Medical English Teaching Resources

Do you teach Medical English?

Get free lesson plans, articles and teaching tips here.

SLC’s materials and courses are designed to be used by teachers with their students

Digital coursebooks: These courses combine the structured approach of textbooks with interactive features like video, audio, recording, and hands-on activities, making classes more dynamic and engaging.

Blended learning: Students study specific materials, such as medical terminology or patient communication, independently. Teachers then use lessons to activate the language through discussion, role-play, and problem-solving tasks.

Complementary study: Teachers can assign parts of the course for independent study, helping students reinforce classroom learning and build a solid language foundation, allowing teachers to focus on delivering the curriculum in class.

FREE LESSON PLANS

Emergency Department Scenario

Students will be able to effectively communicate with a patient in the Emergency Department (ED) who has fallen off a ladder, using appropriate medical vocabulary, asking relevant questions and providing advice.

Lesson Plan: Hyperbaric oxygen and PTSD

The focus of this lesson is hyperbaric oxygen and PTSD. The speaking activity gives students the opportunity to share their knowledge of the topic.

Evidence of Christmas Spirit

The focus of the lesson is the effect on the brain of taking part in religious festivities – in this case Christmas. The speaking warmer introduces the topic and gives students the opportunities to share their current knowledge and vocabulary on the topic and related topics.

Recommendations for Self-Care After a Leg Injury

The objective of this lesson plan is to enable nursing students to effectively communicate recommendations and instructions for self-care to patients with a leg injury. Focus on the use of language for recommending versus instructing.

Reassuring a Parent about a Paediatric Scan

This (B1-B2) lesson plan is for doctors, nurses and radiographers. It focuses on the language used to reassure a parent about a child’s forthcoming abdominal.

Using a Slide Sheet to Reposition a Patient in Bed

This (B1-B2) lesson plan is for nurses and carers. It focuses on instructive language when repositioning a patient using a slide sheet.

Sunlight And Vitamin D – The Australian Experience

This B2-C1 reading, listening, vocabulary and pronunciation worksheet practises related to Sunlight and Vitamin D – the Australian experience.

Kidney Disease Is Not Just A Death Sentence, You Can Live A Full Life

This B2-C1 reading, listening, vocabulary and pronunciation worksheet practises related to ‘Kidney disease is not just a death sentence, you can live a full life.

Fake Xanax - Anxiety drug deaths an ‘escalating crisis’

This B2-C1 reading, listening, vocabulary and pronunciation worksheet practises related to Fake Xanax – Anxiety drug deaths an ‘escalating crisis’.

Alzheimer's Disease (Not inevitable) - 30 Minute Worksheet

This B2-C1 reading, listening, vocabulary and pronunciation worksheet practises related to the Alzheimer’s Disease (Not inevitable).

Acne – 30 Minute Worksheet

This B1-B2 vocabulary worksheet reviews language related to acne using Quizlet flashcards and activities.

Santa’s Elves Managing William’s Syndrome – 30 Minute Worksheet

This B1-B2 listening, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation worksheet practises related to Santa’s Elves (Managing William’s syndrome).

Medical Ethics - 30 minute worksheet

This B2-C1 reading and vocabulary worksheet practises reading for detail and reviews language related to medical ethics using Quizlet flashcards and activities.

Medical Gaslighting – 30 Minute Worksheet

This is a worksheet on Medical Gaslighting. Download this for free and provide your students with informative content.

SmartSocks And Dementia Care

This is a worksheet on SmartSocks and Dementia Care for B2 to C1 levels. Download this for free and provide your students with informative content.

AS Early Diagnosis

This is a B2-C1 resource about the use of machine learning to improve the early diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis.

Fighting Influenza

This is a B2-C1 resource for doctors, nurses and pharmacists which describes a short history of the treatment of influenza.

Cold Water Therapy

This is a worksheet on cold water therapy for B2 to C1 levels. Download this for free and provide your students with informative content.

Candida Auris

This is a worksheet on candida auris for B2 to C1 levels. Download this for free and provide your students with informative content.

Lesson Plan: Describing Pressure Ulcers

In this lesson students learn the language used to describe pressure ulcers. It includes speaking, writing, reading & vocabulary activities.

Smoking And Dental Health – 30 Minute Worksheet

This lesson focuses on oral health problems caused by smoking. With vocabulary, reading and speaking activities for your students.

Porphyria – 30 Minute Worksheet

This is a 30-minute worksheet that includes speaking, vocabulary, reading activities for your students on the topic of Vampire Syndrome.

The Occupational Health Of Santa Claus - 30 Minute Worksheet

This 30-minute worksheet includes reading, vocabulary and pronunciation activities for your students about occupational health of Santa Claus.

The Eye is our ‘window to the brain - 30 Minute Worksheet

This is a 30 minute worksheet aiming reading for facts, for detail and vocabulary development (the eye/ eye conditions)

Nanotechnology in Medicine - 30 Minute Worksheet

This is a 30 minute worksheet aiming reading for facts, for detail and expanding vocabulary about nanotechnology for your students.

Is “overworking” OK? - 30 Minute Worksheet

This is a 30 minute worksheet with vocabulary included based on a Nursing Notes article.

