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Journal of Medical Education

Abstract

Objective: For many people from non-English-speaking countries, language barriers are major obstacles impeding the development of international medical alliances. The solution to these communication problems may lie in the introduction of English early on in medical training. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of current efforts to improve the English language skills of students at the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) Medical School in Tainan, Taiwan. Methods: The curriculum reform the NCKU Medical School, which was initiated during recent years, introduced a structured Medical English course to incorporate more English in the classroom. In addition, senior medical students were given the opportunity to travel overseas for month-long clerkships in English-speaking countries. Standardized questionnaires and course evaluations were sent to medical students for their feedback on the English courses and overseas clerkships to evaluate the extent of the improvement in their English language skills. Results: Following a semester of Medical English, students reported feeling more comfortable with conversing in English and answered that their reading and listening abilities had also improved. The students who participated in the overseas clerkships showed the greatest improvement in their use of the English language in the hospital environment. Conclusion: Since the introduction of the new curriculum, medical students at all levels of English proficiency reported improvement in their language skills, which suggests that these preliminary efforts to integrate English into the classrooms have proven to be worthwhile. In addition, the positive feedback from the students who participated in overseas clerkships indicates that immersion into the culture is key in learning how to use the language competently and confidently. Thus, in the future, steps may be taken toward creating an English-friendly learning environment in the classrooms and in the clinics that will help students feel more comfortable using English in their daily life.

First Page

15

Last Page

23

DOI

10.6145/jme.200903_13(1).0003

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