An Investigation of the Communicative English Language Needs as Perceived by the Medical Professionals in Tabriz

This study aimed to investigate the English language communicative needs of medical professionals in Tabriz by investigating their English language use in the workplace in order to provide empirical data serving Iranian ESP context. The study used the framework of needs analysis to investigate the extent of English use in the careers of medical professionals, the required level of the reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in different activities, and the perception of medical professionals towards their English language preparation during their university studies. A questionnaire was constructed, modified, validated, and distributed to three different hospitals and a pharmacy in Tabriz. The population consisted of the medical science students and medical professionals representing physicians, dentists, pharmacists, and applied medical technicians. A total of 230 questionnaires were distributed, out of which 108 questionnaires were usable for analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the English language is used at the workplace and plays an important role in the careers of medical professionals. However, physicians and pharmacists used English more often than applied medical specialists and dentists. The findings also indicated that reading and writing skills were perceived as more important than listening and speaking skills. However, the differences in percentages between these two categories of skills were too close to make an affirmative judgment. Finally, the overall findings of this study revealed that the English language courses that medical professionals take at the university level were inadequate in relating the English language use to their medical needs.

Keywords:

communicative needs , medical professionals , language use , needs , needs analysis