Some suggestions for modelling a contemporary medical English course design based on need analysis

•Speaking skill is perceived as the most important in tertiary ESP/EMP education.•The need for additional grammatical instruction is a recurring issue.•Cooperation with medical teachers is a valuable element in ESP methodology.

In English for Specific Purposes course design is based on a thorough need analysis of language learners. This paper focuses on the linguistic needs of medical students and it also identifies the areas perceived as the most problematic and the most important for their future careers. English for Medical Purposes is content- and context-based and an interdisciplinary approach in cooperation with medical teachers may greatly contribute to the students' professional development.The present study focuses on data obtained from questionnaires and interviews with 62 medical students, 43 medical doctors and 24 teaching assistants. In order to design a relevant course it is necessary not only to analyze the current students learning needs but also to determine what their future needs would be and that was done by including the medical doctors and the teaching staff.