HELPING HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ABROAD OVERCOME LANGUAGE ANXIETY

Have you ever heard of language anxiety? It's that feeling of nervousness, worry, or fear that one may experience with using, or even thinking about using, a foreign language like English. It can affect everyone. Yes, even Filipino healthcare providers who are already practicing abroad.

- LAI S. REYES

May Parsons, the Filipino-British nurse globally recognized for administering the world's first COVID-19 vaccine outside clinical trials, had bouts of language anxiety when she migrated to the United Kingdom in 2003.

"When I migrated to the UK, it wasn't the clinical work that challenged me. It was how I communicated with patients in distress, or how I explained procedures to families," May shares. "In the UK, your accent matters. It took me around six months to get that tenacity, and the competence to understand what my superiors, colleagues, and patients are telling me."

A voracious reader, May says having a good command of English isn't enough.

"Having an excellent command of medical English is equally important because it lets you explain a diagnosis to a patient in a politically correct manner, or helps you write a referral letter for one of your colleagues," May adds.

Language anxiety can also hinder communication with colleagues and other healthcare professionals, making it difficult to collaborate effectively, or advance in your career.

CHAMPIONING FILIPINOS' ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IN HEALTHCARE May was one of the panelists in a media roundtable on the future of healthcare communication hosted by OET, the global leader in English language testing for healthcare workers.