English Needs for Medical Students: Implications For English Course Design

The purpose of this paper is to review theories and related studies that informed the formulation of the framework for the experiment. This review first takes a broad look at ESP and its use in English classrooms. It then discusses the needs of medical students in language learning. After that, it explains the perceptions of the instructors and learners, the challenges of ESP classrooms, and various approaches to ESP teaching and learning. It then discusses the importance of ESP course design for medical students. The review further ventures into language learning in the China education context and discusses the interactions in Chinese ESL classrooms by giving special attention to communicative skills for medical students' career development. Finally, it concludes by highlighting the studies done on the use of the ESP approach in universities and colleges by emphasizing the gap. Keywords: communicative skills; course design; EMP module; medical student; need analysis