THE QUALITY OF MEDICAL SERVICES DEPENDS ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS!

Welcome to HELP Healthcare English Language Programme - an innovative learning programme for English language learners at Higher Education and for healthcare professionals at CEFR level B1 and B2. HELP consists of 14 medical and 6 intercultural modules that can be used by both training staff and students for free for non-commercial purposes. HELP provides a high standard foreign language and intercultural training in Higher Education that prepares students for their career that more and more takes place at a European workplace.

HELP has been funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme and   addresses two political priorities of the EU: ICT and Open Source usage and Multilingualism by using ICT to modernise European Union Higher Education and strengthen quality mobility and cross-border cooperation. The key aspects are internationalisation, promotion of labour market integration and enhancing competitiveness in the healthcare industry.

HELP allows Higher Education institutions to be open to more flexible learning and to introduce more access routes. It also allows more flexibility of higher education studies focused on both, the labour market and the wider society.

We brought together an international interdisciplinary staff to create the programme. The international team was composed of language teachers, linguists, pedagogues, medical doctors and software engineers from seven countries. They were aware of the gaps in the provision of high standard foreign language and intercultural training in Higher Education that prepare students for professional life.  Similar didactical design was used for the modules of the learning programme. Authors brought in a real treasure, a European Perspective of various didactical approaches – different national “handwritings”. Thanks to funding from the EU we could create a product of successful European cooperation and with a European perspective.

Who is this programme for?

HELP has been designed for development of a quality language programme in Higher Education. The programme benefits everyone who wants or needs to improve their English language skills working in the healthcare industry:

• Nurses, care workers and other healthcare professionals who require further learning, in English language both formal and/or informal, to assist in the needs of their workplace;
  
• Universities, Medical High Schools, Language Centres and European language teachers who teach English for Medical Purposes;
  
• European students from Medical Universities and Medical Centres or BA and MA programmes who want to undertake an apprenticeship or internship, attend courses or take up Erasmus programmes in another European country;  
  
• European medical graduates and healthcare workers who want to develop professionally and become mobile within the EU labour market;
  
• Local governments and stakeholders dealing with challenges linked to internationalisation in care for the elderly and healthcare in general;
  
• Translators who deal with documents related to the medical or healthcare field;
  
• Service and management staff working in the growing sector of medical tourism.
  

How is it different from other learning programmes?

HELP is a modular, media supported training programme. The modular content covers a number of healthcare related subjects. Authors’ intention is to contribute to consolidate professional knowledge, learnt in the national language and presented the most relevant medical topics in a practical way. Usefulness of content for practice is the most important motif in language learning. Authors also sought to keep a good balance between professional focus and development of communication skills. The content and media address also the emotional side to support learning. The new prerequisites for foreign language and intercultural competences are transforming the teaching techniques, approaches, methods and equipment. HELP fulfils specific practical communication requirements for different fields of professional activity (care, hospital, medical tourism), as well as ethical and intercultural preparation in a holistic way. This means, overcoming patchwork materials and using the well thought out learning supports which include audio, video and app for formal and informal learning settings.

HELP meets the formal education requirements during professional studies, for further learning and just-in-time workplace orientation.

How to use the learning programme?

HELP is an English language learning programme for higher education health care students and staff. The programme seeks to satisfy important and common professional communication needs for routine situations in hospital and care environments. HELP contributes to consolidate professional knowledge but can’t address all professional topics in the way as a specialist book on medicine can. HELP focuses to develop the four communication skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing and puts emphasis on the speech development. 

Concerning the 14 medical modules the user is free to choose in any order in line with their learning needs and interests. HELP combines learning for the development of foreign language and intercultural competences. In the intercultural modules one to six, the knowledge is developed gradually. The further intercultural modules summarise former sections or consider intercultural phenomena from different perspectives so that independent working with each topic is possible.

The platform and app have been developed to allow for independent learning anywhere and at any time, which increases the access to higher education and in workplace learning. The Modules can also be downloaded and printed to allow the user to work offline.

To support structuring the content, we have used Icons. Most are self-explanatory. 

On the HELP learning platform the interested (self-) learner can find general language learning tips if clicking here.  

 To promote learning in the workplace and provide wider access for higher education studies, we provided separate instructions for self-learners. For speaking exercises we often recommend a monologue because doing the exercise is more important than control of linguistic correctness. Again, we have the chance to make benefit from media when we suggest finding a speaking partner via (social) networks or Skype etc. To assist you in finding interested partners, we have created a HELP Skype-Community that you can access in each module.

 The recorded key words are presented at the beginning due to the importance of correct pronunciation of professional terms for further exercises. If possible and appropriate, we have used text-to-speech technology.

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) gave HELP permission access and use ICNP ®, based on state-of-the-art terminology standards and benefit from a universally acknowledged system of nursing practice. The words and the expressions lists presented with the International Phonetical Alphabet provide teaching staff and learners with an additional visual tool for pronunciation.

