After 18 months of Medical English at Hopeland Institute, I would just like to give a brief resume of how the course has developed so far and whether I think it has a future in Algeria.Following 3 months preparation of the course, the first class began in January 2008 with 4 dedicated students. Although designed as a six month course (6 hours, one day a week), the course’s inbuilt flexibility and catch up lessons enabled them to follow it despite on-call, operating, conference and personal commitments. They were presented with their graduation certificates in January 2009 by the British Ambassador at a special CLUB Hopeland talk given by His Excellency Mr Andrew Henderson.
The second class ran from July to December although sickness, emigration and work commitments caused the number of students to fall from 7 to 3. As the previous students were attending the lessons they had missed the first time round, the class size remained feasible in these initial stages of setting up the course. Of these three, two are due to graduate next month and the third has delayed her studies due to medical exam pressure.
The third and current class has been far more successful and will finish next week with 10 of its original 11 students. Graduation is due to take place on the 16th of July at CLUB Hopeland where those who have passed will receive their certificates.
Apart from the classes being taught in-house, I have also had the pleasure to teach in the hospital setting enabling the medical staff to make best use of their time and resources. This experience has also given me the opportunity to appreciate the environment in which my students are working and adapt the class accordingly.
So what’s next?
Well, although my heart and soul are here in Algeria, it is necessary for me to go to the UK for a few months to work clinically and update my skills to maintain my nursing qualification. I am also due to attend a ‘Teaching English for Medicine’ course at Edinburgh University to ensure that we continue to develop and improve our services. Travelling between the two countries will enable me to continue to add to our collection of up-to-date books, journals and other medical resources to facilitate the high quality teaching environment on which we are developing our reputation.
I am pleased to say that we continue to grow and are currently looking to expand into Blida and Mila by inviting other native speakers with medical backgrounds into our rapidly growing family of highly qualified teachers. When I return, I will continue to teach in Algiers and develop the services being provided.
As you can see, the future is exciting and we welcome any suggestions or comments you have regarding Medical English in Algeria!
I look forward to writing again after graduation!
