“CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI” UNIVERSITY OF TARGU-JIU

FACULTY OF TECHNICAL, MEDICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF SPORT AND MOTRICITY

SYLLABUS COURSE
ENGLISH FOR NURSING
1ST YEAR OF STUDY

2017/2018
INSTRUCTOR: PhD Lecturer Oana PASTAE, email: oanapastae@gmail.com

COURSE DURATION: 1 SEMESTER

WEEKS AVAILABLE PER SEMESTER: 14 WEEKS PER SEMESTER

HOURS PER WEEK: 2 HOURS

HOURS PER SEMESTER: 14 hours

Class size: 30 students

Teaching methods

- Classroom lectures
- Group discussions/ role play/simulation
- Skill presentation
- Research

Teaching resources

- Audio visuals
- Internet
- Library
- Projectors

AIM

- To improve the nurses’ level of English within the area of their profession

COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To learn and master important vocabulary, grammar, and useful phrases
2. To improve listening comprehension and pronunciation
3. To learn how to phrase and ask questions
4. To be able to express through speaking and writing
Grading System
The grading system is as follows:
a. Attendance and Class Work + Activities-60%
b. Final: 40%
Course Plan
Each day will include some form of drill, an introduction to something new, writing practice,
listening to authentic dialogues, class discussion and recalling or recapping work already
covered; conversation practice will take place mainly in groups or pairs.

No.
8.1. Seminar Competences of
hours
1. Getting to know each other. Course Speaking
presentation. Students’ task presentation. 2
Grading system presentation.
2. Human body. Physical examination Speaking- dialogue.
Grammar- TO BE and TO HAVE/HAVE GOT. Writing- personal information. Listening
2
–doctor/patient dialogue.

3. Hospital personnel. Nursing grades. Listening-job interviews.

Hospital departments. Writing- giving directions.
Medical equipment. Speaking- nurses on the ward 4
Grammar- Prepositions of place, Present
Continuous
4. Admissions procedure. Recording patient Listening- recording details.
information. Reading- admission forms.
First aid. Writing- completing forms 2
Grammar – Present Simple versus Present Speaking giving information.
Continuous
5. Signs and symptoms. Reading- analyzing pain report.
Describing pain. Pain report Writing- completing pain report.
Pain relief and prescribing medication. Speaking- reporting to questions. 2
Grammar-comparison (comparatives and
superlatives)
6. Summing up. Course evaluation Vocabulary. Grammar. Writing.
Listening. Speaking. Reading and 2
Comprehension
- Classroom lectures - Group discussions/ role play/simulation
Metode de
- Skill presentation - Research
predare
- Teamwork
8.3 Bibliografie obligatorie
1. Păstae, O.M. – English for nursing – course syllabus, Biblioteca UCB.
2. Allum Virginia, Mc Garr Patricia. 2009. Cambridge English for nursing, Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge.
3. Grice, Tony.2007. Oxford English for careers, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
4. Grice, Tony.2003. Everyday English for nursing, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
8.4 Bibliografie opţională
Sites:
http://www.cnaenglish.org/
www.englishclub.com
http://englishfornurses.org/

Dictionaries
http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Houghton Mifflin) (4ed,2000)(Barbleby)
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2000) (Britannica)
Wordsmith: The Educational Dictionary &Thesurus (2000) (Wordsmith)
Dictionary of Phrase & Fable: Derivation, Source, Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions (1898)
(Bartleby)
Dictionare medicale recente.
Resurse multimedia şi online.
Alte publicaţii internaţionale de profil de pe internet

UNIT 1
Warm-up – Questions-questions improvisation dialogue (focus: spontaneity,
listening to a partner, replying according to rules)

Student A Student B
How are you? What are you saying?
How old are you? Why do you ask that?
Do you feel ill? Do I look ill?
Are you a doctor? Can you say that again?
Are you a nurse? Why do you ask?
Are you deaf? Are you?
Do you like your job? What about you?
UNIT 2
Parts of the body

To be

Have got versus have

 Full Forms of the verb TO BE

Positive Negative Question

I am I am not Am I?
You are You are not Are you?
He is He is not Is he?
She is She is not? Is she?
It is It is not Is it?
We are We are not Are we?
You are You are not Are you?
They are They are not Are they?
I am a student.
He is a teacher.
She is a journalist.
It is a book.
We are mechanics.
You are pilots.
They are policemen.

