Get trained to publish research by EALTHY President Professor John Skelton

We’re delighted to announce that EALTHY President John Skelton is one of the experts leading group workshops in the hybrid version of our Writing for Publication course, which adds two 1.5-hour sessions onto the digital course that John wrote.
Anyone who has been to an EALTHY English for Healthcare conference knows just how engaging and thoughtful John is. Now you, your researchers and other academics looking to publish in an international peer-reviewed journal can work directly with him.

John really knows what he’s talking about. He has published widely in Clinical Communication, Applied Linguistics and related areas, with research published in The Lancet, BMJ, Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching Journal, amongst many others. He has taught courses on Writing for Publication to students in many parts of the world.

What’s in the course?

Writing for Publication consists of 30 hours of digital study that take researchers through the publishing process in clearly defined steps, covering the language, conventions and process – from planning through to submission, with multiple examples and practical writing tasks.

The workshops build on the course. Participants go through it beforehand and then get input and feedback on the areas they most need. The workshops are for small groups. They are collaborative, practical and focused. At the end, participating researchers will be clear on the next steps they need to take to successfully submit their articles for publication.

How does it work?

Workshops take place on Zoom, though in-person may potentially be arranged. They are delivered either as two 1.5-hour workshops, or as one 3-hour workshop with a break in the middle.
These are designed as group sessions for between 8 and 12 participants. However, bespoke programmes can be designed for different size groups or individuals, or to meet specific needs.

How much does it cost?

Prices are only from £149 per person for EALTHY members and associated institutions, to include the digital course and any materials.

How do I arrange a course for my team?

Just get in touch with us on admin@ealthy.com. We’ll arrange a meeting to go through what you’re looking for and how everything works.
Please note that John’s time is limited, so if you would like to work with him, please let us know as soon as you can.

We’re delighted to announce an exciting new event on the EALTHY calendar for 2025! At the 6th English for Healthcare Conference, the AI-related sessions sparked a lot of interest, and many delegates expressed a wish to explore this topic in more detail!

Join us on Saturday, 26 April 2025 for EALTHY’s virtual symposium, where we’ll dedicate the entire day to discussions on the role of AI in healthcare communication and education. Whether overlaps in the programme meant you missed the AI sessions in Brighton or you simply couldn’t make it in person, now’s your chance to engage with leading voices on this fascinating topic.

Registration

The event is free of charge for EALTHY members (register to your account first). The fee for non-members is £30.

Call for Proposals – submit by 31 January 2025

The call for proposals is open both to EALTHY members and non-members. However, all presenters must be EALTHY members on the day of the event.

We are looking for presentations on any aspect of AI in education for healthcare, from incorporating AI into teaching English language and communication skills for clinical practice, through AI-oriented research and the challenges it sets in academia, to the use of AI for diagnosis and treatment processes. If you would like to share your expertise and experience, please submit your proposal.

Programme

Aside from the presentations, this one-day event will also include 2 plenaries and a panel discussion as well as several opportunities for networking. Plenary speakers will be announced soon! 

For further information, follow us here on EALTHY Blog and subscribe for a newsletter below. You can also follow us on social media: LinkedIn Event Page and Facebook Event Page.

Not a member yet?

For the annual individual membership of €55, you will also have access to a bank of teaching resources, articles and recordings to webinars for your professional development, as well as reduced entry to our bi-annual conference. Learn more about member benefits and join us today.

Tomczyk, Ł.; Mascia, M.L.; Guillen-Gamez, F.D.: Video Tutorials in Teacher Education: Benefits, Difficulties, and Key Knowledge and Skills. Educ. Sci. 2023, 13, 951. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13090951

What this research was about and why it is important

Based on their experience of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers focused on a role of video tutorials in learning. They also discussed implementation of digital competences required for creating videos into study programmes at paedagogical faculties. The aim of this research was:

• to emphasize the still undervalued role of video tutorials in education in Poland;
• to describe the benefits and difficulties of their use;
• to identify key knowledge and skills required of teachers for creating videos.

Their presumption is that if “future teachers have adequate cognitive, digital, and communication skills, this will allow future students at any educational stage to learn at their own pace and in their own time, and, consequently, this will foster autonomy and self-regulation of learning.”

