If you consider yourself to be a healthcare professional of high standards then you NEED to read this!
Why is English important when you practice Medicine?
Whether you’re a doctor, nurse, medical student, pharmacist or anyone else who needs to learn and use fancy medical terms in English you’ll find below some reasons that might make you feel like it’s time to give your communication skills a healthy boost! These are the top three key reasons why English is going to skyrocket your professional practice as a health care practitioner.
Let’s take a step closer and close the gap. For those working in the non-public sector especially in private clinics it is considered a must to be able to speak proper English and use all the necessary medical terms with ease in order to maintain a professional image and effectively communicate with your patient. This is essential not only to be able to get an accurate medical history, prescribe pharmaceutical treatments, learn about health conditions but to also be able to effectively guide the patient though a proper treatment plan.
Considering that when working in the private sector you will be interacting with a large variety of people coming from abroad with certain expectations it is important to be fluent enough in English and feel confident when speaking. That is one of the ways you will be closing any communication gaps and ensuring the client’s needs are met on a personal level maintaining a good reputation.
It is safe to say that the first step in coming closer to a patient is by speaking their language. Is that not one of the key factors that helps establish a strong doctor-patient relationship? If you have ever been sick or had to stay in a hospital for a few days then you know the answer.
It is what sets the proper grounds for the patient to feel safe and properly taken care of on a personal level. That in turn leads to more trust and therefore the patient is more cooperative with both the examination and the treatment. It also makes it easier for the patient to rely on the process and trust the person he is talking to which also eventually also leads to a better recovery.
Working in the Medical industry as part of the European community sooner or later will obligate you to learn English if you want to keep your standards high. Imagine this: you are a high paid and well educated health professional working for a well-known private clinic. You are faced with a situation where you need to ask the patient for his blood type, personal information and medical information in order to help him. At this point we should say that nonmatter what the language of the patient English is universal and can be used even as common ground. What happens in that moment if you are not able to communicate on common ground? It puts you in a difficult situation that can be avoided. How much easier would your life would be if you were fluent in English and you had no trouble communicating with him at all?! It is to be considered as a necessary step towards your professional growth.
If that does give you reason enough then let me ask you one more question?
Are you the type of person that wakes up on a Sunday morning to go to his favorite café and read the British Medical Journal to find out what the latest news is? If so, you would undoubtably admit that the most important research and news in the Medical Industry are performed and published by English researchers. Does that give enough reason to want level up your English language game? Perhaps you might think that this has not been an obvious enough to motivate you when signing up for that English class but I can ensure you that is it equally important. Keeping up to date with all the latest news, drugs tests and research on the different diseases that are surfacing around the world is very important not only for the sake of knowing how to treat the people that are in need of your help but also to know how to properly advise towards proper prevention of being exposed to the different type of diseases in your personal circles.
English is a universal language and can even be used as common ground when there is no other language in common with the patient.
Are you ready to get started?