Pedagogical aspects of forming english language professionally oriented competence of future doctors through the prism of communicative exercises

The article covers the issues of the practical use of English language communicative exercises as a constituent of medical students’ professional competence. The core of foreign language competence as an integral part of the professional competence of health care specialist is identified. The development of a medical student’s foreign language competence is an essential concept of the professional education in higher educational medical establishments and is implemented through mastering the specifics of language competence at its phonetic, lexical and grammatical levels of study. The emphasis is placed on the need of educational communicative exercises analysis as a core component of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The issues of special subject contents within the course of ESP, choice of teaching materials, advance of students’ communicative component in the mastering of the English language skills are reviewed. The main elements of the medical students’ communicative competence are defined; science-based classification system of exercises for the formation of communicative competence is regarded; the necessity of lexical mastering for adequate opinion formation is emphasized. Both theoretical and methodological aspects of testing students’ foreign language professional competence in the process of studying professionally oriented English are highlighted. It has been found that the practical use of the communicative exercises makes it possible to develop speech skills and abilities, thus providing an opportunity to evaluate, express own opinions and promote self-development and self-actualization of medical students.