Contracted forms of the verb TO BE

Positive Negative Question

I’m I am not Am I?
You’re You aren’t Are you?
He’s He isn’t Is he?
She’s She isn’t Is she?
It’s It isn’t Is it?
We’re We aren’t Are we?
You’re You aren’t Are you?
They’re They aren’t Are they?
I ‘m a student.
He ‘s a teacher.
She ‘s a journalist.
It ‘s a book.
 We ‘re mechanics.
You ‘re pilots.
They ‘re policemen.
Chose the correct form of the verb to be - am/is/are.

---
1. It cold today.

---
2. I at home now.

---
3. They Korean.

---
4. There a pen on the desk.

---
5. My name Nikita.

---
6. We from Ukraine.

---
7. That right.

---
8. I OK, thanks.

---
9. Clara and Steve married.

---
10. She an English teacher.

Put in the correct order:

1 years I old. twenty-five am

2 Venezuela.We from are

3 My student.and name I'm is a Anton

4 This is book. my

5 It's day a nice today.

6 Her name is brother's Paul.

7 an engineer.is John

8 My Johansson. husband's name is

9 in class.my are There students twelve

10 at top the address My newletter.of the is

Negative forms of TO BE

Full negative forms of the verb to be

I am not a singer.
He is not a receptionist.
She is not a nurse.
It is not my book.
We are not not musicians.
You are not a shop assistant.
They are not taxi drivers.
Contracted negative forms of the verb to be
I'm not a singer.
He isn't a receptionist.
She isn't a nurse.
It isn't my book.
We aren't not musicians.
You aren't a shop assistant.
They aren't taxi drivers.

Complete the gaps with the negative forms of the verb to be.

isn't
Example: She from France.

1. This book mine.

2. Jane and Peter married.

3. That right.

4. My brother here at the moment.

5. We in England.

6. It Monday today.

7. Jennie's surname Peters.

8. I a hairdresser.

9. My name Alexander.
 isn't|is not;aren't|a
10. There many people in this class.

Have or Have got

Affirmative sentences

>have< >have got<

I have got a brother.
I have a brother.
I've got a brother.
You have got a sister.
You have a sister.
You've got a sister.
He has got a cat.
He has a cat.
He's got a cat.
She has got a dog.
She has a dog.
She's got a dog.
It has got Bluetooth.
It has Bluetooth.
It's got Bluetooth.
We have got books.
We have books.
We've got books.
You have got a nice room.
You have a nice room.
You've got a nice room.
They have got pets.
They have pets.
They've got pets.

Negative sentences

>have< >have got<

I have not got a brother. or
I do not have a brother.
I haven't got a brother. or
I don't have a brother.
I've not got a brother.
You have not got a sister. or
You do not have a sister.
You haven't got a sister. or
You don't have a sister.
You've not got a sister.
He does not have a cat. He has not got a cat. or
He doesn't have a cat. He hasn't got a cat. or
 He's not got a cat.
She has not got a dog. or
She does not have a dog.
She hasn't got a dog. or
She doesn't have a dog.
She's not got a dog.
It has not got Bluetooth. or
It does not have Bluetooth.
It hasn't got Bluetooth. or
It doesn't have Bluetooth.
It's not got Bluetooth.
We have not got books. or
We do not have books.
We haven't got books. or
We don't have books.
We've not got books.
You have not got a nice room. or
You do not have a nice room.
You haven't got a nice room. or
You don't have a nice room.
You've not got a nice room.
They have not got pets. or
They do not have pets.
They haven't got pets. or
They don't have pets.
They've not got pets.

