“Nurses pathway to work in Finland” is funded by JOTPA, the project’s online content is managed by Savonia University of Applied Sciences, which aims to create materials so effective that immigrants entering the healthcare workforce can perform their jobs fluently in Finnish, thereby ensuring patient safety.

The Finnish in Healthcare online courses Savonia 1, 2, and 3 are designed to help healthcare professionals learn Finnish step by step and become familiar with healthcare-related websites and evidence-based medical portals, such as Terveysportti. In this project, Savonia University of Applied Sciences is responsible for developing the online materials aimed at enhancing Finnish language skills. The goal was to create high-quality, independent web-based learning materials, ensuring that immigrants joining the healthcare workforce can work fluently in Finnish while maintaining patient safety. Based on background research and insights from experienced Finnish language teachers, it was decided that the online materials for A2 and B1 learners (levels 2 and 3) would incorporate Easy Finnish* to make learning more accessible.

These online courses included nearly 50 nursing interaction scenarios, provided in audio format, dialogues, and simplified Easy Finnish* text versions. The content has been mainly created in collaboration with nursing teachers. In these courses, there are no strict rules or fixed working hours; participants can log in and study whenever they want, even at night. Each course is free of charge and requires approximately 135 hours of study. The ability of independent learning of language and digital skills are important factors to conduct these courses and those skills are enhanced with teaching. However, these courses are available for healthcare professionals such as nurses, pharmacists, doctors who live in Finland and want to learn professional Finnish.

Example of course learning objectives for course in B2 level

The student:

– Can use Finnish for healthcare in a versatile manner in various nursing work situations.

– Can communicate fluently in different situations, adapting to the requirements of the context when interacting with patients, family members, healthcare professionals, and colleagues.

– Can speak on the phone and communicate via chat in remote consultations.

– Understands and uses spoken language and expressions and has some comprehension of Finnish dialects.

– Can communicate with different types of patients, including adults, children, elderly individuals, people with developmental disabilities, and speakers of different native languages.

– Understands and produces healthcare documents such as patient records, care instructions, and procedure reports.

– Can record and report patient information and healthcare events verbally in professional Finnish while ensuring patient safety.

– Understands and follows Finnish workplace rules in the healthcare sector and can describe their actions from an ethical perspective in Finnish.

– Can and is motivated to develop their Finnish language skills as part of their professional competence.

Course Content

Strengthening Language Skills from a Healthcare and Nursing Perspective

1) Grammar used in the healthcare field:

-Infinitives and participles in sentence equivalents:

“Hän on puhumassa omaisten kanssa.” (He/she is talking with the relatives.)

“Tule syömättä ja juomatta.” (Come without eating or drinking.)

“Lähtiessään liikkeelle hän kaatui.” (While setting off, he/she fell.)

2) The importance of pronunciation in forming understandable speech:

-Examples: final gemination (annam minulle instead of anna minulle) and glottal stop (istu ’ ’ alas instead of istu alas).

Oral and Written Comprehension and Production in Healthcare Finnish

– Various nursing work situations.

– Professional ethics.

Familiarization with and Production of Written Documents

– Different types of recorded patient information, statements, and care event documentation.

Learning analytics id used to track the progress of students participating in the course

Learning analytics are used effectively in these online courses. According to the Handbook of Learning Analytics (Kajasilta, H., Christopoulos, A., Laakso, M.-J., publication date unknown), learning analytics is defined as “the measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of data produced by students during learning activities, in order to understand and optimize learning in the environments where it takes place.”

A significant part of utilizing learning analytics involves technical solutions, but these must be supported by thoughtful planning over time. Teachers should ensure that they have a clear understanding of each course’s objectives: What kind of learning is being targeted in the course? It is important to articulate these objectives clearly to students so they can engage with them. For this target group, objectives are presented not only as text but also, for example, in video format.

In these online courses, creating different learning paths is possible. It can help students to understand what they already know, what factors contribute to learning, and what do not, as well as predict how their skills will develop if there are gaps in their studies. Learning analytics plays a crucial role in this process. Online learning can provide individualized support when automated functions are utilized to assist in teaching.

Learning analytics also benefit students during their studies. For example, they can constantly track their progress on the course (under “progress tracking”) and see how many points they have earned and what grade their score qualifies for. This can serve as motivation to improve performance or work more efficiently.

In these courses completion methods are participation in the online course, independent completion of online tasks, self-assessment and feedback.

* Easy Finnish is a form of Finnish where the language has been adapted so that it is easier to read and understand in terms of content, vocabulary and structure. It is targeted at people who have difficulties with reading or understanding standard language. – Selkokeskus 2023

Authors:

Sema Tuna Torunoglu

Teacher, Savonia UAS

Merja Natunen

Teacher, Project Manager

Savonia UAS

Kukka-Maaria Raatikainen

Senior Lecturer in Finnish Language and Communication

Savonia UAS

References:

1) Raatikainen, KM. Savonia-Artikkeli Pro: Oppimisanalytiikkaa Terveysalan Suomen Oppijoiden Verkkokursseilla. https://www.savonia.fi/sosiaali-ja-terveysala/oppimisanalytiikkaa-terveysalan-suomen-oppijoiden-verkkokursseilla/

2) Kajasilta, H., Christopoulos, A., Laakso, M.-J. Publication date unknown. Oppimisanalytiikan käsikirja. Learning Analytics Center. Turku University. https://projects.tuni.fi/uploads/2021/10/a607d223-oppimisanalytiikan-kasikirja-apoa.pdf.

3) Tuna Torunglu, S., Natunen, M., Raatikainen, K.M.,. Savonia-Artikkeli Pro: Nurses Pathway to work in Finland. https://www.savonia.fi/en/articles-pro/nurses-pathway-to-work-in-finland/.