SIMULATION TECHNOLOGIES IN TEACHING PROFESSIONAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION TO MEDICAL STUDENTS

Abstract

The relevance of the research is determined by the growing need to improve the professional foreign language communication of future physicians in the context of the internationalization of medical education, academic mobility, and the widespread use of English-language clinical protocols and scientific resources. Traditional approaches to foreign language teaching do not always ensure the formation of practical communication skills required in authentic professional situations. Therefore, simulation technologies are becoming an effective means of integrating language learning with clinical training. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the pedagogical potential of simulation technologies in teaching professional foreign language communication to medical students and to determine the methodological features of their implementation in the educational process. The research employed theoretical analysis, synthesis, generalization and systematization of scientific literature, structural-functional analysis, pedagogical modelling, and interpretation of contemporary educational practices. The article characterizes the educational potential of role-playing, standardized patients, Objective Structured Clinical Examination, clinical scenarios, team-based simulation, debriefing, digital simulators, and virtual patients. It is established that simulation technologies contribute to the integrated development of linguistic, communicative, clinical, intercultural, and reflective competencies. Particular attention is paid to the methodological organization of simulation-based foreign language instruction, including the stages of preparation, implementation, debriefing, and assessment. The study concludes that simulation technologies provide effective conditions for integrating language and professional training, enhance students' communicative confidence, develop clinical reasoning, and prepare future physicians for professional interaction in an international medical environment.