Accent Training for Healthcare Providers
AAT (Advanced Accent Training) is committed to providing accent reduction and advanced communication skills training for the medical community, especially since the pandemic. First and foremost, a big shout out of gratitude to all of our courageous healthcare workers on the frontline during these challenging times.
Hopefully by March 2025, we will be able to return to offering onsite accent training at your hospital, medical clinic, or classes at one of our global locations. Due to ongoing intermittent spread of Covid variants and seasonal flu, we are exercising caution regarding onsite training. Meanwhile, we continue to provide high quality accent and presentation skills training virtually and via video-conference meetings.
It is estimated that greater than 25% of workers in the healthcare professions are either foreign-born or were educated outside of the United States. Clear communication between health care providers and patients, or among physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and staff, is essential to providing optimal care in hospitals and all healthcare settings. Whether you have a strong accent, regional dialect, or just want to diminish your accent to sound more like a native speaker, our training will be customized to meet your needs and goals.
Online accent reduction classes can be flexibly arranged around your busy schedule. AAT can also benefit graduate and undergraduate pre-med or medical students who wish to get an upper hand on pronunciation in medical school, residency, or to prepare for job interviews. We also work with professionals in executive positions, and managers who provide technical support to hospitals, biotech and medical service companies, pharmacists, dentists, and veterinary medical professionals.
Benefits of Accent Reduction and Dialect Modification for Medical Professionals
1) Reduce miscommunications such as the difference between "40" and "14"
2) Pronounce American English vowels, consonants and intonation with a neutral “accent”
3) Eliminate frustration of being misunderstood by patients or fellow healthcare providers
4) Gain confidence to participate in staff meetings and make remote presentations or at medical conferences
5) Improve social interactions with patients and their family, nurses and physicians
6) Pronounce medical vocabulary correctly
7) Increase acceptance of diversity while improving English speaking skills
8) Improve executive communication skills in the hospital or medical setting
"I have worked in the healthcare profession for over 10 years. My clients could not understand my accent sometimes. I chose the online accent training program offered by AAT. Patients and co-workers have commented on the clarity of my speech. I am also less intimidated to speak up with doctors who need more information about the health condition of my patients." (caregiver, Los Angeles)
Meet Your Accent Coach
The Director of AAT, Jon Berton, M.A.-SLP has been speech pathologist and full time online accent coach and communication consultant, with over 25 years of teaching experience. He has worked in the hospital setting both as a speech pathologist at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, as an accent trainer for hospitals and biotech companies such as Genentech and Seton Medical Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as for nurses and physicians at Ohio State Medical Center, globally, and at clinics in the Southern region of the United States. Here is one testimonial from a nurse who worked with Jon:
"My problem was my foreign accent. Patients sometimes could not understand me well. Other times, co-workers would giggle when I mispronounced a word or medical term. It can be dangerous if you are misunderstood in the hospital profession. For example, the difference between "can" and "can't" could be life threatening! As a result of accent training, I can also understand my co-workers who have different accents too. I am more confident now, especially when speaking with my patients and physicians." M. Viernes (nurse, San Francisco)
HOW TO GET STARTED
AAT can provide free accent screenings to better determine whether individuals, employees at your facility, hospital, or company may benefit from accent communication training. We have worked with physicians, nurses, dentists, medical technicians, medical receptionists, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physical therapists, physician assistants, chiropractors, medical researchers, lab technicians, professors, Human Resource staff, IT managers, clinical trial coordinators, research assistants, scientists, social workers, statisticians, IT support, Veterinarians, and other healthcare professionals.