English in the nursing profession in Puerto Rico: Needs, uses and curriculum

This thesis investigated the uses of English in the nursing profession in Puerto Rico. The subjects were 62 third and fourth year nursing students and 66 nurses, six doctors and nine administrators from private hospitals. The research questions that guided this study were: What do UPRM nursing students see as their needs for English? What are the English skills required and expected of nurses in the workplace? and How might the English curriculum be revised in order to meet the professional needs of nurses? Data was collected by means of questionnaires. The results showed that students’ needs for English were in conversational English. English skills required and expected of graduated nurses included talking to and educating patients with language barriers and reading lab reports, progress notes and medical orders. According to the results an outline of an ESP course for nursing students was proposed.