Pronunciation for Health Professionals

Program Overview

Pronunciation for Health Professionals is free for eligible students, thanks to funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Manitoba Government, see details. Internationally-Educated Nurses (IENs) who are Canadian Citizens may also qualify if they are part of the Manitoba IENs Program.

This program is for internationally educated professionals or individuals pursuing a new health-related career who wish to improve their speech clarity, using vocabulary, exercises, and role-playing unique to the medical setting. The focus is on developing an awareness of the linguistic elements of English speech patterns and applying those rules to your own speech. 

Accents are unique, personal traits to be celebrated. Pronunciation training is not about eliminating accents, but to assist you in altering your speech patterns so your communication with others is more precise, clear and confident. 

The PHP course consists of two real-time, instructor-led online classes each week where you practice concepts with your classmates, in addition to completing independent tasks and assignments outside of class time.

When you finish PHP, you will have strategies for speaking more clearly and should expect to be more easily understood by patients and their families, colleagues and friends.

Benefits

• Develop skills and strategies to improve clarity and fluency of speech so your messages can be more easily understood by others 
• Initial and final assessments to compare your progress
• Customized feedback on your own pronunciation challenges
• Immediate application to medical field (medical terminology is used to practice concepts)
• Build confidence through increased communicative competence and clarity

Topics

• Clear Production of Consonants and Vowels
• Stress and Intonation – Nouns, Acronyms and Abbreviations, Numbers and Syllables, Heteronym Pairs, Sentences and Questions, 
• Pronunciation in Context – Asking for Clarification and Making Requests, Giving Instructions, Telephone Skills, Challenging sounds

Program Requirements

Equipment

A computer with a webcam, internet access, printer, plus a good-quality headset and microphone.

English Level

A minimum English level of CLB 6.

Referral

All applicants must have a referral from WELARC or be an IEN in the Manitoba IENs Program. 

Program Dates