# The Finnish in Healthcare online courses for the Healthcare professionals are available at Savonia

> The courses are designed to help healthcare professionals learn Finnish step by step.

## Project Overview
“Nurses pathway to work in Finland” is funded by JOTPA, and the project’s online content is managed by Savonia University of Applied Sciences. The initiative aims to create materials effective enough 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. Based on background research and insights from experienced Finnish language teachers, the online materials for A2 and B1 learners (levels 2 and 3) incorporate Easy Finnish* to make learning more accessible.

## Course Structure and Accessibility
These online courses include nearly 50 nursing interaction scenarios, provided in audio format, dialogues, and simplified Easy Finnish* text versions. The content has been created in collaboration with nursing teachers. 

* **Flexibility:** There are no strict rules or fixed working hours; participants can log in and study whenever they want.
* **Workload:** Each course is free of charge and requires approximately 135 hours of study.
* **Target Audience:** Healthcare professionals such as nurses, pharmacists, and doctors who live in Finland and want to learn professional Finnish.

## Learning Outcomes
Upon completion, 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
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. **Pronunciation:**
   - Importance of forming understandable speech (e.g., final gemination like *annam minulle* instead of *anna minulle* and glottal stops like *istu ’ ’ alas* instead of *istu alas*).

### Oral and Written Comprehension
* Various nursing work situations.
* Professional ethics.
* Familiarization with and production of written documents (patient information, statements, and care event documentation).

## Learning Analytics
Learning analytics are used to measure, collect, analyze, and report data produced by students to optimize learning. In these courses, analytics allow for:
* **Individualized Support:** Creating different learning paths and providing automated assistance.
* **Progress Tracking:** Students can track their progress, view earned points, and see their current grade, which serves as motivation.

**Completion Methods:** 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. [Link](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. [Link](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. [Link](https://www.savonia.fi/en/articles-pro/nurses-pathway-to-work-in-finland)