A review of English for medical purposes for Iranian EFL learners

Abstract

Considering the significant role that English language plays in medical education, not only for learning purposes and seeking knowledge but also for presenting research activities in international fields, English learning and teaching programs are worth noting more accurately. The aim of this review paper is to present some of the basic concepts regarding teaching English for medical purposes to English- as-a-foreign-language students. Some of these influencing factors in the academic field could be named as the necessity of students’ need assessment, content evaluation, promotion of teachers’ knowledge and renewing medical English curricula every now and then as needed. Ultimately, several suggestions are presented which could be utilized by instructors, text developers and educational authorities for the betterment of medical English programs.