PERFECT Learning, Teaching, and Training Event “Teaching English for Healthcare” at the University of Primorska, Slovenia
20–24 October 2025
The meeting brought together representatives of all PERFECT partner institutions from Estonia, Slovenia, Croatia, and Ukraine, including educators, language experts, and healthcare professionals. The event served as an opportunity to consolidate previous achievements, exchange best practices, and collaboratively design the next stages of the English for Nursing and Healthcare course under development within the project.
20 October marked the official opening of the event and established a strong foundation for the week ahead. The focus was set on the presentation and analysis of the conveyed survey results across the partner countries. These findings provided valuable insights into the linguistic and communicative challenges nurses face in professional settings, including limited opportunities to use English at work and difficulties with medical terminology, patient interaction, and teamwork communication. The discussion helped identify key topics, contexts, and language aspects that should be prioritized in the course materials.
On October 21st, the team focused on sharing teaching experiences, exploring innovative digital approaches, and integrating interactive techniques into English for Specific Purposes teaching. Participants (Nataliia Tuchyna, Ukraine; Tajana Tomak, Croatia; Alesia Golovko, Estonia; Nataliia Chaikovska, Ukraine) presented examples of classroom practices and digital tools that make English learning more engaging and relevant for healthcare and teacher students. The afternoon session was devoted to the further development of the English for Nursing and Healthcare course, focusing on identifying new topics and refining learning objectives for future units.
On October 22nd, the LTT participants visited the Faculty of Health Sciences, where they observed real classroom teaching and explored the university’s healthcare learning environment, and had an opportunity to observe a Dietetics class for students of Nutritional Counselling, taught by Barbara Jursa Potocco. The session was followed by a group reflection and discussion to analyse teaching strategies, student engagement, and tasks design.
Participants were also given a tour of the Faculty of Health Sciences, visiting laboratories for practical and research work, simulation rooms for ICU, ward, and paediatric care, and other facilities supporting clinical training. The day concluded with a visit to InnoRenew CoE, an independent department of the University of Primorska’s Andrej Marušič Institute, located in Slovenia’s largest wooden building. The guided tour highlighted the university’s commitment to sustainability, innovation, and interdisciplinary research.
On October 23rd, the team finalized the learning objectives for the remaining topics of the English for Nursing and Healthcare course. Partners collaborated to review and refine course structure and content, ensuring that each unit aligns with the project’s overall pedagogical framework and learning outcomes. The discussions focused on balancing linguistic, cultural, and professional elements to create cohesive, practice-oriented learning materials.
The participants observed an introductory English class delivered by Barbara Jurša Potocco for bachelor nursing students (University of Primorska). The session was aimed at presenting the course structure, objectives, and learning outcomes, as well as engaging students in group work on the topic of health professionals and their responsibilities
The final day of the LTT (October 24th) focused on consolidating the outcomes of the week and setting the direction for the next stages of the project, completing the design of the remaining units, and ensuring the internal consistency of learning objectives and materials. Partners discussed possible dissemination activities, opportunities for piloting the developed materials, and the integration of classroom-tested ideas into the interactive digital book for nurses.
The participants had a chance to observe an inspiring session conducted by Barbara Jurša Potocco as a pre-piloting of the course English for Nursing and Healthcare. Working in an interactive format, students made posters of their dream hospitals specifying departments and equipment in them. Students demonstrated their mastery of new vocabulary and active involvement. The reflective session was focused on the benefits of the newly created educational materials. During the final reflection session, participants shared their impressions, lessons learned, and plans for continued collaboration. The meeting reaffirmed the team’s shared commitment to producing innovative, accessible, and high-quality resources that support nurses in developing English communication skills for professional and intercultural healthcare contexts.
PERFEFT Partners raise awareness of the project within and outside their communities!
