Abstract
The city of Iasi, Romania, with the "Gr. T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, is home to hundreds of medical students from all over the world. Regardless of the language of study (Romanian, English or French), by the time they advance to the clinical years, they must demonstrate independent use of Romanian for effective healthcare communication with local patients. However, language instruction provision in the curriculum is limited by law and insufficient by itself in fulfilling actual learning needs. Also, upon graduation, they must be ready to interact professionally in a world characterized by mobility and diversity. Thus, any additional framework for cultural immersion and academic collaboration is welcome. Such is the case of the European project Take Care - A Healthcare Language Guide for Migrants (www.takecareproject.eu), offering relevant learning materials and opportunities for multilingual and multicultural healthcare communication in up to 17 world languages (both widely used and less widely used, including Romanian, Arabic, Chinese etc.). The paper, presentation and subsequent discussion will outline the relevant features of the project, focusing on how the university e-learning platform may facilitate collaborative learning and sharing of experience among students of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The curricular gateway into the Take Care methodology and materials is the teaching of Romanian to international students. These courses allow for adequate structure and timely guidance, while students are invited to engage outside the boundaries of the classroom (as well as of the university). They may enlist the support of third parties, such as their Romanian colleagues, teaching faculty from other disciplines, healthcare practitioners and patients in Romania or their countries of origin (e.g. via online conferencing). Medical communication practices may be researched, recorded, role played, transcribed, described, compared across cultures, while developing transversal skills in an integrated, collaborative and experiential way (language skills, ICT skills, teamwork, problem solving, entrepreneurship, responsibility etc.). |