Is Korea Ready to Be a Key Player in the Medical Tourism Industry? An English Education Perspective

BACKGROUND: This study attempted to identify the problem South Korea faces in its development of the medical tourism industry from the perspective of English education. METHODS: To assess the preparedness and problems of future Korean nurses in dealing with foreign patients, a questionnaire was conducted in 2017 on 146 freshman and sophomore nursing major students at CHA University in South Korea. RESULTS: Although the nursing major students were highly satisfied with the English instructors, they did not feel that the curriculum prepared them well to deal with foreign patients in the future. They also felt that the teaching methodology employed in the class should be changed to incorporate more medical content into the nursing English program. CONCLUSION: In order for South Korea to play a bigger role in the medical tourism industry, higher education institutions for medicine need to pay more attention to the English education of their students. More specifically, team-taught English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curricula should be established in order to meet the needs of future medical professionals.