在古巴医学学生学习医学英语

Med Students Learn Medical English in Cuba 在古巴医学学生学习医学英语

How can I help you?

How long has it been hurting?

These are among the sentences that medical students are learning¹ at the Enrique Cabrera Medical School in Havana, Cuba. Graduates from the medical school practice medicine in Cuba as well as in countries in Africa and South and Central America. 

Juan Carlos Dominguez Lopez is head of the English Department at the school. Professor Lopez says that medical students begin by learning how to ask about the patient’s problem. They learn questions such as,

       What can I do for you?

       Where does it hurt?

       Can you describe your pain?

       Are you taking any medication?

Talking with patients is more difficult when the patient is a child or does not speak the same language as the doctor. At these times, students learn that pictures or cartoons can help. The patient can point to a picture that explains an injury. Future doctors also learn to use the command form of verbs, like

       Sit down.

       Tell me about your family history.

       Hold out your arm.

The most important tool for learning about English medical language is real-life experience, according to Lopez. He says students go along with doctors to visit patients in the university’s hospital or clinic. On these “rounds” the students observe how doctors and specialists talk with patients, discuss each case, and make reports.

The value of this real-life experience is to connect theory to practice. Students learn theory in the classroom, but find out how doctors help patients in the clinic. For example, students may learn germ² theory - the idea that germs³ cause disease⁴. But as they follow doctors they may see how often the doctors wash their hands and how they wear masks and gowns⁶ or scrubs⁷ to prevent infection.

As students become more advanced, Lopez says they learn the English grammar structure reported speech. Reported speech is how we tell others what someone else said. When doctors write a report or talk with others, they use reported speech:

       The patient said that she has had two children.

       Dr. Gonzalez said the previous surgery⁸ was successful.

Medical English learners who speak Spanish must learn the difference between words like "suffer" in English and "sufrir" in Spanish. They are not used in the same ways. In English, one says, "the patient suffers from" a disease to mean "the patient complains" of the disease.

In addition to learning from real-life experience, students at Enrique Cabrera Medical School read and listen to articles on medical topics from VOA Learning English and watch videos. Lopez says he teaches about a group of liver⁹ diseases¹⁰ known as hepatitis using a VOA story. He says using multimedia¹¹ materials from VOA and BBC motivate students to learn more.

No matter how much one studies, there is nothing like living and working in an English-speaking country. Lopez says that often students return from working abroad and report, “Wow! I thought I knew English – but once I was there, it was very difficult to understand their English!”

Professor Lopez says Cuban students prefer to practice American English rather than British English. After all, Cuba and the United States are neighbors – only 90 miles (144 kilometers) away from each other.  As the relationship between Cuba and the U.S. improves, Lopez hopes that more student scholarships and courses in the U.S. will be available for his students. Already, he has taken training at the U.S. Embassy¹² on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which is required for international students entering American universities.

Words in This Story

history – n. (medical) an account of past diseases, injuries, treatments, and other strictly¹³ medical facts

patient – n. a person who receives medical care or treatment

rounds - n. a series of regular or similar visits or stops

specialist – n. a doctor who deals with health problems that relate to a specific area of medicine

case – n. a situation that is being investigated or managed by someone (such as a doctor) in an official way

germ theory – n. theory that some diseases are caused by small invisible¹⁴ microorganisms

mask – n. a covering used to protect your face or cover your mouth

gown⁵ – n.  a coverall worn in an operating room.

scrubs – n. special loose clothing that is worn by people who work in hospitals

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 germ   

n.细菌，病菌，微生物；(想法等的)起源

参考例句：

• I have the germ of an idea.我有一个初步的想法。
• This was the germ of a book.这是一本书的源起。

3 germs   

n.微生物( germ的名词复数 )；病菌；起源；发端

参考例句：

• Dirty hands can be a breeding ground for germs. 脏手会滋生病菌。
• The air is full of millions of invisible germs. 空气中充满了许多看不见的细菌。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

5 gown   

n.长袍，特殊场合穿的长服

参考例句：

• She pinned the gown at the neck with a safety pin.她在领子那儿用一枚别针把睡衣别住。
• He threw on his gown.他穿上他的礼服。

6 gowns   

n.（法官、英国律师、大学学生在特别仪式上穿的）长袍( gown的名词复数 )；女长服；（尤指在医院穿的）罩衣；宽松长外衣

参考例句：

• The guests turned up dressed in sumptuous evening gowns. 客人们身着华丽的夜礼服出现了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "Did you see those two men in black gowns? “看见么？那两个穿黑大衫的。 来自子夜部分

7 scrubs   

n.灌木丛，矮树丛( scrub的名词复数 )v.用力擦洗，刷洗( scrub的第三人称单数 )；取消（原有安排）；对…不予考虑，取消

参考例句：

• But how much can you spend in Parkhurst or the Scrubs, Gene? 但是你能在监狱里花多少呢，基恩？ 来自电影对白
• The attendant scrubs you down with soap and water. 服务人员用肥皂和水把你擦干净。 来自互联网

8 surgery   

n.外科，外科手术；手术室

参考例句：

• What time does surgery finish?门诊什么时间结束？
• Your condition is serious and requires surgery.你的情况很严重，需要动外科手术。

9 liver   

n.肝；肝脏

参考例句：

• He has a weak liver.他的肝脏不好。
• The largest organ in the body is the liver.人体最大的器官是肝脏。

10 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

11 multimedia   

adj.多种手段的，多媒体的；n.多媒体

参考例句：

• Multimedia is the combination of computer and video technology.多媒体是计算机和视频技术的结合。
• Adam raised the issue of multimedia applications and much useful discussion ensued.亚当提出了多媒体应用的问题，从而引发了许多有益的讨论。

12 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。

13 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

14 invisible   

adj.看不见的，无形的

参考例句：

• The air is full of millions of invisible germs.空气中充满了许多看不见的细菌。
• Many stars are invisible without a telescope.许多星辰不用望远镜便看不见。