Lesson Plan: Antibiotic resistance is threatening our health

This lesson plan focuses on building vocabulary through an article on the growth of antibiotic resistance. B2-C1 level

Lesson Plan: Diabetes tests

Students will learn the language to describe diabetes and diabetes tests. Includes speaking, listening, and vocabulary activities. B2-C1 level

Lesson Plan: Using pain scales

Students will learn how to discuss pain effectively with a patient, using a pain scale. Includes, speaking, listening and role play activities. B2 level

Lesson Plan: Lung Infections

Students will learn the vocabulary they need to describe the lungs and lung infections. Speaking, vocabulary and reading activities. B1 level

Lesson Plan: Working on a Ward

Students will learn the language used when working on a ward in a hospital. Speaking, vocabulary, reading and grammar activities. B1 level

Taking Observations: Pupil Reaction

Students will learn the language used when describing the eye and pupil reactions. Communication, vocabulary and reading activities. B2-C1 level

Asking about current symptoms

Students learn language used when interviewing a patient and discussing symptoms. Reading, vocabulary and speaking activities. B2-C1

Describing Injuries

This lesson teaches the language used to describe injuries. It includes vocabulary, speaking, reading and writing activities. B1 level

Feeding Patients

Students learn the language used when assisting patients at mealtimes. Speaking, vocabulary, listening and reading activities. A2-B1 level

Doing a Dressing

This lesson focuses on the language used around wound care and on that used when doing a dressing. Relevant for nursing and care students. B1 level

Types of Medications

This lesson describes different types of medication, how they are administrated and how they work. B1 (lower-intermediate) level

Oxygen Therapy

This lesson enables students to describe and discuss oxygen therapy, and covers multiple skills and vocabulary. B2 (intermediate) level

Taking a Patient’s Blood Pressure and Pulse

This lesson plan teaches the language used when taking a patient’s blood pressure and pulse. A2-B1 level

ADLs (Activities of Daily Living)

This lesson plan teaches the language used to describe and discuss ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). A2-B1 level

Introducing yourself to patients using respectful language

This lesson plan focuses on Introducing yourself to patients using respectful language. A2 level

Asking about pain

This lesson plan focuses on how to ask about and describe pain. It includes vocabulary, grammar and communication activities. B1 level

Greeting Patients

This lesson plan examines different ways in which a doctor can greet patients. B2 level

Describing Cardiovascular Conditions

This lesson plan teaches the language used to describe the heart and cardiovascular conditions. B2-C1 level

Developments In The Treatment Of Cystic Fibrosis

This lesson plan analyses an article on a new cystic fibrosis drug and teaches associated vocabulary. B2-C1 level

Describing Position And Movement

This lesson plan teaches the vocabulary used to describe position and movement when conducting an examination. B1-B2 level

Want more lesson plans?

We have many more available on our partner’s website. EALTHY is a unique international association for English for Healthcare teachers, writers and researchers. It offers members a growing bank of lesson plans, OET resources, articles and research summaries, as well as free and discounted access to conferences, journals, publications and SLC courses!

Through our partnership, we publish at least three new plans in the EALTHY Members Area every week. So, if you’re a teacher looking for excellent resources, now is the time to join an international English for Healthcare community and take advantage of everything EALTHY has to offer.

Annual memberships are available for teachers and for institutions. We hope very much to see you there!

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ARTICLES

Introducing OET Prepare!

Designed for schools and teachers preparing nurses for OET Nursing, OET Prepare provides a full learning pathway, taking candidates from an elementary A2 level all the way to a C1 advanced level where they are ready to sit the test.

Using a digital course in a classroom environment

This article sets out a number of ways a teacher can use digital Medical English content with their students in a physical classroom.

Should you choose a paper-based or digital Medical English course?

Medical students can find it hard to engage in anything that is not clinically focused. This includes Medical English, an essential part of most undergraduate Medicine degrees. This article looks at what kind of course – paper-based or digital – will best engage and motivate today’s students.

Top 3 tips for teaching Medical English online

Do you teach remotely? Are you helping your learners with Medical English? Discover SLC’s top 3 tips to become a better online teacher.

What is the Occupational English Test (OET)

The Occupational English Test (OET) is used to assess the Medical English skills of a wide range of international healthcare professionals.

GMC English Language Requirements for International Doctors

The General Medical Council (GMC), the UK regulator for doctors, uses the following ways for an international medical graduate (IMG) to demonstrate their knowledge of English if they are applying to register to practise.

What is Medical Academic Writing? Part 1

This article looks at how to write clear and effective academic texts, focusing on vocabulary, sentence structure, paragraphing and whole text writing.

What is Medical Academic Writing? Part 2

We look at the IMRaD format and common grammatical structures, and how they are applied when writing abstracts and research articles.

A short text on viruses

This extract describes some remarkable and surprising facts on viruses.

Giving advice sensitively

This article looks at how to give advice sensitively and the kind of language that can be used to do so.

How do Nurses use English?

This article looks at research carried out on how nurses use English on practice and how it may influence course design and materials development.

What do teachers need when teaching with online materials?

This article looks at the growth of online materials and discusses how to use them in practice.

What is the difference between IELTS and OET?

This article looks at the two tests most commonly taken by healthcare professionals and students and looks in detail at their differences.

How do doctors use English?

This article analyses the language used by doctors in practice, both when communicating with colleagues and patients, and when writing.

What is Medical English?

This article looks at the distinctive nature of Medical English and offers some tips on how to design Medical English courses.