Back in the 19th century, the great Russian doctor S.P.Botkin said: "Knowledge of modern languages plays an important role in the intellectual and human enrichment of medical professionals."
In the modern world, where it becomes easier to overcome the borders of different countries, especially for specialists in the field of medicine, the need for knowledge of foreign languages is noticeably increasing.
The generally accepted world practice of training a modern specialist in any field at the moment assumes knowledge of one or two European languages (often English and German), which provides an opportunity, firstly, to freely use sources of professionally significant information for self-education and continuous professional development; secondly, to participate in international professional communication, i.е. in seminars, conferences, symposia, which in recent years have been increasingly held without the involvement of translators.
Languages are needed in order to gain knowledge and be able to use it in professional communication.
The study of a foreign language in a non-linguistic college is regarded as a mandatory component of vocational training. The modern concept of language education involves the creation of such a system of training a specialist that will allow him to easily adapt to dynamically changing conditions of professional activity, i.e. is aimed at professionally-oriented teaching of a foreign language.
Modern requirements for graduates of medical schools are formulated in the form of general cultural and professional competencies. A special place is occupied by a foreign language in the formation of the ability for research activities, based on general competencies:
- ability and willingness to study scientific, medical and paramedical information, domestic and foreign experience on the research topic, prepare abstracts;
- participate in solving certain research and scientific-applied tasks, comply with the basic information security requirements;
- ability and willingness to participate in the development of modern theoretical and experimental research methods;
- ability and willingness to work with medical and technical equipment used in working with patients, computer skills, obtaining information from various sources;
- to search for and use the information necessary for the effective fulfillment of the professional tasks assigned to him, as well as for his professional and personal development;
- independently determine the tasks of professional and personal development, engage in self-education, consciously plan and implement the improvement of one's qualifications;
- Navigate in the face of frequent technology changes in professional activities.
The problem of access to knowledge sources today can be considered solved due to the widespread use of computer technology. However, the degree of awareness of a specialist is largely determined by one of his most important professional qualities - the ability to work with a text containing the necessary information, including a text in a foreign language. The problem of interaction between a specialist and information is currently one of the most urgent, and knowledge of a foreign language is one of the conditions for solving this problem.
It is impossible not to note the appearance of a large amount of foreign literature on medicine: all kinds of magazines, newspapers, publications on the Internet containing relevant articles not only for doctors, but also for pharmacists, as well as other specialists in any way connected with medicine. However, very often such works are presented in the original language, so if the doctor does not speak a foreign language, he, accordingly, does not have the opportunity to draw new information, research data and other important information from foreign periodicals. As a result, all this can lead to a loss of connection with the world scientific and medical community, and ignorance of world trends in medicine can lead to a low level of professional training.
In addition to scientific and popular science literature on medicine, many Russian doctors often have to deal with texts written in a foreign language. These are various medical documentation (epicrises, extracts, case histories, results of laboratory and instrumental examinations, protocols of operations, expert opinions), documentation on clinical trials of drugs, pharmaceutical documentation (drug dossiers, package inserts, information for doctors and patients, documentation for quality control), documentation for medical equipment and instruments (instructions for use, manuals, descriptions, promotional materials, catalogs, presentations), various foreign websites on medicine, pharmaceuticals, clinical trials, medical equipment and instruments.
In turn, linguists believe that any physician, in order to more fully communicate on professional topics and improve language skills, needs to constantly practice and work with original foreign texts, participate in writing medical articles in a foreign language, abstracts, and carry out medical translations.
Practical significance
Currently, the training of a highly qualified specialist who is able to navigate the rapid flow of scientific and medical information is a priority for medical institutions of secondary vocational education. The presence of linguistic knowledge makes it possible for a college graduate to be aware of everything new that is published in the professional field, equips him with the achievements of world science, and promotes their use in practice. Scientific and technological progress in the field of medicine requires physicians to constantly improve their skills and knowledge of computer technologies, including in English.
The leading areas of communication in the professional activities of graduates of medical colleges are: conversation using medical terms, compilation and translation of medical documentation describing diseases and possible methods of their treatment, new methods, procedures, drugs, manipulations, etc., as well as the introduction of new technologies and methods of treatment, participation in seminars, conferences and presentations. Mastering, in particular, English becomes necessary for acquiring reading skills and a good understanding of medical literature, communication with colleagues from the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Israel and other countries known for their significant achievements in the development of medicine.
In addition to the above, knowledge of a foreign language is also important in communicating with patients: there are situations (including emergencies) in which a person in need of medical care is a foreigner who does not speak Russian.
The formation of an active personality in the process of learning a foreign language is able to build educational, cognitive and professional activities. To achieve these goals, the priority position in teaching is occupied by those concepts (learning systems) that implement a student-oriented activity, communicative and sociocultural approach to teaching a foreign language.
Studying English throughout the course of the specialty "General Medicine" enables future paramedics to communicate quite well in English on professional and everyday topics, translate professional English texts without a dictionary, independently improve oral and written speech, replenish vocabulary.
Thus, the listed requirements of society for the training of mid-level medical workers provide for their mastery of a foreign language at a qualitatively different level, which, in turn, requires the use of innovative methods and teaching aids in the educational process of a medical college. When teaching foreign languages in a medical college, the features of the future professional activity of students are taken into account, which should actually influence the selection of educational and speech material, the organization of the educational process and the creation of situational tasks. The most important ability that a student must acquire in a medical college is the ability to learn and which will further determine his opportunities in subsequent continuing education.