26gma169 10.3205/26gma169 urn:nbn:de:0183-26gma1690 Meeting Abstract Thiel Thiel Stefanie S

Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Kinder- und Jugendklinik, Freiburg, Germany

author Byrne Byrne Sadhbh S

Medizinische Fakultät der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Institut für Pflegewissenschaft, Freiburg, Germany

author Tollenaere Tollenaere Elizabeth E

Medizinische Fakultät der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Institut für Pflegewissenschaft, Freiburg, Germany

author German Medical Science GMS Publishing House

Düsseldorf

610 20260904 engl This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). M0655 169 Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Medizinische Ausbildung (GMA) P-06 Poster: Future Skills, Kompetenzentwicklung & Lehrenden-Ausbildung Dresden 20260917 20260919 P-0612 TextObjectives: Safe, high-quality healthcare depends on effective interprofessional collaboration, as miscommunication and poor teamwork remain major contributors to medical error . Simultaneously, future health professionals engage in an international medical community and care for patients from increasingly diverse cultural backgrounds. Healthcare students must therefore develop interprofessional competencies, clinical English proficiency, and cultural sensitivity. Yet interprofessional collaboration and cultural competence are often taught separately and at a conceptual level . This project introduced an interprofessional language course as an innovative response to this educational challenge.Project description: An eight-session clinical English course was developed by a team of healthcare professionals with native speaker or advanced knowledge of medical English. The pilot cohort included students of midwifery, medicine, and dentistry. Sessions focused on patient-centred clinical communication. Culturally specific healthcare practices were highlighted and explored further in sessions on healthcare systems in English-speaking countries. Interactive formats – including debates, creative tasks, and role plays – fostered active participation. The course was voluntary and ungraded.Results: Forty students (20 midwifery, 18 medical, 2 dentistry) participated in the course, which was rated as “outstanding” by 95% and “highly relevant to their clinical training” by 79% of participants. Students reported that the relaxed setting allowed them to express insecurities when communicating in a foreign language. In addition to improved clinical English skills, participants described greater interest in culturally sensitive care as well as enhanced understanding of other professions and fewer role-related assumptions. In 2024, the teaching team received the “teacher of the year award” from the Medical Faculty of the University of Freiburg.Discussion: By confronting the insecurities inherent in communicating in a foreign language, students gained valuable insight into the experiences of international patients and colleagues. This perspective enabled students to develop empathy for communication barriers, while reflection on cultural norms and healthcare system structures encouraged comprehension of culturally influenced expectations in healthcare. Furthermore, the shared experience of vulnerability within an interprofessional group reduced hierarchical distance, strengthened mutual trust, and challenged role-related stereotypes that often persist in clinical settings.Take-home messages: Implementing an interprofessional language learning course to foster collaborative and culturally sensitive healthcare is effective.Integrating language acquisition and cultural reflection offers students an international orientation of their education.Relaxed interprofessional learning environments allow students to engage with vulnerability, and reduce professional stereotypes. Keshtkar L Bennett-Weston A Khan AS Mohan S Jones M Nockels K Gunn S Armstrong N Bostock J Howick J Impacts of Communication Type and Quality on Patient Safety Incidents: A Systematic Review 2025 Ann Intern Med 697-700 Keshtkar L, Bennett-Weston A, Khan AS, Mohan S, Jones M, Nockels K, Gunn S, Armstrong N, Bostock J, Howick J. Impacts of Communication Type and Quality on Patient Safety Incidents: A Systematic Review. Ann Intern Med. 2025;178(5):697-700. DOI: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-02904 https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-24-02904 Paul D Ewen SC Jones R Cultural competence in medical education: aligning the formal, informal and hidden curricula 2014 Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract 751-758 Paul D, Ewen SC, Jones R. Cultural competence in medical education: aligning the formal, informal and hidden curricula. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2014;19(5):751-758. DOI: 10.1007/s10459-014-9497-5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-014-9497-5 0 0 0 0