Interactive educational platform for developing communicative foreign language competence of medical students

The paper considers a virtual educational platform for encouraging medical students and healthcare professionals to improve their professional foreign language competence and communicative skills. The process of creating and approbation of the interactive educational platform «Global Healthcare center» is considered. This platform aimed at improving the professional foreign language competence can create a basis for more effective Doctor-Patient interaction. The authors describe the following stages of the project which are in the process of development: a computer-based learning game and a digital simulation «Virtual Patient». According to the results of approbation at the Foreign Languages Department of the medical university, the authors came to the conclusion that the use of this educational platform called «Global Healthcare center» not only helps to improve language proficiency of both medical students and healthcare professionals, but also enhances their communication skills.