 What the researchers did

The qualitative study is based on a student assignment to create and present a video tutorial and a structured interview aimed to answer three questions:

1. What are the benefits of using video tutorials in education?
2. What difficulties do future teachers face when creating educational tutorials?
3. What key knowledge and skills are required of teachers who wish to create video tutorials?

The results were drawn from answers of 16 student teachers who attended a course about using information technology in education.

 What the researchers found

The researchers summarized students´ answers and presented them in three categories. The findings included the following statements:

• Benefits: 24/7/365 availability; possibility to run multiple times; editable content as opposed to synchronous forms; development of teacher digital competence.
• Difficulties: gaps in basic digital competences; problems with the use of software; ability to select and plan content in a tutorial; need to record learning material several times.
• Key knowledge and skills: language skills; ability to create, edit and share tutorials; knowledge of the functioning of video on demand (VoD); having expertise in the area being presented.

Things to consider

The research has several limitations:

• the research sample size;
• mediating variables that influence perceptions of using tutorial videos in teaching, such as the level of digital competence, attitudes towards new media and previous experience with the use of new media in education;
• freedom of expression – participation in research was a part of an academic course.

Read the fulltext here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9907203/

This presentation was a real success at the 6th English for Healthcare conference 2024. We are happy that Ros agreed to repeat her talk, so those of you who couldn´t make it have the chance now!

“We condemn attempts to label us as ‘victims,’ a term that implies defeat, and we are only occasionally ‘patients,’ a term that implies passivity, helplessness, and dependence upon the care of others. We are ‘People with AIDS’.”

Since the 1980’s, in an attempt to remove the stigma and dehumanisation associated with HIV-AIDS, US healthcare professionals have been taught to refer to and communicate with their patients using person-first language.

In this talk, we’ll compare the experience of two different communities, considering the impact of ‘person-first language’ on certain patient groups. We’ll also look at how learners can navigate this potential terminology minefield, brainstorming strategies to successfully broach person-first usage in a manner that ensures respectful, inclusive, and supportive language choices as well as how to resolve communication breakdown when necessary.

Read a brief summary of the conference presentation here. The EALTHY members can also download Ros´s conference presentation.

With the global shift towards online learning that took place over 2020 and more recent rapid advances in AI, today’s learners have very different expectations to those they had even 5 years ago. This is notably the case in healthcare, where students learn profession-specific language around demanding study and work commitments. With limited time and unpredictable hours, learning content has to be accessible, convenient, engaging, relevant, and able to meet the evolving demands of a rapidly changing environment.

While traditional textbooks remain part of many curricula, they are not as central to the learning experience as they used to be, as educators and their students increasingly augment courses with topical, media-rich and interactive digital content. However, online resources can often come across as unstructured, unclear and underdeveloped for teaching purposes. And where does one start? The sheer volume of content available can seem overwhelming.

This talk looks at how to address these issues by articulating five key principles of design that, when applied, will not only enable teachers to develop materials that support and engage their learners, but also use them effectively in practice. Understanding the principles behind digital materials design allows educators to create dynamic learning experiences that will effectively support their language programmes, meet learner expectations and produce excellent learning outcomes.

We are happy to share with you presentations from the 6th English for Healthcare conference!

You can read the abstracts on the conference website and download the presentations in the Member section.

Not a member yet? Join us and get more benefits!

We’re looking for EALTHY members to participate in EALTHY’s upcoming series of professional development webinars across 2025.

We know from the recent conference just how rich members’ collective experience is, so it would be great if we can share that knowledge with each other. Here are some of the things we’re looking for:

• Practical techniques and strategies for the English for Healthcare classroom
• Materials design that members can use in their own work
• Using technology in English for Healthcare, whether it be for student activities, materials creation or promoting learner development
• Research that has practical implications for how we think about English for Healthcare
• Assessment in English for Healthcare – design, implementation, implications
• Intercultural challenges in English for Healthcare programmes and how to overcome them

And please feel free to suggest your suggestions too. For previous topics and recordings of each webinar, please see the Video section. 

If you would like to deliver a webinar, please send the following to admin@ealthy.com:

• Title
• Details (up to 200 words)
• Bio (up to 60 words)

Not a member, but would like to present your ideas and experience to the EALTHY members? Then join us now. Individual membership is still only €55.

