Nursing is a mobile profession. Recruitment by developed countries to address domestic shortages intensifies the need for focused communication training for nurses and other medical care staff (MoM needs analysis, 2012). In a globalised world both linguistic and intercultural challenges have become part of professional life. Even though language-discordant medical professionals are on the increase in the EU, they still experience problems with communicative functioning in the workplace after a while in the target culture. Misunderstandings between nurses, doctors and patients with different cultural/linguistic backgrounds – related to verbal and non-verbal communication styles – have an adversary effect on perceived professional status (linguistic deficiencies can easily be interpreted as professional ‘un-qualification’); lead to rejection, stress, job dissatisfaction, burnout, drop out (Van Bogaert, 2009); and provoke drops in the quality of patient care and treatment failure. Moreover, the working environment is a crucial column of social integration. Thus, effective communication is considered essential to professional nursing practice (AACN, 1998) and the teaching/learning of good communication is central to nursing accreditation standards (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 2003). Communication AND language training is crucial for indigenous as well as foreign medical students and professionals. The project aims: (1) to support learners in vocational and adult education contexts to train their communication skills to facilitate their personal development, employability and high quality participation in the European labour market; (2) to establish as effective a learning track as possible for online/mobile autonomous/blended learning taking into account the learning styles of nurses and nurses in training and supporting their motivation through gamification strategies (i.e. highly motivating elements from digital gaming in non-gaming contexts), multilingual video cases and social network sites; (3) at increasing awareness for the need of multilingualism in the workplace, thus supporting linguistic diversity through an integration of language and nursing-related content. In its choice of target and interface languages it aims to sustain and increase the vitality of European languages; (4) to improve the transparency and recognition of qualifications and competences, including those acquired through non-formal and informal learning, developing professional entrepreneurship and creating an optimal environment for lifelong learning. The main objective and outcome is to offer nursing staff communication competences (CEFR B) to carry out dedicated communicative tasks with different people in a clinical setting by means of scenarios: patient-centred care (e.g. handing-out drugs, wound-care, change of position in bed, assistance with activities of daily living), diagnostic procedures (e.g. measuring the blood pressure, taking body temperature), change of shift (introducing patients and cases to colleagues), interacting informally with colleagues. ComforPro-N will also develop a system for the recognition and certification of the communicative competences acquired to foster mobility in Europe, providing professionals with training leading to accreditation and a tool to use prior to or upon arrival in the new working environment. Language and communication materials for nursing in 5 languages will be based on a tested template for medical professionals and developed by native speakers working in education or professional nursing contexts. Nursing students will develop video cases (flexible storyboards with voice-over) in an authentic task-based approach based on gamification principles. Scenarios can be studied or used in-service as support tools according to preference/relevance to alleviate immediate needs. The effect of the new pedagogical principles will be measured in in-service migration language learning (logging and tracking the users learning routines) to then decide on their degree of implementation. Participants will learn with (1) contextualised sounds, (2) grammar, (3) medical scenarios with a written/audio wordlist and translations, and (4) a medical communication guide. The guide does not only offer hands-on conversation guidance from a problem-solving perspective, but also promotes awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity in a professional context and the need to combat racism, prejudice and xenophobia. The materials in DE, ES, IT, NL, SV (with support in AR, EN, FR, PO, RO, RU, TU) are presented in dedicated learning spaces and accessible online and through mobile technology. E-learning/blended learning is facilitated through forums and Skype. The impact concerns medical professionals with appropriate accredited skills to successfully communicate with multidisciplinary team members, patients and their families, which will improve the quality of their mobility and work.
Nursing on the Move or NoM PROFESSIONAL MOBILITY In a globalised world linguistic and intercultural challenges have become part of professional life. Increasingly, healthcare has become a mobile profession and recruitment by developed countries to address domestic shortages intensifies the need for focused communication training (MoM 2012). In particular nurses are 'on the move' between countries, cultures and languages. Nursing on the Move or NoM tried to provide an answer to nurses' needs, wants and wishes. Since language-discordant medical professionals have become an inherent feature of clinical settings, problems with communicative functioning in the workplace should be effectively addressed. Misunderstandings between, for instance, nurses and patients with different cultural/linguistic backgrounds –related to verbal and non-verbal communication styles– have an adversary effect on perceived professional status (linguistic deficiencies can easily be interpreted as professional ‘un-qualification’). They can lead to rejection, stress, job dissatisfaction, burnout, drop out (Van Bogaert, 2009); and provoke drops in the quality of patient care and treatment failure. For mobile nurses, the working environment is a crucial column of social integration. Therefore, effective communication is considered essential to professional nursing practice (AACN, 1998) and the teaching/learning of good communication is central to nursing accreditation standards (CCNE, 2003). The NoM-project AIMS and objectives NoM aims to: (1) support learners in vocational and adult education contexts; (2) train nursing (pre-)professionals communication skills; (3) facilitate nursing (pre-)professionals personal development, employability and high quality participation in the European labour market. The NoM-OBJECTIVES: (1) to establish an effective learning track for online/mobile autonomous/blended learning taking into account the learning styles of nurses and nurses-in-training and supporting their motivation through, eg. gamification strategies, multilingual audio/video cases and social network support in communities of good practice; (2) to increase awareness for the need of multilingualism in the workplace, thus supporting linguistic diversity through an integration of language and nursing-related content. In its choice of target and interface languages NoM aims to sustain and increase the vitality of European languages; (3) to improve the transparency and recognition of qualifications and competences through a well-developed system of badges, including those acquired through non-formal and informal learning, developing professional entrepreneurship and creating an optimal environment for lifelong learning in a European context. Communicative COMPETENCE NoM wants to increase nursing staff's communication competences (CEFR level B) through dedicated communicative tasks with patient-centred care (eg. handing-out drugs, assistance with daily activities), diagnostic procedures (eg. measuring blood pressure), change of shift (introducing cases to colleagues), informal interactions with colleagues. SCENARIOS NoM provides scenario-based communication materials for nursing in five languages. Scenarios can be studied in an authentic task-based approach in preparation for clinical practice in a foreign environment (eg. exchange programme) or used in-service as a support tool to alleviate immediate needs (eg. foreign patients). NoM-COMPONENTS NoM-trainees improve their professional communication in an integrated way with the help of medical scenarios, on the basis of which focused attention is paid to (1) contextualised sounds, (2) language points, (3) written/audio wordlist and translations, and (4) intercultural communication skills. The communication skills guide offers hands-on conversation guidance, but also promotes awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity in a professional context and the need to combat racism, prejudice and xenophobia. The materials in German (deu), Spanish (spa), Italian (ita), Dutch (nld) and Swedish (swe) (with support in ara, eng, fra, rus) are presented in online and mobile learning spaces. E-/blended learning is supported through forums. Models for training nurses and trainers has been tested. EVALUATION Pedagogical effect has been measured in different in-service language learning contexts. Evaluation was extremely positive and described NoM as a way forward in communication training. Achievement tests, questionnaire and tracking data have informed guidelines for training and supporting NoM-users. IMPACT NoM provides healthcare professionals with appropriate awareness and skills to interculturally communicate with multidisciplinary team members, patients and their families, which will improve the quality of their mobility and clinical work as well as their well-being and well-feeling as medical professionals.