Medical Humanities: the ‘glass slipper’ of Medical English. A review of instructional interventions
Keywords:
EMP, medical discourse, Medical Humanities, intercultural understanding, empathyAbstract
The language of medicine has long been the subject of research from multiple perspectives. English for Medical Purposes (EMP) courses and materials in Tertiary Education have been developed aiming at practicing specific lexical and grammatical features of medical discourse, with particular emphasis on their functions and rhetoric realizations in typical academic and professional medical settings.
Yet, the use of creative literature and visual imagery is rather uncommon in typical EMP modules, since these are usually employed in Medical Humanities courses to advance ethical debates, enhance philosophical reasoning on medical issues and sharpen narrative and observational skills. The present paper reviews implemented interventions and proposes that English language instructors, often endowed with a rich humanities background, are adept at effectively introducing Medical Humanities resources in their classes, enhancing the simultaneous development of language and humanistic qualities including increased medical language awareness, self-reflection, empathetic skills and critical understanding of professional values.
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