A NEEDS ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH FOR INPATIENT NURSES: IMPLICATIONS FOR ESP SYLLABUS DESIGN

Abstrak

The English language plays a critical role in the global hospital setting, where nursing professionals must communicate with foreign patients and international medical staff and understand the English-language hospital information system (HIS). However, existing English-language training programs may not fully meet the specific needs of nurses in their professional work settings. This situation highlights the need to develop an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) syllabus supported by a Needs Analysis (NA). The purpose of this study is to examine the professional English needs of inpatient nurses working at an international hospital environment through a comprehensive Needs Analysis and to develop an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) syllabus to bridge the gap between nurses' English proficiency and the English demands of the workplace. The research design of this study adopts a qualitative-dominant approach, supported by a combination of limited quantitative data from the Target Situation Analysis (TSA) and the Present Situation Analysis (PSA). The data for this study were collected from experienced nurses through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, document analysis of the hospital information system, and audio recordings of nurse-patient interactions. The findings show a clear gap between the level of English proficiency required in the clinical environment and the competence currently exhibited by nurses. The TSA findings indicate that nurses are expected to accurately read and interpret HIS instructional texts, comprehend medical terminology, and communicate effectively with foreign patients. By contrast, the PSA findings indicate that approximately 60% of nurses are unable to understand English-language instructional texts and rely on translation tools such as Google Translate, which may result in incorrect system entries and comprehension issues. Moreover, nurses also have difficulty communicating with patients due to limited vocabulary and low confidence. Therefore, based on the NA, this study suggests a task-based ESP syllabus comprising 7 sessions, starting with reading accuracy on HIS texts and medical terminology, and then incorporating speaking skills in nurse-patient interactions. This study provides evidence for the importance of NA in ESP and offers valuable suggestions for designing English programs that meet the needs of healthcare professionals in the workplace.