Should European PRM residents be taught in English? The experience of the European school Marseille.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the level of comprehension of the courses taught in English at the annual European school on Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) (European School Marseille).


METHODS
The English level of 37 students, mainly from European countries, was tested using three written questionnaires: an initial test of English grammar, a questionnaire about comprehension at the end of a basic PRM class taught in English by a French specialist and a final multiple-choice test (MCT) on the contents of the course.


RESULTS
We found a difference between the level of English given by the residents and the level shown by the initial test. The overall level of English comprehension of the group was good, an average of 8.2/10 (S.D.: 2.1) on a Visual Analogue Scale. The mean MCT score on the contents of the course was good, an average of 6.1/10 (S.D.: 2.2). For residents with lower levels of English, the level of comprehension for courses taught in English by the French specialist was greater than the level of comprehension for courses taught by native English speakers (p=0.033).


CONCLUSIONS
The level of comprehension of most European PRM residents for courses taught in English by French PRM specialists and by English-speaking specialists is good. The level of comprehension is, of course, influenced by the English level of European residents. It thus appears worthwhile to organize programmes taught in English for European PRM residents. Nonetheless, it is important to assess the language skills of the residents and to use specific tools to help the small number of trainees whose English level is to low.
Bensoussan
L
L
Pôle de médecine physique et de réadaptation, CHU Timone, faculté de médecine, université de la Méditerranée, 264, rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille cedex 05, France. laurent.bensoussan@ap-hm.fr
Collado
H
H
Viton
J-M
JM
Delarque
A
A
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003144:Communication Barriers; D032882:Comprehension; D003479:Curriculum; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007393:International Educational Exchange; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D010810:Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine / Q000193:education*; D011361:Professional Competence; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires