This document discusses the importance of English in medicine. It notes that English has become the predominant language of medical journals, conferences, and research. Understanding English is necessary for reading literature, presenting at conferences, and networking. The document outlines some clinical sessions held in English to help doctors improve their skills. It also describes an international project connecting doctors from Spain and Russia to do case presentations via videoconference. The conclusion emphasizes that medicine and humanity are deeply connected. A good command of English helps doctors provide better care and collaborate globally.

1. The Importance of
English in Medicine
Jonathan McFarland
3rd December 2015

2. The Dreaded Graveyard Slot !!!!

4. Dr Lev Landau
«Английский надо
знать! Даже самые
тупые англичане
знают его неплохо»
(Л.Д. Ландау)
"You must know
English! Even the
most dull English
people know it
pretty well."

5. Index
BACKGROUND
DIAGNOSIS
TREATMENT
OTHER PROJECTS
CONCLUSION
TAKE HOME MESSAGE

6. Medical Languages
Greek Era – Hippocratic writings
Medical Arabic
Medical Latin – Celsus “De Medicina”
National languages, eg-
French, Italian, German
Since 2nd World War – Predominance
of English

7. Medical English
 “Today, all the most
influential medical
journals are written in
English, and English has
become the language of
choice at International
conferences.
 We have entered
the era of medical
English….” *

8. GLOBAL ENGLISH
LANGUAGE OF
BUSINESS
TOURISM
FINANCE
SCIENCE
MEDICINE

9. Why do need English ?
Medical and
Scientific
journals
 Reading
 Writing

10. Medical Conferences
Attending –
Listening
Presenting –
Speaking

11. Conferences Social
Networking
NETWORKING

12. PATIENT-DOCTOR RESEARCH

14. The Language Barrier

15. The “English
Barrier” in
Spain
CAN YOU
SPOT SPANISH
DOCTOR ?
COURTESY OF Dr MONICA LALANDA

16. Personal History
 2002 – Son Llatzer
 2005 - Son Dureta / Son Espases
 2011 - Primary Care
 2012 – COMIB
 2012- PalmaPlanas – Quiron
 2014 – Juaneda Healthcare Network
 2015 – Clinica Rotger

17. TREATMENT
ENGLISH
AS THE
MEDIUM
NETWORKED
DOCTOR
INTERNATIONAL
PROJECTS
MEDICAL
HUMANITIES
OTHER
CLINICAL
SESSIONS

18. CLINICAL SESSIONS IN ENGLISH

19. Sessions
 HUSE – ( Oncology,
Infectious Diseases,
Dermatology, Chest
Medicine, Haematology,
Immunology, Radiology,
ENT, Neurosurgery,
Pharmacy, Traumatology …)
 HSLL – Oncology
 Primary Care – Son Serra-La
Vileta

20. Why Clinical Sessions in English ?
The great need/ Desire for Doctors to
learn English
The busy timetable of Doctors

21. BUSY CLINICIANS WITH
ENGLISH
LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN A
CLINICAL SETTING
DOCTORS TO BREAK
ENGLISH BARRIER

22. Educational
Technology–
 CoP – whereby Drs and health
professionals are learning
together
 Act as Mediator between
Language and Medical Practice
COMMUNITY
OF PRACTICE
(WENGER)

23. Different kinds of Sessions
Case Presentations
Duty Handovers
Topic Presentations
Writing Workshops

24. CASE PRESENTATIONS 1
Clinical
Sessions in
Infectious
Diseases
Service, HUSE –
May 2014

25. This video
shows the
resident
explaining the
case

26. This video
shows the
consultants and
head of
department
discussing and
debating the
case with the
residents

27. This video
shows my role
Going through
the linguistic
errors

29. Case Presentations 2
 In Son Llatzer Hospital

30. Case Presentations 3
Son Serra-La Vileta

31. Case Presentations 4
 Multidiscplinary
groups
 ( Psychiatrist, GPs,
Gynaecologist,
Paediatricians,
Plastic Surgeon,
Anaesthesiologist …)
 Debates/ Discussions
on a Multitude of
Topics

32.  Set up 2014
 With Annalisa Manca, a Medical
Educationalist working at Dundee
Medical School
 A workshop series for medical
professionals looking to effectively
engagewith the international
community of healthcare practitioners
.

