problems, offering advice, making suggestions, looking at register (polite rude, formal informal)
- Persuasion & Dissuasion
- Setting priorities
- Presenting information clearly
- Summarising complex information
- Delivering good & bad news
3. Pronunciation
- Key sounds/phonemes
- Word and sentence stress & intonation
- Common Problems
4. Structural Content / Grammar
- Tenses: present & past (walk verb in its base form/ irregular verb walked)
- Perfect aspect: progressive & perfective (be + ing/ have + been past participle)
- Modal Verb structures: use of modals in discourse (I think I may…)
- Imperatives: the base form of the verb typically used to issue orders (stop!)
- Word order
- Building longer sentences
5. Non-thematic Vocabulary
- Complex prepositions: phrasal & mixed types (over & above)
- Linking words: (because, so, however, therefore, etc.)
- Word-building (prefix and suffix patterns)
6. Cultural content
- Everyday conventions: greetings, time-keeping, making phone calls, meals, etc
- Body language and gestures
- National traditions/customs & culture
- ‘Do’s & Taboos’
- Intercultural Communication
- Social Life