title: Medical Students Learning Communication Skills in a Second Language: Empathy and expectations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Communications skills (CS) training for medical interviewing is increasingly being conducted in English at medical schools worldwide. In this study, we sought to identify whether Arabic-speaking medical students experienced difficulty with the different components of the CS training that were conducted in English.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individual third-year preclinical medical students (N = 45) were videotaped while interviewing simulated patients. Each student assessed his/her performance on a 13-item (5-point scale) assessment form, which was also completed by the tutor and other students in the group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 13 components of their CS training, tutors awarded the lowest marks for students' abilities to express empathy, ask about patients' feelings, use transition statements, ask about functional impact, and elicit patients' expectations (P <0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression of empathy and the ability to elicit patients' feelings and expectations are difficult to develop in medical students learning CS in a second language.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Family Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Muhammad J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hashim
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Major
authors.forename: Deen M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.forename: Engela A M
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Prinsloo
authors.forename: Ossama
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Amiri
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McLean
keywords: Communication; Language; Medical history taking; Medical students; Patient-centered care; United Arab Emirates