33. Manchester
Scotland
Dundee
Ninewells Hospital
Medical School

34. THE NETWORKED DOCTOR:
Social Media in Healthcare and Healthcare Research
A workshop series for healthcare professionals looking to effectively engage
with the international community of healthcare practitioners.
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/51035553780@N01/2922421696/ - CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Networked Doctor

35. Photo paukrus- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/paukrus/4093830467/
Live Dissection of a Social Media tool
Palma de Mallorca
17 Oct 2014

36. AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND OVERVIEW
• get started in a practical and engaged way
with Twitter
• connect effectively with other doctors on
Twitter
• participate enjoyably in the emerging
academic blogosphere and twittersphere
• become member of a network of doctors
and lifelong learners who want to
collaborate and share ideas

37. Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonahowie/8583949219 - CC BY 2.0
Social Media for
Professional and
Academic
Development
What’s the deal?
Palma de Mallorca
15 May 2015

38. AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND OVERVIEW
• Design, manage and enhance
your PLE
• Open a Feedly account
• Start your own blog and connect
it with Twitter
• Participate enjoyably in the
emerging academic blogosphere
and twittersphere
• Become member of a network
of doctors and lifelong learners
who want to collaborate and
share ideas

39. QUOTE SLIDE

40. INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
Sechenov First
Moscow State
Medical University
HENE
( Health Education
North East)

41. International Case Presentations
The beginning…....
Moscow April 2015
www.themegallery.com

42. Three Video-Conferenced Clinical
Sessions
 Friday 1st July
 Thursday 1st October
 Thursday 26th November
 We used TrueConf


43.  In each Session
there at least 2
cases presented;
one from each
centre
 Each case lasted
around 15-20
minutes
 Interactive
www.themegallery.com

44. Oncologic follow-up
What would you do after fistula repair
from the oncologic point of view?
A) Observation and PSA follow-up.
B) Androgen deprivation therapy.
B) Radiotherapy
www.themegallery.com

45. After each case
–Debate and
Discussion
between the
Drs from both
Hospitals
www.themegallery.com

46. Linguistic Assessment 1
ASSESS THE
FOLLOWING
www.themegallery.com

47. Linguistic assessment -
Mediating
Medical Practice Language Use
www.themegallery.com

48. A short video – 2nd Interantional
Video conference

50. HENE (HEALTH EDUCATION NORTH
EAST

51.  Connecting Ideas
 Connecting Doctors
 Connecting Countries
www.themegallery.com

52. Medical English Blog

53. Guest Posts Daily Tips

54. Video Interviews Interesting vocab

55. MEN’S APP
 A Project with
 Dr Juan Pablo
Burgues ( Urologist
and Andrologist)
 To spread and
explain “men’s
health” to a wider
public using Mobile
Applications

56. And last but NOT least
“Wherever the
art of medicine
is loved, there is
also a love of
humanity”

57. The Humanities are KEY to
everything that I am trying to do
in Medical Education and Medical
English Teaching

58.  Siddartha Mukeherjee
concludes his short
book – The Laws of
Medicine - in this way
 “ “The Youngest
Science” is also the
most human science.
It might well be the
most beautiful and
fragile thing we do”

59.  “The scientific
importance of English is
such that, whenever I
have a meeting with my
residents – and I have
many, both residents and
meetings – I find myself
emphasizing, over and
over again, the need for
them to learn English.” *

60. Take Home Messages

61. “I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to
provide the conditions in which they can
learn” (Albert Einstein)
mcfarland.jonathan@gmail.com
http://www.jonmcfarlandmedicalenglish.com
DEDICATED TO ALL
LIFE’S ENTHUSIASTS

62. Bibliography
 The language of medicine, Henrik R Wulff MD, J R Soc Med
2004;97:187–188
 The Languages of Medicine, Christopher Baethge PD,
Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2008 Jan; 105(3): 37–40.
 Wenger, Etienne (1998). Communities of Practice:
Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
 Adventures in Human Being, Gavin Francis, Wellcome
Collection, 2015.
 The Laws of Medicine, Siddhartha Mukherjee, TED Books,
2015
 A-Z of Medical Writing, Tima Albert, BMJBooks, 2000
 * Dr Javier Lucaya, Chairman of Radiology, Vall d’Hebron,
Barcelona (Spain)