Course Syllabus

Fall 2025 | AHS-1075-VU01 - English for Healthcare

In Person Class

Standard courses meet in person at CCV centers, typically once each week for the duration of the semester.

Faculty

Marina Brzostoski
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Jen Guarino

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

Designed for non-native speakers of English, this course introduces language used in healthcare settings and provides an overview of the healthcare delivery system in the United States. Students learn to recognize and use healthcare terminology in written and oral communications. Vocabulary development includes elemental language used to describe healthcare facilities, medical professions, and body systems. Common symptoms, diseases, procedures, and equipment are also introduced. Intercultural competency with the goal of reducing communication obstacles in healthcare settings is considered. Recommend prior or concurrent learning: English for Academic Purposes.

Essential Objectives

1. Demonstrate correct spelling and pronunciation of healthcare terms to facilitate clear communication in healthcare settings and minimize risks of medical errors.
2. Identify healthcare terms used in written and oral communications. 
3. Create a dictionary of new healthcare vocabulary.  
4. Demonstrate appropriate understanding and usage of healthcare terms, including terms related to healthcare facilities, medical professions, body systems, and other common vocabulary expected of those working in the healthcare setting.
5. Identify barriers to communication in healthcare settings, including the potential for biases and misunderstanding among diverse populations, explore prevention strategies, and outline steps to take if a misunderstanding occurs.
6. Describe the impact professionalism and communication have in a healthcare setting related to attitudes, behaviors, values, respect, and intercultural competency.
7. Demonstrate reading comprehension of healthcare scenarios involving patients, co-workers, and supervisors and role-play these scenarios using effective oral communication.
8. Employ healthcare terminology effectively in both written and oral communication, highlighting the role of language in supporting patient understanding and care coordination.
9. Describe the types of healthcare delivery in the US, including primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care.
10. Read, interpret, and analyze materials from diverse healthcare fields to demonstrate comprehension, reflect critically on the content, and apply insights to real-world contexts, emphasizing cultural and linguistic considerations.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Methods

• Reading and discussing articles/videos

• Learning new vocabulary individually and in small groups

• Participating in both online and in-person discussions (small and large groups)

• Using multimedia resources

• Engaging in writing tasks and critical thinking exercises

• Practicing speaking and pronunciation through role plays, dialogues, and healthcare scenarios

• Using sentence frames and word banks to support oral and written communication

• Building listening comprehension through authentic healthcare audio and video materials

• Vocabulary building activities

• Formative assessments or quizzes

Evaluation Criteria

This course uses a weighted categories system to calculate final grades.

• In-Class Activities 10%

• Spelling and Pronunciation 15%

• Dictionary Project 15%

• Quizzes 20%

• PersonAbility 20%

• Discussion Forums 20%

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Please read the Student Code of Conduct.

Some assignments will be completed in class during our in-person Thursday sessions, while others will be completed independently online. Class participation includes engaging in discussions, completing activities, and contributing to both in-person and online learning.

Active participation in both in-person and online activities is required and will help us maximize our time together. Let’s stay engaged, meet deadlines, and make significant progress each week!

Missing & Late Work Policy

• This class meets in person on Thursdays, 6–9 pm.Weekly assignments are due on Mondays by11:59 pm.Your work is submitted in Canvas.
• Late work is not accepted, except in emergencies. If you have a reason to ask for a late pass, please email the instructor at mxb07010@ccv.vsc.edu.You will lose 10% each day that an assignment is late. Late work will not be accepted if you do not email about the work being late before the deadline. Late passes requested by email expire one week after the late assignment deadline and will no longer be accepted for credit.
• Missing work: In the case of an emergency, if you have to miss a class, pleaseemailyour instructor withyour reason for missing class and/or assignments. Missing assignments will be graded as zero in the grade book and will be counted toward your final grade.
• You are responsible for checking Canvas and getting any notes, materials, and assignments for the class you missed. Please email the instructor and ask questions if anything is unclear. Student learning assistance is available online.
• Plan to complete homework for the next class meeting on time. Being absent is not an excuse for not completing any homework assigned that week.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

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