 Graduates from Colleges of Pharmacy are required to be proficient in the provision of pharmaceutical care. To do so, they must possess excellent communication skills. How can you ensure that your students whose first language is not English have the language skills they need to interact safely and effectively with patients as well as with other members of the health care team?
As American communities are becoming increasingly diverse, Colleges of Pharmacy need to prepare students who have the requisite skill to serve these communities. The English Language Institute's Oral Communication Analysis and Assessment for Pharmacy™ (OCAAP) workshop is designed to enable Colleges of Pharmacy - and the communities their graduates serve - to benefit from pharmacy graduates of diverse linguistic backgrounds without putting future patients at risk because of inadequate English language skills.
We will help you train your faculty to evaluate the communication skills of students whose first language is not English. By assessing students' oral communication skills during the admissions process and then assisting students who need to improve their spoken English, your program will graduate students who will be ready to give excellent service to the communities in which they work.
Specific goals of the Oral Communication Analysis and Assessment for Pharmacy™ workshop are:
- To understand communicative competence and its relevance in assessing candidates for professional pharmacy programs.
- To understand techniques for assessing oral communication skills, both linguistic and paralinguistic.
- To learn how to consistently rate the oral proficiency of Pharmacy candidates.
- To increase awareness of cross-cultural issues that affect communication.
- To suggest follow-up options for students whose oral communication is currently too weak for admission, encouraging them to improve and apply later.
Sample schedule
Timing will be tailored to meet local needs.
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Day 1
|
Day 2
|
| Morning |
Morning |
| Meetings with key stakeholders |
Training |
Dean/Assistant Dean |
Brief review of theory and rating rubric |
Chair and members of Admissions Committee |
Training to do the rating |
| Technical setup for the training |
Small group discussion of participant ratings |
| Afternoon |
Afternoon |
| Determining acceptable language competence for admission |
Training |
| Reviewing OCAAP levels |
More practice |
| Making adjustments as needed |
Cross-cultural communication tips |
| Overview of theoretical background and sample interview |
Participant evaluation of the training |
| |
Debriefing with stakeholders |
 Workshop fee
The workshop fee for up to 20 participants is $2200 for two days, plus travel, meals and lodging for two trainers. The host institution is expected to provide a venue with a computer, projector, and DVD player.
Other offerings
A full cross-cultural communication workshop for students as well as faculty is available upon request. Also available from the English Language Institute:
- Recalibration workshops to keep rating consistently, term after term. One-day workshop and/or self-study material.
- Individual student assessment via videotape or DVD.
- Cross-cultural communication workshops for students, faculty, and staff. One, two, or three days of training for students, faculty, and staff.
- Oral Communication Analysis and Assessment workshops for other professional schools.
About the ELI
Part of Oregon State University since 1965, the English Language Institute (ELI) works to enhance the English language skills of non-native speakers of English and to serve as a local, national, and international resource in matters related to second/foreign language instruction, educational technology, and intercultural communication. The ELI offers an intensive English program each term and special contract programs for groups on demand. In addition, the ELI is working with five Oregon school districts on a US Department of Education grant-funded project to improve instruction for English language learners in the schools.
The ELI developed the OCAAP in conjunction with Oregon State University's College of Pharmacy. Student assessments and workshops have been refined over the course of our highly successful, ongoing partnership.
 Faculty have degrees in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Applied Linguistics, Adult Education, or a combination of those fields. Most have between 10 and 25 years of experience improving English language skills of non-native speakers, both in the US and overseas. They are active in the profession, presenting at national and international conferences and publishing articles and books on a range of topics.
"I feel much more informed and learned a lot. I like the interactive nature of the course." -2002 Workshop Participant
Contact us 
Download a brochure (PDF format).
For more information, please contact us at
Oral Communication Analysis and Assessment for Pharmacy
301 Snell Hall
Corvallis OR 97331-1632
Tel: 541-737-2464
Fax: 541-737-0871
Email the ELI
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