Questions

>have< >have got<

Do I have time? Have I got time?
Do you have pets? Have you got pets?
Does he have a computer? Has he got a computer?
Does she have a mobile phone? Has she got a mobile phone?
Does it have mudguards? Has it got mudguards?
Do we have ketchup? Have we got ketchup?
Do you have a yellow car? Have you got a yellow car?
Do they have nice teachers? Have they got nice teachers?

Negations in questions:

Don't you have a brother? Haven't you got a brother?

Choose the correct PRESENT TENSE form of the verb TO HAVE for each sentence:
1. My sisters all _________ boyfriends.
have
has

2. The teacher ________ a yellow shirt.

have
has

3. My brother ________ a great job.

has
have

4. Does he ________ a dog?

has
have

5. They don't ________ a lot of money.

have
has

6. My cousin and his wife ________ three children.

has
have
7. Does your friend ________ a sister?
has
have

8. Yes, my friend ________ a sister.

have
has
9. My neighbor ________ a mailbox.
doesn't have
don't have

10. They ________ time to play with us.

doesn't have
don't have

UNIT 3
The Hospital and the Nursing Staff

At present, hospitals are generally divided into wards and departments. The
ward is the patient's home while they are hospitalized. There are different types of
wards in a general hospital: mainly the medical ward, and the surgical ward.
There are some specialized hospitals such as Pediatric, Obstetric, Gynecological,
Oncological Hospitals and the like. However these specialties can be wards of a
general hospital in some countries or areas. We can also find units such as the
ICU (Intensive Care Unit), and the A & E (Accident and Emergency) Unit. Some of
the most important departments in a hospital are X-rays, Laboratory, Admissions,
Out-patients, Pharmacy, etc.
The main function of a hospital is to attend to the medical needs of people who
require admission. Yet effective care could not be provided if physicians worked
alone. Other allied (paramedical) health personnel are very necessary too. The
most familiar are nurses who perform both in and out of the hospital. They assist
in the ward, in the operating theater. Nurses can also work in nursing homes, at
senior citizens' homes. Some are employed in physicians' offices to do preliminary
examination of patients. Wherever they work, they must be equally dedicated
since caring for sick people demands great patience and empathy and a lot of
work.
Hospitalized patients need nursing care 24 hours a day; therefore shift work is
needed. The early (day) shift lasts from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., the evening shift is from
3.00 p.m. to 11.00 pm, and the night shift starts at 11.00 pm and ends at 7.00 a.m.
There are mainly two types of nurses: The RN's (Registered Nurses) and the
LPN's (Licensed Practical Nurses). To become an RN requires at least 4 years of
college or a Bachelor's degree. LPN's can be certified after two or three years of
post-high school study. They can, however take specialized courses afterwards.
RN's have the major responsibility for patient care, acting upon the physicians'
written directions and evaluating results whereas LPN's are given fewer technical
responsibilities although in some hospitals, the line between them is not always
clear and some LPN's will administer prescribed medications, give tube feeding
and do colostomy care.
Others such as nursing assistants and orderlies, somewhat younger, mainly
help patients brush their teeth, bathe, or carry bedpans. They give no medications
nor do sterile dressing.
(Adapted from The Language of Medicine in English, by E. Tiersky & M. Tiersky,
Prentice Hall Inc., 1992)

Select the sentence that expresses the main idea of each paragraph:

a- Paragraph 1
____ Hospitals are commonly organized in wards, units and other departments.
____ All hospitals have an Accident and Emergency Unit.
b- Paragraph 2
____ Physicians are the most important personnel for in-patient care

__ Medical and paramedical personnel are necessary to attend to the needs

of admitted patients
c- Paragraph 3
____ Nurses work eight hours during the day.
____ Nurses work eight hours round the clock
d- Paragraph 4
____ Nurses' duties vary according to qualifications.
____ The line between the RN and the LPN is not clear.

