Content

Subject carrier

Description

According to the Common European Framework (CEFR, 2023), language teaching develops reception/comprehension of oral and audiovisual material and reading comprehension; production (oral and written expression); interaction (oral, written, online); and mediation (summarising, translating and transforming information). In class, we develop intercultural communication skills and the importance of multilingualism, and introduce advanced digital technologies. The vocabulary and communication related to the following thematic units will be addressed, together with the corresponding language component:

1. COMMUNICATION WITH A PATIENT
Content: names of diseases; blood sampling; treatment plan explanation; nursing assessment, monitoring symtoms, communication with relatives; preparation to surgical procedures; delivering bad news.
Language: Nouns ending in -ite; use of formal and informal registers in interactions with patients; conversations on everyday topics; principles of patient-centred and culturally competent care; use of counselling skills (e.g. asking open-ended questions).

2. NUTRITION
Content: Vocabulary related to food and the description of dietary habits; nutrition for diabetic patients; the food pyramid; eating disorders; therapeutic diets; lifestyle questionnaires (physical activity, sleep, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc.).
Language: Interrogative forms; impersonal verb forms; prefixes hyper- and hypo-; giving suggestions and advice.

3. PRE- AND POSTOPERATIVE CARE
Content: Human anatomy: organs of the thoracic and abdominal cavities; conditions and diseases; diagnostic procedures (basic examinations, laboratory tests, endoscopy, X-ray and computed tomography, MRI and ultrasound, EKG); treatment procedures (pharmaceutical treatment, surgical treatment, therapies); wound care.
Language: Useful phrases for reassuring patients; the simple future tense (futuro semplice); useful expressions for preoperative preparation; adverbs of place; giving instructions.

4. MEDICATIONS
Content: Forms of medication and their use; reading prescriptions and dosage instructions; types of medical examinations; common healthcare procedures, professional tasks, and instructions for patients; medical reports; patient discharge; healthcare documentation and reporting (referrals, care plans); patient safety; communication within interdisciplinary healthcare teams; informed consent and the protection of patient confidentiality.
Language: Adjective agreement; giving simple and polite instructions to patients; expressing opinions.