The 6th English for Healthcare conference in Brighton was a real success! It’s always great to see so many familiar faces, old friends and colleagues, as well as to meet new ones from around the world. Thank you so much for coming! Some of you came from far away, some of you with adventurous flights redirected to different airports to those scheduled. Despite the rainy weather, the only thing we couldn’t book for you, you kept smiling from the very beginning to the very last moments. Your happy faces were a huge reward for our efforts!

There is no doubt that this has been the most multinational and multicultural English for Healthcare conference ever. Your willingness to join our diverse community shows that EALTHY plays an invaluable role in your professional development. Since the 5th English for Healthcare conference in Belgrade 2022, EALTHY has moved into a new era, but our mission stayed the same. We are here to support you in developing and delivering outstanding English for Healthcare courses, with access to a growing bank of teaching materials, articles, information, and research, as well as the bi-annual conference, regular webinars and other events. To support our work, EALTHY’s long-time supporter SLC has become our partner. Chris Moore and his team are working to provide a rich resource bank of teaching materials and events for your professional development via the EALTHY website.

The three eminent keynote speakers delivered thought-provoking talks, which covered a variety of issues, from teaching medical humanities, through multilingualism in healthcare, to vaccination-related language. John Skelton, President of EALTHY and Emeritus Professor of Clinical Communication at Birmingham University Medical School, addressed the topic of integrating the arts into clinical communication skills training. Emma Brooks, a lecturer in Language Learning and Intercultural Communication and Honorary Research Fellow at University College London, Institute of Education, discussed how to overcome the inherent challenges of a ‘super-diverse’ multilingual, multicultural healthcare workforce providing care to an equally diverse patient body. Zsofia Demjen, an Associate Professor at University College London, presented the findings of her research on how institutional language plays a role in uncertainty and hesitancy when trying to make vaccination-related decisions, examining the impact of institutional terms on lay discourse.

We’d very much like to thank all our members for your continual support, both online and face to face at the English for Healthcare conference. We got some really positive feedback on the latter for the variety of topics chosen, all providing much food for thought to take home. Many of you also appreciated the communal on-campus accommodation, which provided an additional space away from the venue for more networking and making friends. And the lunches, dinners and croissants all seemed to go down well!

Last but not least, a big ‘thank you’ to the sponsors who not only presented their work as a part of the programme or at their stands, but also joined in with the social events for many informal chats.

The English for Healthcare conference is a unique event aimed to the exchange of ideas, to stimulate discussion, and to provide a platform for the presentation of new ideas, approaches, and material to the understanding of, and teaching of, language and communication in healthcare. We’re delighted to introduce our sponsors.

Gold Sponsor

Capsule is a digital clinical case-based learning resource which combines trusted clinical cases, medical services, and analytics to drive medical knowledge across the entire curriculum. Capsule has 700+ realistic scenarios which let students improve their decision making with instant feedback to gain the skills to apply and impress on the ward. For more information: www.capsule.ac.uk

Gold Sponsor

OET s a global leader in English language testing for healthcare professionals. OET (Occupational English Test) is used by healthcare regulators, employers, educators and border authorities worldwide to benchmark the profession-specific English language skills of healthcare professionals across the sector. OET has grown rapidly over recent years with test centres springing up around the world, the implementation of computer-based and ‘at home’ remote delivery options, and multiple test dates. For more information: https://oet.com/

Gold Sponsor

SLC publish over 850 hours of online Medical English and Test Preparation (OET and IELTS) materials used by medical universities, nursing colleges, English language schools and healthcare employers worldwide. Content can be mapped to curricula, from short courses to degree courses, and integrated into existing learning platforms. Teachers can track student work, set assignments, leave feedback and invite learners to Zoom sessions. The learning platform can be branded and customised, offering students a seamless learning experience. For more information: www.specialistlanguagecourses.com

Gold Sponsor

Avallain is the multi-award-winning edtech provider responsible for delivering many of the digital learning solutions in language schools today. Traditionally a trusted white label provider to publishers, Avallain is now – for the first time – making its best-of-breed digital authoring and learning management solutions available to all, enabling you to create and deliver your own self-branded, targeted and distinctive digital programmes. For more information: https://www.avallain.com/

