IELTS TRAINING CENTRE KENYA - IELTS PREPARATION | OET | TOEFL | PTE | GRE | DUOLINGO
Title: IELTS TRAINING CENTRE KENYA - IELTS PREPARATION | OET | TOEFL | PTE | GRE | DUOLINGO
Why Focus on Vocabulary?
The author of ‘Dracula’, Bram Stoker said, ‘Blood is life’.
We can apply this idea to language: vocabulary is the lifeblood of language learning.
In the medical world, vocabulary is critical, similar to how blood keeps patients alive.
In this blog post, I’ll share three benefits of a strong and flexible vocabulary for healthcare professionals (HCP)
PATIENTS
With the right words, an HCP helps a patient to:
- Share information about their symptoms, so they undergo the right tests
- Connect their lifestyle choices to their health, and make potentially life-saving changes
- Trust the HCP despite feeling scared, anxious, and confused…
COLLEAGUES
The vocabulary learned for Reading and Listening B, enable an HCP to work professionally and safely.
With the right words, an HCP works effectively with their colleagues to:
- Give clear instructions in a high-pressure ED
- Explain infection prevention on a ward, and keep patients, staff and visitors safe
- Summarise a patient’s post-discharge needs, so the patient gets the right care from the right expert
- Ensure the patient is compliant with medication as prescribed
COLLEAGUES AND PATIENTS HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS
The right words are like the right blood type…
Just as how people have different blood types, A, B AB, O, there are all kinds of words for various situations in healthcare. Donated blood can give health or lead to complications depending on the antibodies and antigens of the recipient. Blood that is helpful to one patient may harm another.
In the same way, a phrase that is perfect for one situation, might create a bad feeling such as confusion, anxiety, or stress in another. Often this happens when using too much medical jargon with a patient.
OET candidates need to know how to use vocabulary: medical jargon, patient-friendly language, and technical terms – each one has its own place.
CAREER
As you advance in your career, there is lifelong learning, such as CPD seminars, presentations, and medical research.
In 2020, I tutored a Japanese public health doctoral student, Yoko, so that she could defend her thesis in English. We worked on speaking academic words with confidence. Her academic and career success gave me great joy.
With the right academic and professional words, an ambitious healthcare professional can
- Publish research findings in a journal, leading to career advancement
- Talk to other researchers and practitioners, leading to rewarding networks
- Communicate and persuade at high-level conferences, leading to positions of leadership.
Just as blood carries nutrients and oxygen, connecting the body to its environment, vocabulary connects an individual to various communities: those of patients, colleagues, and researchers.
TUTORING BASED ON MASTERY OF VOCABULARY
As a tutor, I prioritise building knowledge and mastery of vocabulary because this is the most efficient route to success with the following:
- using English appropriately with patients and colleagues
- achieving the required OET bandscore
- accelerating your healthcare career
If you’d like help learning vocabulary for your OET or healthcare career, please reach out for a free Discovery Session.
