TAKE CARE platform - medical care language

no

Lecturers
Students

Medicine & Nursing

Autonomous learning
Classroom Context

Romanian

Bulgarian
English
French
German
Lithuanian
Romanian
Spanish

A2
B1
B2

Picture/Graphics
Reference resources (online Dictionaries/ grammar guides/phrasebooks)

Vocabulary
Pragmatics

Critical Thinking
Writing
Reading

Take Care project is a project meant to make available first instance linguistic material in Romanian (medical language) to immigrants, as well as to students or international citizens. In the project description, the main product of the project is the Medical Linguistic Guide for Migrants containing: a book with language acquisition phrases (in Bulgarian, Dutch, English, German, Greek, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish), a glossary of terms in 17 languages, necessary information on the national health field in each of the partner countries and a kit with basic language in emergencies for health providers. The so-called „emergency kit” consists of elements of form-filling, of yes/no questions that a patient may be asked, instructions that the medical staff can address the potential (migrant) patient.

The resource was tested on students enrolled in the 2nd year of the Gr T Popa Medical School of Iasi, during the course in Romanian for foreign students (levels A1-A2), after studying Romanian as a foreign language for only 8 weeks (in online mode). They appreciated the existence of an online easily accessible glossary of medical terms that could also be used in activities other than class related. The resource proved useful, as it facilitated a conversation on various cultural contexts, with references to the Romanian cultural area, with parallels with the areas the students come from. One downside of the resources is that it requires additional material to place the medical terms in a grammar context. The resource as such does not aim at developing oral or written communication – they have to be developed by the lecturer. However, the possibility to identify units of specialized vocabulary in the medical domain contributes to lessons where the students can become familiar with the medical discourse and can also address grammar points and culturally-related issues. Assoc. Professor Laura Ioana Leon, Gr T Popa UMF Iasi

1. Teacher announces the title - Medical insurance in Romania - and, through brainstorming, elicits information from students on what they know about the Romanian system.
2. Teacher suggests reading short texts, from the Take Care material and from other sources, related to the subject of the lesson.
3. Teacher discusses with students the terms related to medical insurance: medical / health insurance, agent, annual fee / rate, benefits, co-payment, limits / coverage ceiling, health services, insured card, insurance contract, insurance company insurance, coverage, number / code to be insured, intermediaries / mediator, monthly fee, home care service, risk assumed, payment contribution, policy, additional insurance.
4. Teacher and students use the glossary of terms in order to explain, understand and fix the meanings of the words.
5. For verification, teacher suggests a dialogue aimed at a comparison of the Romanian medical system with the existing medical system in the student's country of origin from the perspective of medical insurance, in order to recycle and fixate the new terms and use them adequately.
The results obtained
- the expansion of specialized vocabulary in the area of medical aid/healthcare
- a better understanding of medical terms due to the use of the available glossary.
Risks that have to be taken into account
- students might face difficulties in understanding the structure and the organization of the Romanian healthcare system which might differ from the one from their country; in this case, teacher has to provide students with necessary explanations.