Updated pastoral support courses for internationally recruited healthcare professionals
SLC’s ‘Living and Working in the UK’ digital pastoral support courses for nurses, AHPs and doctors have been updated to include more content on
- – idiomatic language, particularly idioms and expression related to health
- – patient communication skills, such as managing patients, explaining, suggesting and showing empathy
- – the practicalities of life in the UK, including housing, schools, banking and driving
The changes were inspired by what we learnt at two events.
The first was September’s Sharing Best Practices in Pastoral Care conference organised by North East London Foundation Trust, and the second was the OET Forum in October, where we attended talks given by senior leaders of diaspora groups at the, specifically the British Indian Nurses Association, the Philippine Nurses Association UK and the Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association, UK.
Key challenges faced by international healthcare professionals
These are the issues that were raised:
- Accents, dialects, informal language
Even if internationally recruited healthcare professionals have passed their OET or IELTS English language tests, they are not fully prepared for the sheer breadth and complexity of the language they encounter on the ground when working in the UK. Just imagine the range of accents, dialects and informal language many will encounter, often daily often delivered at pace or unclearly because of the emotional state a patient may be in.
- Communicating effectively and sensitively
The tests also don’t fully prepare overseas nurses, doctors and AHPs for the many challenging conversations they have with patients and their families, friends and/or carers. How to deal effectively and empathically with upset, anger, grief, confusion Is not easy in one’s first language, let alone a second or third.
- Practical life challenges
And then there are the many challenges anyone relocating to another country may encounter, such as finding a place to live, opening a bank account or passing a driving test.
What we did to update the course
The Living and Working courses are a great opportunity to support international healthcare professionals as they transition to the UK. They already included comprehensive units on life and culture in the UK such as food, weather, transport, weather, festivals, as well as units on working in the NHS, the professional regulators, revalidation and working culture.
As a result of what we learnt, the units on language have been extended and new units on communication skills and overcoming practical challenges have been added. You can download details of the resulting courses here:
AHP Edition | Doctors Edition | Nurses Edition
Adding tutored support to consolidate learning
Following a successful pilot with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, we now offer online tutored support for groups of learners to consolidate and extend their learning with 6 hours of group coaching.
Each lesson is tailored to a group of up to 12 learners, giving them the opportunity to activate their language and communication skills, address specific needs, and build their confidence. Lessons are online and scheduled around learner availability.
Pricing information
Digital study only: £15 per person per month
Digital study + 6 hours group tuition: £695 per group (max 12 participants)
Review the courses
We’re offering access to the courses for all NHS employers, private healthcare employers and international healthcare recruitment companies so they can see the content and assess whether it meets the needs of their international staff.
To get access for you and/or your team, please just complete the form and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.