Teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) are often asked to teach terminology specific to a single subject. This may be for more advanced students who plan on conducting business in an English-speaking country or students who plan to attend a seminar on a particular subject. Medical terminology is one such case. Various teaching methods may be used depending on the students' level and the type of terminology needed. Medical terminology may be taught by adapting methods proven to work for general situational English lessons.

Use picture sheets. Check ESL teacher resource websites for pre-made sheets that list medical-related terms with a simple picture or drawing. You may also create your own sheets with a simple word processing program such as Microsoft Word. List the appropriate English term under each picture of a medical-related item. This establishes the visual connection that can be so helpful in memory recall when the student is in the real-life situation. Allow the student to review the sheet, then hand them a blank sheet with no labels. Ask them to fill in the proper terms.

Use flash cards as another form of visual stimuli. Use scissors to convert the picture sheets into flash cards if necessary. Paste the written terms on the backs of the pictures. Review the terms with the students. Show them the pictures and ask them to identify the pictures using the proper terms.

Use listening activities to teach medical terms. These activities make use of a script that is either recorded or read to the class in conjunction with a worksheet. Worksheets tend to be "fill in the blank" or multiple choice. The students try to fill in the blanks or answer the questions according to what they hear from the script.

Use reading activities. Short articles that include specific medical terms may be found or written. Ask the students to read the text aloud to reinforce the pronunciation of the medical terms. Review what each term means after they have finished reading. Create a worksheet that tests their comprehension of the text and the meaning of specific terms.

Create situational conversation exercises. Devise short scripts consisting of dialogues between two people that include the desired medical terminology. Explain the context of the situation to the students before giving them the dialogue. Use situations with real-world applications, for example, a trip to the doctor's office or a paramedic asking for details about an injury. Encourage students to act out the scene to make it more enjoyable.