During my placement, I was daunted by the variety of client presentations at the hospital which is my weak part, as English is my second language. The tutors always said that I have to explain much more detail and have to catch the critical information from patient’s notes which I found really difficult. I never had bad comments for my professionalism and handling, but quite few times I had comments for my communication skills. In general I can take the criticism easily because I know that I have to improve and practice my communication skill for treatment. However, from my experience it is impossible I can speak English as my first language and read doctor’s notes, even hard for you sometimes, by tomorrow.
I chose going to oversea to study and I knew that it is going to be so hard. However, sometimes it is really uncomfortable to deal with somebody who is pushing me too hard.
As you guys as physiotherapist in Australia, you might have a chance to be a supervisor in near future. If you have a student from oversea, especially from non-English speaking country, please don’t push them too hard. They are normally studying so hard and push themselves a lot. Moreover, they don’t have family here.
Teaching somebody and pushing someone are not the same.
I take my hat off to students who are completing the physio degree with English as a second language. I think you face a huge challange and have an amazing amount of courage. It is difficult enough to communicate well when English is your first language. Perhaps supervisors need to be very specific when giving feedback about communication and give small tips that can be implemented immediately. Afterall, all the little improvemnts add up.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! Physio is a difficult enough degree without the added challenge of studying it in a foreign language! Im sure all of your supervisors have understood that english is not your first language, but it is definitely a good suggestion to all of us to remember the situation that international students are in and to always be mindful of that if we are ever in a supervisor role.
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