MedMentor – Project for Developing the Training and Guidance of Foreign-Language Physicians

The aim of the project is to develop the processes of internships (amanuensships) and supervision for foreign-language doctors, as well as to strengthen the continuous competence of amanuens supervisors. The main target group of the project consists of doctors working in hospitals and health centers whose job description includes supervising foreign-language amanuenses, as well as other personnel involved in supervising foreign-language amanuenses, developing and organizing internship models, such as nurse educators; foreign-language doctors licensed in Finland and working in wellbeing services counties, who have graduated either in the EU/EEA or outside the EU/EEA; and Finnish native-speaking doctors working in wellbeing services counties. In this project, a foreign-language person is defined as someone whose mother tongue is not Finnish.

The project also supports the Government Programme’s objective to secure the availability of social and healthcare staff, particularly doctors. Indirectly, it promotes the integration of international doctors into Finnish working life. Through the development of supervision, workplaces are aimed to become environments where learning Finnish occurs naturally, and where cooperation between higher education institutions and working life strengthens in the supervision of foreign-language internships.

The project is carried out as a collaboration between two universities: Tampere University and the University of Eastern Finland. From the wellbeing services counties, Pirkanmaa (Pirha) and North Savo (PSHVA) participate. Cooperation will also be expanded to other wellbeing services counties through YTA networks as well as the national KOVA doctor network and the GeneralPracticeSuomi network.

The project consists of nine work packages based on employers’ and supervision needs:

1.Project management and coordination 2.Mapping the current state of supervision of foreign-language amanuensships 3.Training pathway for mentors and language support personnel 4. Supervision guide and language support materials for foreign-language amanuensships 5.National networking in the supervision of foreign-language amanuenses 6.Network collaboration with the corresponding nursing project (ProHarkka Sisä-Suomi – Guidance power for language- and culture-sensitive internships in the social and healthcare sector) 7.Clarification and development of the processes of foreign-language amanuensships 8.Evaluation 9.Communication

The main applicant of the project is Tampere University, with the University of Eastern Finland implementing a sub-project, both in cooperation with their respective wellbeing services counties. The University of Helsinki and HUS Joint Authority for University Hospitals (comparable to a wellbeing services county), as well as the University of Turku and the wellbeing services county of Southwest Finland (VARHA), participate in the project through steering group work.