Uso de casos clínicos en inglés como herramienta para desarrollar la competencia comunicativa profesional

Introduction: In the context of mastering English, not all graduates meet the demands of a professional who is competent from a communication point of view. With such evidence, in postgraduate courses other ways have been sought to deepen the English of the specialty, which allows perfecting professional communicative competence. Objective: To present some considerations about the use of clinical cases in English as a tool for developing professional communicative competence. Methods: Descriptive study carried out at the Dental School of Havana during the first semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. The information was obtained through theoretical methods of analysis, as well as synthesis of bibliographic and documental reviews on the subject. Results: The use of clinical cases in English led to the enrichment of the technical vocabulary of the specialty. It stimulated the use of synonyms related to the dental terminology, and the difference between the language of the dental doctor and the patient. In addition, a didactic guide in English was designed with the vocabulary used for the presentation of clinical cases, which serves as reference material for dental doctors and professors who teach English for specific purposes. Conclusions: Undoubtedly, the use of clinical cases with all the discussions that it generates, helps develop professional communicative competence in English.