The listening exercises and videos were recorded by native and non-native speakers in a hospital or care situation that relate to the module topic. This corresponds best to the real situation in hospital and care. The user can choose between five different speeds which allows for different learning levels and gradual progress. The user can also choose to listen with or without subtitles. Exercises are downloadable as MP3s and transcripts provided.

YouTube videos for the intercultural modules are mainly from the European Intercultural Workplace project that had been also funded by the European Commission.  

THE ICONS

Learning Objectives	Revision of Learning objectives
Exercise with key	Vocabulary
Question, Discussion, Reflection	Important
Speaking exercises, pair work, role play	Background information/  Explanation
Reading	Memorise / Remember
Hints / Tips	Task
Self-learner	Listening
Video Clip

One icon is perhaps lacking in the list but hopefully integrated into the whole learning environment - :)

We wish you every success in working and learning with the HELP-learning programme! 

Acknowledgements

The project partners would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their contribution to the preparation and implementation of the HELP project:

• Justyna Kowalczys - Stowarzyszenie Angielski w Medycynie, Poland, for the project idea back in 2012;
  
• Juan Bartolome - Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Spain, Justyna Kowalczys - Stowarzyszenie Angielski w Medycynie, Poland and Gerd Zimmer pro-kompetenz, Germany, for the development of the project application;
  
• Emma Beatty, Ayuna Murphy and Carol Finlay – Fast Track into Information Technology Ltd., Ireland, for proof-reading, audio recordings, coordination of module testing and dealing with sustainability use of the HELP products including IPR Agreement and Exploitation; 
  
• Zuzana Vaneková and Terézia Krčméryová -Slovak Medical University in Bratislava, Slovakia, for guiding the survey on learning needs;
  
• Justyna Kowalczys - Stowarzyszenie Angielski w Medycynie, Poland, for module development design and didactical input
  
• Aelita Skarbalienė and Žaneta Čėsnienė - Klaipeda University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Lithuania, for coordinating the learning module development;
  
• Juan Bartolome and Igor Quintela - Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Spain, for financial project management, development of platform,  apps and design of medical videos and audio recordings;
  
• Gerd Zimmer – pro-kompetenz, Germany, for pedagogical input, project coordination and quality management;
  
• Lukáš Merz - Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Health Sciences, Czech Republic, for dealing with audio recordings, website, publicity, editing and printing.
  

Module authors:

I. Hospital procedures	Lukáš Merz Zdeňka Podlipská	Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Health Sciences, Czech Republic
II. (Medical and Nursing) Documentation	Carol Finlay	Fast Track into Information Technology Ltd., Ireland
III. Physical examination	Justyna Kowalczys Listening and video scripts: Aleksandra Gaworska- Krzemińska	Stowarzyszenie Angielski w Medycynie, Poland
IV. Hospital equipment	Lukáš Merz	Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Health Sciences, Czech Republic
V. Hospital wards and healthcare specifics	Lukáš Merz	Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Health Sciences, Czech Republic
VI. Human anatomy	Žaneta Čėsnienė	Klaipeda University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Lithuania
VII. Body systems	Žaneta Čėsnienė	Klaipeda University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Lithuania
VIII. Basic diseases	Aelita Skarbalienė and Žaneta Čėsnienė	Klaipeda University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Lithuania
IX. Drugs	Justyna Kowalczys Listening and video scripts: Aleksandra Gaworska-Krzemińska	Stowarzyszenie Angielski w Medycynie, Poland
X. Wounds and injuries	Emma Beatty	Fast Track into Information Technology Ltd., Ireland
XI. Taking care of patients	Justyna Kowalczys Listening and video scripts: Aleksandra Gaworska-Krzemińska	Stowarzyszenie Angielski w Medycynie, Poland
XII. Safety	Terézia Krčméryová Zuzana Vaneková Beáta Weiblová	Slovak Medical University in Bratislava, Slovakia
XIII. Health education	Terézia Krčméryová Zuzana Vaneková Beáta Weiblová	Slovak Medical University in Bratislava, Slovakia
XIV. Ethics	Terézia Krčméryová Zuzana Vaneková Beáta Weiblová	Slovak Medical University in Bratislava, Slovakia
XV. Intercultural competence - why do we need intercultural competence in care and healthcare?	Gerd Zimmer	Institut für Projektbegleitung und Kompetenzentwicklung – pro-kompetenz – e.V., Germany
XVI. What does it mean to be interculturally competent?	Gerd Zimmer	pro-kompetenz, Germany
XVII. Cultural standards and stereotypes Time-tight and Time-loose cultures	Gerd Zimmer	pro-kompetenz, Germany
XVIII. Relationship orientated or result orientated - How can we work together?	Gerd Zimmer	pro-kompetenz, Germany
XIX. Communication – Did you mean what I understood?	Gerd Zimmer	pro-kompetenz, Germany
XX. Food – what is wrong with the Irish Stew?	Gerd Zimmer	pro-kompetenz, Germany