The Importance of Learning English for Nursing Students

The Importance of Learning English for Nursing Students Anike Sari Kacaribu, Ayu Anggita Febrina Lumban Gaol, Shinta Caroline Gulo Group 5B Faculty of Nursing

Language learning is an active and continuous process. Learning English is important because English is our global language. The purpose of English is not only used as our global language, but also as local communication (Gunantar, 2016). Nursing is one of the public services that has the opportunity to meet with other people and talk to them. Therefore, nurses need to have a communication skill to give a good nursing plan. Mastery of language, especially English language is important for nurses when they meet with overseas patients (Sumaraw, 2018). Learning English will help nurses to have some experiences in their learning process and clinical practice.

Nursing students need to learn English because many sources in the academy learning process use English such as journals, books, and articles (Sumaraw, 2018). Nursing students will find some medical resources in English version. Nursing students can use these English resources as their reference for the task when they are in college. In the future, nurses also need journals, books, and articles to upgrade their knowledge about healthcare. Learning English is important for nursing students as an asset that they can use when they are in clinical practice. Nursing students learn skimming and scanning, repeated reading, repeated retelling, and listening story (Sumawaw, 2018). This knowledge will be used when they are with other medical teams or patients in order to give information, receive information, listen to medical team’s instructions, and listen to patients' stories.

As a health care giver, nurses will meet and have contact with other people.Therefore, nurses need to have a good communication skill to give good services. English communication skills help nurses to communicate better with patients from foreign countries (Sumaraw,2018). Nurses use English to help them to explain the information, giving nursing planning, taking actions, and handling patients complaints. If nurses do not understand English, it will be difficult to take care of patients from foreign countries. One of the important things is culture competence of Nurses. Nurses will meet the patients with some different cultural backgrounds, that they need to have their care values known, appreciated, nursing care appropriately. Patients may have different cultural backgrounds with the nurses, so that nurses need to respect the different cultural backgrounds and know how to treat the patients. Nurses need to have cultural competence such as empathy, curiosity, respect, and acknowledgement of the values (Karuthan,2015). When nurses meet with patients from the foreign countries, they need to understand English to keep the trust of the patients. English will help nurses to maintain misunderstanding between patients, their cultural values, and nursing plan.

Besides English helps nurses to take care of foreign countries, English will help them to have experiences working outside because some nurses will get promoted or have opportunities to work in other countries, or at least they will work at international hospital (Sumaraw,2018). Nurses are needed in global markets not only for domestic demands.

Learning English is important for nursing students. The use of English for nursing students is very important both in the learning process and work competency. Nursing students need to learn English because it will help them to understand English resources that they may use in the learning process or to upgrade their knowledge in the future and it helps them in order to give information or receive information while they are in the clinical practice area. Then, learning English also helps nursing students to communicate well, while in the future they will meet with patients from the foreign countries. So, when nursing students understand English, it will help them to speak with patients, giving instructions, taking actions, and cultural competence. After that, English will help nurses to have experiences working outside. Learning English gives a big impact in the nursing student’s academy process that can be felt currently or in the future.

References: Karuthan, A. (2015). The English language needs of nurses in medical tourism in Malaysia (Doctoral dissertation, University of Malaya). Retrieved from: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/268877454.pdf Sumaraw Christine. (2018). The Lived Experience of Nursing Students in Learning English. Retrieved from: http://repository.usd.ac.id/31279/2/166332007_full.pdf