Silver Sponsor

Established in 1988, Express Publishing aims to bridge the gap between educational research and everyday teaching practice. By combining digital tools and 21st-century learning methodologies, the company strives to be innovative at every step of the learning process. Express Publishing currently exports to 140 countries, has formed numerous strategic partnerships that include ministerial adoptions, and recently launched DigiPlus, an AI-powered platform that is responsive to learners’ ever-evolving needs. The company’s mission is to ‘excite, explore, and excel.’ For more information: www.expresspublishing.co.uk

For more information about the conference:

visit the conference website

download the 6th English for Healthcare Conference Flyer

We’re delighted to welcome Avallain as gold sponsor of the upcoming English for Healthcare conference and introduce its representative Andy Cowle who will be presenting at the conference.

Switzerland-based digital education pioneers Avallain have been around for over 20 years, working with some of the world’s largest publishing houses, as well as educational institutions and international language training companies. Avallain have expanded their reach rapidly over the last few years as online educational content has become mainstream.

Their Magnet platform in particular offers educators an off the shelf tool for creating and publishing content which works seamlessly on all devices. The authoring tool allows video, audio, visual and text-based inputs, and the activity types include everything you would want, from multiple choice to drag and drop, cloze exercises, labelling, categorising, voice recording, error correction and free writing. The platform includes a range of sophisticated teaching features, enabling an institution to track and analyse student activities and scores, set assignments, integrate local files into courses and leave written and spoken feedback.

Avallain’s authoring and publishing tools are already known to many in the English for Healthcare world through their partnership with SLC whose courses are all published on Magnet.

Andy Cowle is a freelance consultant who has worked in ELT for more than thirty-five years as a teacher, trainer, writer and sales professional with publishers and institutions worldwide. He is a business development consultant for Avallain.

In his talk, Andy will explore what the challenges are when seeking to provide quality online learning in English for the Healthcare sector. These can range from choosing the most suitable authoring and learning platform, to giving tools to teachers to create their own content and assessments (including AI-generated content). From the more commonly known activity types to those at the cutting edge of digital language learning, this session looks at tools from Avallain whose technology has been used for many years by all the ELT publishers and by SLC for their successful course creation and delivery.

Read the full abstract here: https://www.englishforhealthcare.com/abstracts-2024

We’re delighted to welcome Express Publishing as silver sponsor of the English for Healthcare conference.

Established in 1988, Express Publishing is a well-known publisher of English language teaching materials, having published thousands of titles since then and achieved recognition by 32 ministries of education worldwide. Their ‘Career Path’ portfolio includes many English for Healthcare titles, from medicine to nutrition, physiotherapy and dental hygiene. They have also published OET ‘Skills Builder’ preparation books, and have a new book from Ros Wright and Tom Fassnidge at B1 level coming out by the end of the year.

Express Publishing aims to bridge the gap between educational research and everyday teaching practice. By combining digital tools and 21st-century learning methodologies, the company strives to be innovative at every step of the learning process. Express Publishing currently exports to 140 countries, has formed numerous strategic partnerships that include ministerial adoptions, and recently launched DigiPlus, an AI-powered platform that is responsive to learners’ ever-evolving needs. The company’s mission is to ‘excite, explore, and excel.’

Express will have a stand at the conference where you can find out more. We’re really looking forward to seeing them there.

Visit https://www.expresspublishing.co.uk/ to find out more.

We’re delighted to welcome OET as a Gold Sponsor for the 6^th edition of the international English for Healthcare conference and introduce its representative Joanne Bass who will be presenting at the conference and will be present together with her colleagues Asya Dadayana and Nadia Falau throughout to spend time with delegates interested in finding out more about the test.

OET is the world’s leading English for Healthcare test, used by healthcare regulators, border authorities, universities and employers across the globe to measure the English language skills of healthcare professionals. OET provides 12 versions of the test for different professions within healthcare – doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, vets, podiatrists, dieticians, occupational therapists, optometrists, physiotherapists, radiographers, and speech and language therapists.

The exam has grown rapidly over recent years as it has gained recognition in English speaking countries with test centres springing up around the world, the implementation of computer-based and ‘at home’ remote delivery options, and multiple test dates to choose from. For teachers in English for Healthcare, preparing students for OET has become increasingly central to what so many do as healthcare professionals look to gain an internationally-recognised assessment of their professional English. Who recognises OET?

