Course description. The course is designed for students of level B1 and upwards who need to function in the health sector. Teaching and learning will take place both in classrooms at the Language Center and in more practical classroom situations at the Faculty of Nursing in the University of Valladolid. Classroom activities will involve working with actual situations, adopting a communicative approach and a task-oriented methodology, setting out real-life and actual healthcare scenarios. Particular attention will be paid to learning specific health-related terminology in real practical contexts, focusing special attention on cultural aspects. Work will be done on practicing the four oral and written expression and compression skills.
Date of commencement: 4 July 2016
Duration: The full course lasts four weeks (80 hours). A three-week course is also available (60 hours)
Schedule: 4 hours of lessons/day (20 hours/week) Monday to Friday.
Levels: B1 (Intermediate, B2 (Advanced)
Goals:
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand all topics related to the Spanish healthcare system.
- Communicate orally in real situations in a healthcare context.
- Produce written texts in a healthcare context: write reports, prescriptions, fill in forms, etc.
- Understand texts involving specific healthcare vocabulary, both in terms of academic texts as well as texts for scientific dissemination.
- Take part in communication situations specifically related to the world of medicine.
- Acquire a wide vocabulary on healthcare related topics.
- Gain an understanding of how the Spanish healthcare system works.
Methodology
The method used will be based on communicative learning of the language both in the classroom and through external practical work to be undertaken at the Health Sciences Faculty. This constitutes service-learning through practical training carried out by students under the supervision of the teacher-tutor. Academic texts and scientific journals will be used in class and there will be commentary analysis of assays.
All material will be authentic, and adapted to the students’ level. A task-oriented approach, focusing specifically on simulation and projects, will form a key part of classroom work.
Program Content
- Topic 1: Presentation of the course. The human body. Specific Vocabulary. Aspects of human anatomy.
- Topic 2: Organs and medical specialities. Vocabulary related to the various medical specialities. Exercises involving the names of various specialists.
- Topic 3: The Spanish healthcare system: public and private hospitals. A comparison between health systems.
- Topic 4: Real situation: the doctor’s surgery room. Patient admission. Health card.
- Topic 5: Vocabulary related to medical prescriptions. Prescriptions, referral notes, medicine. How to fill in prescriptions and referral notes. Different kinds of forms. Communicative situations in hospital emergency services.
- Topic 6: Medical records. How to draw up a medical history. Medical reports.
- Topic 7: Household remedies. Alternative medicine.
- Practical work in the simulation room and writing projects.
- Medical texts, journals and websites of medical terms.
Content of practical lessons
- Basic health care to bedridden patients (2 hours)
- Evaluation of the nutritional status (2 hours)
- Administration of medication (2 hours)
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (2 hours)
- Clinical case (2 hours)
Taught by lectures from the School of Nursing
Lessons will be held in the simulation classroom C at Facultad de Enfermería, Edificio Ciencias de la Salud,C/Ramón y Cajal nº 7.
This program will be complemented by socio-cultural activities and trips outside of the normal class schedule and included in the cost of the course).
Evaluation and certification:
- Group projects (20%)
- Homework (5%)
- Practical written work (5%)
- Practical oral work (5%)
- Oral presentation of assignments (15%)
- Written exam (25%)
- Practical work in the simulation room (25%)
At the end of the course, students will be awarded a certificate of attendance. In order to be awarded this certificate, students must attend 80% of the lessons. In addition, students who take and pass the final examinations will also be given a certificate of attainment reflecting the marks and grades awarded.
Cost: 895 € (four-week course), 715 € (three-week course)
Fuente e Inscripciones: https://spanishinvalladolid.com/