Nursing duties
Present continuous

1. We use the present continuous to talk about things that are happening now.
I'm (am) waiting for Nurse Bower.
Form: am/is/are + vb+-ing.
He's (is) helping a patient.
We're (are) having lunch.
The nurse is looking for a thermometer.
What is she doing at the moment?

Complete these conversations with the correct present continuous form of theverbs in
brackets.

Lisa, I need some help. (1) (you/do) anything important?

Yes, I'm sorry. I (2) (change) Ms Bandine's bandage.Is it urgent?
No, I can wait five minutes.
Mr Halpert's call light is on.
He (3) (probably/complain) about pain again.
The poor guy (4) (have) trouble sleeping. I'll go andgive him some pain medication.
What (5) (the nursing assistants/do)?
They're with Ms Davis. I think they (6) (take)her temperature.

2. Present Continuous for future arrangements

We also use the present continuous to talk about future arrangements.

I'm (am) seeing the consultant about Mr Singh later today.
He's (is) consulting the patient at 3 p.m.
We're (are) having a handover meeting at 5 p.m.
The consultant is coming to check on the patient tonight.

Read this email and underline the verbs in the present continuous.

Hi Karen,
How's life? I'm just sooo busy! I have a 12-hour day today.
I'm meeting with the geriatric consultant at 9 a.m. to discuss treatment for one of my
patients. Then I'm seeing my supervisor to write an order for supplies in the clean supply
room. After that I'm feeding patients in rooms 10 to 30. I only have 15 minutes for my lunch,
so I'm meeting Stefan in the nurses' lounge for a quick sandwich. In the afternoon I'm
checking medical records with the receptionist and then I'm phoning an insurance company
about a patient in room 15.That always takes a long time. After that I'm checking IV fluids in
all the rooms. It's nonstop!
Anyway, that's all for now! Off to work!
Lisa

Are these sentences about the present (P) or the future (F)?
1 Next week I'm working the afternoon shift. (P / F)
2 Lea Thibault in room 19 is going home later today. (P / F)
3 They're currently checking temperature charts. (P / F)
4 We're meeting at the nurses' station at 5.20 for the handover. (P / F)
5 I'm looking for more bandages. Can you help me? (P / F)
6 Ken's eating his lunch in the nurses' lounge at the moment. (P / F)

Writing
Is Lisa's day like your day? Write an email to another nurse about what you are
doing today.

Speaking
Work in pairs. Describe your day to your partner without looking at the email
you wrote.
UNIT 4
Signs and symptoms
The simple present tense

The simple present tense is used for two main types of action:

Actions which happen regularly (every day, every week,

1.Habits
etc.)

Things which do not often change (opinions, conditions,

2.States
etc.)

Young-Mi goes to class every day. "Every day" is a habit.

It rains a lot in Vancouver. This means that it rains often.

Habit
Santos always talks about his family. "Always" means this is a habit.

Jerry spends Christmas with his This implies that he spends Christmas
parents. with his parents every year.

This is a state, because it doesn't

Bianca lives in Florida.
change.

Someone's hair colour doesn't usually

Jean-Paul has red hair.
change.
State
When we like something, usually we will
Martin likes chocolate.
always like it.

Beliefs and opinions are states. They

Anna believes in God.
don't often change.

3. Official schedules

The train leaves at 4 o’clock.

All other verbs

Use:
▪ the infinite verb (play) with the personal pronouns I, you, we and they (or with the plural
form of nouns)
▪ the verb + s (plays) with the personal pronouns he, she, it (or with the singular form of
nouns)

affirmative negative question

I/you/we/they I play. I do not play. Do I play?

he/she/it He plays. He does not play. Does he play?