Joanne Bass, OET Education Specialist for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), is an experienced educator specialising in English for Specific Purposes and exam preparation for healthcare professionals. Her background in English language teaching is complemented by her experience in the NHS, where she developed and implemented language programmes and clinical communication courses tailored to the needs of internationally-trained healthcare professionals. Joanne holds a Masters degree in English, is Cambridge DELTA-qualified, and has experience in teacher training, curriculum design and course development. In her role as Education Specialist, Joanne provides vital educational support for OET, the leading English language test for healthcare professionals. She is passionately committed to guiding international healthcare professionals through their language learning journey, helping them build the communication skills needed to excel in their careers.

In her presentation, Joanne will look at how teachers can help learners utilise the skills they have developed in their OET exam preparation, ensuring they not only succeed in the test but also thrive in their healthcare careers. The session will provide practical strategies teachers can use to illustrate how the communication skills honed in OET classes are directly applicable to professional healthcare environments.

Find the full abstract here: https://www.englishforhealthcare.com/abstracts-2024

See the programme here: https://www.englishforhealthcare.com/programme2024

Join us at the conference!

The entire EALTHY team together with our partner Specialist Language Courses are hugely looking forward to welcoming you in early September at the 6th English for Healthcare Conference hosted by the Brighton Sussex Medical School. Why should you join us in Brighton? Learn more about the keynote speakers, programme, sponsors, and venue. If you have any further questions, you are invited to meet the conference organisers at the live online session.

Register for the live online session here

Learn from experts coming together at Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Whether you are an English language university lecturer and researcher or a private tutor teaching OET preparatory courses for overseas healthcare professionals, the English for Healthcare Conference hosted by Brighton and Sussex Medical School is the professional event of 2024 to attend.

Here, you will meet experts from all over the world who work with a wide range of language- and healthcare-related topics, including researching medical terminology and corpora, teaching academic writing skills, experimenting with methodology, using technology to improve courses, developing clinical communication skills training programmes, and working on translation and interpreting for medical purposes.

We’re delighted to have 3 eminent keynote speakers from the world of medical language and communication: Professor John Skelton who researches and teaches aspects of medical language and communication, Dr Zsofia Demjen who studies the intersections of language, mind and healthcare, and Dr Emma Brooks who deals with the interface between language and healthcare.

The conference themes include:

The impact of an AI and educational technology on teaching English for Healthcare

Overcoming the challenges of inter-cultural communication within a globalised healthcare sector with a globally mobile workforce

Innovation and best practice in the English for Healthcare and/or OET preparation classroom

Innovation and best practice in assessment and test preparation, including OET

See the programme and read the abstracts 

Download the flyer: 6th English for Healthcare Conference 2024, Brighton UK

Discover the latest online learning platforms

All sponsors provide outstanding resources for both universities and language education centres that can be implemented into their curricula.

Capsule is an extensive online clinical cases resource bank and learning app, which helps medical students to practice their diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making skills in quizzes based on realistic clinical scenarios with 3D simulations, X-ray and ECG images.

OET is a global leader in English language testing for healthcare professionals. OET (Occupational English Test) is used by healthcare regulators, employers, educators and border authorities worldwide to benchmark the profession-specific English language skills of healthcare professionals across the sector.

SLC offer over 850 hours of online English for Healthcare and test preparation materials, used by medical universities, nursing colleges, OET preparation providers and healthcare employers around the world via a cutting-edge teaching platform.

Express Publishing publishes widely on English for Specific Purposes, including English for Healthcare, and has a strong emphasis on digital educational tools, having recently launched DigiPlus, an AI-powered platform that is responsive to learners’ ever-evolving needs.

Explore a popular seaside resort with Londoners

Brighton is one of the UK’s most well-known and most loved seaside resort cities. It combines traditional entertainments, upmarket cafes and restaurants, great shopping and a rich cultural offering.

A direct train from London and Gatwick airport takes you to the heart of the city. From the station, it’s a short stroll to the shops restaurants and the sea. You can explore the picturesque, narrow streets of The Lanes area with exclusive jewellers and gem-laden shops, historical landmarks such as the Royal Pavilion, known as Brighton´s Versailles, and several museums and art galleries. You can also enjoy a vibrant atmosphere in the boutiques, pubs, cafes and restaurants in the bohemian North Laine and Kemptown districts, or explore the town ‘s rooftops from Brighton i360, a moving observation tower.

