• Ruth N. Maguddayao

  Author

Linguistic competency of Medicine students is one of the requirements of
Medicine education, especially during the Clinical Clerkship period where students are in their
third and final year of the course curriculum for the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
As a skilled clinician, they are expected to acquire competencies in verbal
communication/ collaboration and written communication apart from other skills a medical
expert must obtain such as critical thinking, knowledge acquisition and interpretation, manager
of self, lifelong learner, community contributor, professionalism and overall ability. Hence, this
study investigated the linguistic competence as a factor to intercultural communicative
competence for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in the medical pedagogy.
Quantitatively testing their four (4) macro skills, this study made use of a standardized
scale by Danao (1986) perusing their level of linguistic competence. Specifically, it evaluated
their level of competence along knowledge in mechanical rules of the language; knowledge of
the meaning system of the language; and appropriacy in terms of settings and relationships.The
respondents were foreign students in the field of Medicine wherein English is considered a
foreign language and the medium of instruction. Findings revealed that most of the participants
excelled in substests with provision of choices. However, discretionary attention if not ample
attention must be given in their listening and writing skills as reflected in the result of their
dictation test, cloze test and business correspondence. The need to address their actual writing
skills specifically on the technical aspects of writing, grammar structure, diction and basic and
optional parts and how to write effective business correspondence must also be taken into
account.
It is therefore essential to note the weaknesses of the students in their listening and
writing skills where they need to be developed while it is equally necessary to note the
sustainability of their skills where they excel. Eventually, the concept of teaching and learning
may come from knowing their level of linguistic competence paying attention on their strengths
as well as their weaknesses where both the teacher and the learner can sustain and obtain.

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