Simple Present - Exceptions in Spelling

The 3rd person singular is usually formed by adding s. But there are a few exceptions to the
rule:

The verbs can, may, might, must remain the same in all forms. So don't add s.

example: he can, she may, it must

Verbs ending in o, ch, sh, s, x, z add es instead of s.

example: do - he does, wash - she washes

A final y after a consonant becomes i before es.

example: worry - he worries

But: A final y after a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) is not modified.

example: play - he plays

1 a Look at these sentences that a nurse or patient might say. Complete the sentences with
the correct form of the word in brackets.
1 The bathroom (be) outside on your left.
2 What (be) your date of birth, please?
3 Your hospital number (be) 463817.
4 I (be) here to do your admission Obs.
5 This tympanic thermometer (take) a patient’s temperature.
6 The machine (say) your blood pressure’s fine.
7 The other lead (read) the amount of oxygen in your blood.
8 Your daughter (weigh) 22 kilos.
9 (be) there anything else you need?
1 0 He (have) a slow pulse. It’s 56.

b Look at these sentences about activities in a hospital. Rewrite these positive

sentences in the negative so that they have the opposite meaning and underline
the changes.
1 The nurse has a lot of free time.
The nurse doesn’t have a lot of free time.
2 The nurse shows the patient round the ward.
3 The nurse gets the patient’s lunch.
4 The nurse is in a hurry.
5 Patients have to buy a present for the nurse.

c Look at these sentences that a nurse or patient might say. Rewrite these negative
sentences in the positive so that they have the opposite meaning and underline
the changes.

1 I don’t have to tell you about the nurse call.

I have to tell you about the nurse call.
2 We don’t check everything carefully.
3 The patient hasn’t got to hold out his arm.
4 The tympanic thermometer measures a patient’s blood pressure.
5 I’m not allergic to morphine.

d A nurse is asking questions to a patient or the parent of a young patient. Correct

the mistakes in the nurse’s questions and underline the changes.
1 You need help to walk to the bathroom?
Do you need help to walk to the bathroom ?
2 Are you know about the nurse call?
?
3 You’ve got an ID bracelet on.
?
4 I can look at your ID bracelet, please?
?
5 You can tell me your full name, please?
?
6 You have any allergies?
?
7 Your daughter has eight years?
?
8 Is OK?
?
9 You can show to me your arm, please?
?
1 0 You ready to see the doctor?
?

e Here are some questions a patient might ask a nurse. Put the words in the
correct order to make questions.
1 normal / my / are / readings
Bibliografie

Are my readings normal ?

2 all / pulse / is / my / right
?
3 to / need / have / an / do / injection / I
?
4 say / does / what / it
?
5 much / I / how / weigh / do
?

f Read the text about part of a nurse’s daily routine. Rewrite the text changing I to
he and underline the changes.

I take Obs very often. I always follow the same procedure. First, I weigh the patient
and write the weight on the chart. Then I take the patient’s temperature. I use a
tympanic thermometer. I ask the patient to turn his or her head and I have to wait
for the beep. Next, I put the blood pressure cuff on and check the patient’s blood
pressure and pulse. I also clip a lead onto the patient’s finger to measure his or her
oxygen sats. I count the patient’s respirations, and note them down on the chart too.
I’m very quick because I do the same thing every day.

He takes Obs very often. He always …

Păstae, O.M. 2017. English for nursing – course syllabus, Biblioteca UCB.
Allum Virginia, Mc Garr Patricia. 2009. Cambridge English for nursing, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Grice, Tony.2007. Oxford English for careers, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Grice, Tony.2003. Everyday English for nursing, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Sites:
http://www.cnaenglish.org/
www.englishclub.com
http://englishfornurses.org/

Dictionaries
http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Houghton Mifflin) (4ed,2000)(Barbleby)
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2000) (Britannica)
Wordsmith: The Educational Dictionary &Thesurus (2000) (Wordsmith)
Dictionary of Phrase & Fable: Derivation, Source, Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions (1898) (Bartleby)
Dictionare medicale recente.
Resurse multimedia şi online.
Alte publicaţii internaţionale de profil de pe internet.