Read more about Brighton:

• A guide to Brighton, Britain´s most progressive seaside resort
• Ten quirks about Brighton

The last five English for Healthcare conferences have all been marked by insightful, memorable and well-delivered plenaries, presentations and workshops – by leading academics, practitioners and authors. The upcoming sixth conference programme may be the best yet.

The world of English for Healthcare is rapidly changing. Language and communication are adapting to a sector undergoing huge changes driven by technology, migration and the impact of the recent pandemic. Education and how people learn has also been similarly impacted. For teachers, researchers and writers, the challenges of keeping courses, materials and pedagogy relevant are considerable.

The conference programme addresses many of these challenges. The plenaries – all given by well-known academics and researchers – look at communication between a globally mobile workforce and increasingly diverse patient bodies, how the arts crossover with medicine, and at how language impacts discourse on critical areas of healthcare such as vaccination.

The presentations cover the ups, downs and practical realities of using AI in English for Healthcare programmes and materials writing. Others examine the challenges of teaching in and across cultures as diverse as Cuba, India, Nigeria, Hungary and Algeria. There are sessions on the evolving approaches to assessment, materials writing and video creation, with focuses on OET, task-based learning, and project work. And there are more sessions on topics as wide-ranging as psychiatric interviewing, the experience of refugee healthcare professionals seeking to settle in English speaking countries, the use of person-first and identity-first language, having difficult conversations in a veterinary setting, and using literature in the classroom.

For anyone involved in designing, writing, or teaching English for healthcare courses, there is a wealth of content to be inspired by. At the end of the conference, you will have gained insights, knowledge and plenty of ideas to take home. Not only that, you will have met like-minded colleagues from around the world and had a ton of interesting conversations that you can continue into the future.

The sixth international English for Healthcare Conference takes place on September 6^th and 7^th at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School on the south coast of the UK. Read the abstracts and download the programme.

Early-bird tickets on sale by JUNE 30th

Save your place in campus accommodation by MAY 31th

Loredana, an expert in the field of teaching soft skills in English for Special Purposes at the University of Verona, provided valuable ideas and strategies for teaching compassion and caring in healthcare facilities.

To highlight how there is an urgent need to improve the soft skills of healthcare professionals when first meeting migrants seeking medical help shortly after arriving in the target country, Loredana told a story of a migrant girl from Syria. She arrived exhausted from a long, dangerous journey and had to wait several hours for an examination in a hospital where she experienced lack of interest from medical staff, and also a language barrier. Scenarios like this are one of the reasons why Loredana discusses the concepts of patient´s low health-literacy level, migrant-friendly care, and intercultural communication competence with students taking her courses.

In the webinar, Loredana shared video-based activities (links are provided) in which students:

• explore the concept of compassion by using the video. – Students watch and take notes, and draw mind maps.
• translate the video into Italian.
• distinguish the notion of empathy from compassion.
• give examples of sentences to express empathy, which can be then used in role-play dialogues.
• create role-play scenarios where one group shows wrong attitudes and the other one performs correct versions.

Watch the video to learn more about:

• Loredana´s experience of using the activities and students´ feedback on the course.
• The use of TEDx Talks for classroom activities.
• Further resources which you can adapt to meet the needs of your students.
• Teaching assertive attitude for clinical practice.
• Challenges in interactions of multilingual healthcare professionals and patients where one of them or even both might not speak English at all or at a low level, but can speak other languages.

Capsule works with medical schools offering a cutting-edge learning platform that brings clinical cases to life. It helps students gain confidence in their clinical reasoning skills by making diagnostic and therapeutic decisions and prepares them for the challenges of real-world clinical practice by using the quizzes based on realistic clinical scenarios.

An extensive clinical cases resource bank

Capsule is a medical learning app which contains over 700 clinical cases and 3,700 questions created by senior clinicians and the clinical faculty at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. It bridges the gap between theory and practice, and takes learning beyond textbooks.

