Concern for ESL students
Dear Editor:
As a second-year student of the practical nursing program at Fanshawe College, I am concerned for the English as a Second Language students. I am particularly concerned for those who are taking health carerelated programs and for the patients receiving care from them.
As a second year student, I have received many opportunities to develop my nursing skills within the clinical setting, and through these experiences I have learned the importance of clear communication between health care practitioners.
When a nurse is caring for a patient, they need to be able to effectively communicate verbally, both directly to the patient in regards to the procedures and in reporting pertinent information to other health care practitioners such as doctors and other nurses. If the nurse is having difficulty with pronunciation during these interactions, the communication will be ineffective.
Proper listening skills are also critical as nurses need to be able to understand what their patients and other health care practitioners are saying to them. This understanding is necessary to properly assess the situation and the patients' needs. Ultimately, if the nurse can't understand what is being said to them, communication is ineffective.
Unfortunately, in my time at Fanshawe I have witnessed situations where there is clearly ineffective communication occurring between the student and the patient or health care practitioner. This should not be happening, especially at the second-year level. How will these students succeed after graduating and keep active employment if their communication skills are poor? This isn't fair to the students as it sets false expectations of success and it definitely isn't fair to the patients as it will affect their level of care.
Fanshawe College needs to take another look at the requirements of the Test of English as a Foreign Language exam and ask if the standards are high enough. They also need to put more focus on listening, speaking and pronunciation skills, especially for students working in health care. If the standards for success in the program are not high enough, Fanshawe is not doing the students any favours by graduating them from a program that has not adequately prepared them.
Sarah Craig-Campbell
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
As a second-year student of the practical nursing program at Fanshawe College, I am concerned for the English as a Second Language students. I am particularly concerned for those who are taking health carerelated programs and for the patients receiving care from them.
As a second year student, I have received many opportunities to develop my nursing skills within the clinical setting, and through these experiences I have learned the importance of clear communication between health care practitioners.
When a nurse is caring for a patient, they need to be able to effectively communicate verbally, both directly to the patient in regards to the procedures and in reporting pertinent information to other health care practitioners such as doctors and other nurses. If the nurse is having difficulty with pronunciation during these interactions, the communication will be ineffective.
Proper listening skills are also critical as nurses need to be able to understand what their patients and other health care practitioners are saying to them. This understanding is necessary to properly assess the situation and the patients' needs. Ultimately, if the nurse can't understand what is being said to them, communication is ineffective.
Unfortunately, in my time at Fanshawe I have witnessed situations where there is clearly ineffective communication occurring between the student and the patient or health care practitioner. This should not be happening, especially at the second-year level. How will these students succeed after graduating and keep active employment if their communication skills are poor? This isn't fair to the students as it sets false expectations of success and it definitely isn't fair to the patients as it will affect their level of care.
Fanshawe College needs to take another look at the requirements of the Test of English as a Foreign Language exam and ask if the standards are high enough. They also need to put more focus on listening, speaking and pronunciation skills, especially for students working in health care. If the standards for success in the program are not high enough, Fanshawe is not doing the students any favours by graduating them from a program that has not adequately prepared them.
Sarah Craig-Campbell
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
