FOREIGN LANGUAGE QUALIFICATION OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS: UKRAINIAN DIMENSION

Abstract

Introduction. Strengthening the integration of the Ukrainian educational system with the European ones is impossible without proper knowledge of foreign languages. The reform and development of foreign language education in Ukraine is bound with Ukraine's accession to the Bologna Process in 2005, however, there are a number of problems related to the organisation of English language teaching. On 22 November 2023, the Verkhovna Rada supported the draft law on the status and use of English in Ukraine. This law is guaranteed to be implemented if the staff of a healthcare facility has an adequate level of English or, for example, has a full-time specialist who can provide such translation. Thus, the training of such specialists is relevant for modern studies. The aim of the study. To analyse the prerequisites and main trends in the foreign language training of medical specialists, to outline the existing problems and prospects for development. Materials and methods. The study used general scientific methods: bibliosemantic method for collecting information, descriptive method in its deductive and inductive orientation, method of system analysis. Results and discussion. English is the dominant language in scientific publications in the field of medicine. Ukraine is interested in educational mobility and increasing its attractiveness to foreign students. High-quality teaching in a foreign language requires teachers to have a level of English proficiency of C1-C2 or at least B2. Knowledge of a foreign language, especially English, is one of the most important factors in the growth of healthcare workers' mobility, both educational and professional, but without an adequate balancing mechanism, the strengthening of the role of English in Ukraine can enhance not only the positive processes of integration, intellectual exchange, mobility, etc. but also lead to a significant outflow of highly skilled workers and migration of young people who will increasingly choose to study abroad, and thus reduce the number of young professionals. Conclusions. The development of foreign language education of healthcare professionals requires changes in the educational process, proper organisation of continuing education, and continuous professional development of employees, which is especially important in the context of Ukraine's interest in developing educational tourism. There is a fundamental need for standardisation in both the requirements for students and school graduates. Particular attention should be paid to the problem of the outflow of skilled labour and the study of its relationship with the strengthening of the position of the English language in Ukrainian education.