Realistic clinical scenarios, developed to help learners to practise their diagnostic and decision-making skills, are sorted into four categories: Medicine, Specialties, Surgery, and Therapeutics. They include clinical cases, for example, from the field of haematology, neurology, neurosurgery, oncology, elderly care, paediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, general practice, infection, and anaesthesia. Each clinical case is followed by a single answer and multiple-choice quizzes with 3D models, X-ray and ECG images. Learners’ study results are scored, their progress within each category is monitored and extensive, immediate feedback is provided.

Capsule can be used anytime and anywhere. It can be accessed both, offline and online, via the website and mobile phone. The platform is suitable for individual students, but also it can be implemented into a university´s curriculum.

See the links below to explore more about this unique, dynamic learning tool that brings together clinical knowledge and innovation.

Further reading:

How to use Capsule the medical learning app for students?

What do Capsule users value most about the clinical learning platform?

Videos that introduce main features of the app:

Information for medical institutions

Information for students

The English for Healthcare conference is a fantastic opportunity to get up-to-date with the all the great things happening in the global world of healthcare English, as well as meet and network with fellow practitioners, researchers and academics working in English for Healthcare and OET preparation. We’re delighted to have no less than 3 eminent keynote speakers from the world of medical language and communication.

Professor John Skelton

John Skelton is Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Clinical Science at the University of Birmingham in the UK. As Professor of Clinical Communication, he founded and led the Interactive Studies Unit (ISU), which researches and teaches aspects of medical language and communication to health professionals, and students of the health professions, both nationally and further afield. John has published widely in Clinical Communication, Applied Linguistics and related areas, with research published in The Lancet, BMJ, Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching Journal, amongst many others. He is well-known to EALTHY members for his memorable presentations at previous conferences and as Chair of the Association.

Dr Zsofia Demjen

Zsofia is Associate Professor at University College London. She works at the intersections of language, mind and healthcare, examining the language used by patients, carers, healthcare professionals, journalists, poets, and writers in metaphor, im/politeness, personal pronouns, negation, narratives and humour, among others. Zsofia is widely published through research articles, chapters in multiple books, has written, edited and co-written books, including Applying Linguistics in Illness and Healthcare Contexts (Bloomsbury, 2020) and Researching Language and Health, A Student Guide (Routledge, 2023).

Dr Emma Brooks

Emma is a lecturer in Language Learning and Intercultural Communication and Honorary Research Fellow at University College London, Institute of Education. Her work centres on the interface between language and healthcare, looking at how medical professionals and patients engage effectively in diverse linguistic environments. She has particular interests in translanguaging, intercultural communication, superdiversity and the role of language in facilitating (in)equalities in healthcare environments.

Early Bird tickets are now on sale. Until June 30th members pay £120 and non-members £160.

Afterwards, tickets will be £150 for members and £190 for non-members.  To become a member, go to Member Benefits.

Download the Conference Flyer

6th English for Healthcare Conference, Brighton 2024

For non-EEA doctors wanting to recertify in the UK, passing the OET is only the start of the journey: they still have to take the GMC’s PLAB exam, Part 2 of which is an OSCE-style assessment of clinical communication skills. It’s a daunting test and the average pass rate is just 66%.

To what extent do the speaking skills we teach OET candidates prepare them for the PLAB 2? As OET trainers, could we be doing more to help them bridge the gap between the two exams? Do you have unsuccessful PLAB 2 candidates asking you for help?

In this session, Richard Furn gives an overview of the PLAB for OET trainers and medical English teachers involved in OSCE-style role play work. He explains:

• what the PLAB 2 is and how it differs from the OET;
• how he works with candidates and what they find hard;
• how PLAB 2 coaching has informed his OET speaking work.

In this session, Dr. Shelley Staples, a corpus linguist and healthcare communication researcher, discusses findings from key corpus linguistics studies in the medical context and how these findings could be applied to classroom instruction. Findings of relevance for both written and oral communication will be discussed. Participants will also be given an opportunity to brainstorm how to apply findings to their own teaching context within medical English education.

Dr. Shelley Staples is Associate Professor of English Applied Linguistics at University of Arizona. She has been an ESP researcher and practitioner for over 20 years and focuses on corpus-based pedagogy. Her Medical English publications can be found in ESP Journal and in her monograph The Discourse of Nurse-Patient Interactions.

Read some of her research papers on this topic:

Examining the linguistic needs of internationally educated nurses: A corpus-based study of lexico-grammatical features in nurse–patient interactions