Occupation-Specific Courses to Prepare You for Your Nursing Career
This specialized CARE Centre program is a series of three comprehensive courses featuring innovative audio, video and e-learning activities that help Internationally Educated Nurses and English as a Second Language nurses develop and practice language and communication skills in workplace settings. The prerequisite for beginning the program is Canadian Language Benchmark 7 or higher. Widely acclaimed by CARE Centre members and partner organizations, this program was developed with language specialists in consultation with Expert Nurses to meet the specific needs of IENs and ESL nurses.
Each of the three levels addresses different nursing functions, such as confident nurse-client interviews, effective telephone communication, and concise language for documentation and reporting. These courses prepare nurses to interact confidently with patients, their families and advocates, and all healthcare colleagues in the occupational context. Self-directed online learning options allow students additional practice hours. A certificate is awarded on completion of each level, and is a valuable addition to the nursing portfolio.
LCN 1 Course Overview
Upon successful completion of the first course, nurses will be able to use the best practices of nursing communication to:
- Perform health assessment interviews with confidence
- Give and receive accurate and professional handover and end-of-shift reports
- Effectively explain illnesses and procedures to their clients using therapeutic communication
- Recognize common nursing abbreviations, medications and technical terminology versus lay language
- Read and comprehend advanced-level nursing articles and write college-level academic summaries
Prerequisite: Canadian Language Benchmark 7 or higher
Hours of Instruction: 48
For more information please contact: James Wilkie – jwilkie@care4nurses.org
LCN 2 Course Overview
Upon successful completion of this second course, nurses will be able to use the best practices of nursing communication to:
- Confidently interact on the telephone in a health care setting
- Accurately and effectively report a client’s change-of-status and receive doctors’ orders over the telephone
- Document significant assessments, interventions and outcomes clearly, completely and correctly
- Utilize culturally-appropriate assertive communication techniques to navigate challenging situations with colleagues, patients and patients’ family members
Prerequisite: Language and Communication for Nurses 1 (LCN 1)
Hours of Instruction: 48
For more information please contact: James Wilkie – jwilkie@care4nurses.org
LCN 3 Course Overview
Upon successful completion of this third course, nurses will be able to use the best practices of nursing communication to:
- Interview clients, give/receive reports, document, and interact on the telephone with accuracy and confidence
- Provide health teaching to clients using therapeutic communication techniques
- Respond assertively and professionally to challenging situations in an intercultural workplace
Prerequisite: RN/RPN certification or Language and Communication for Nurses 1 and 2 (LCN 1 and 2)
Hours of Instruction: 96
For more information please contact: James Wilkie – jwilkie@care4nurses.org
Testimonials
“We learned to skim and scan and to summarize; we learned with role-play and group work. We learned not only the required material, but also from each other. We were transformed by knowledge and practice.”
– Varda Messinger, Thornhill, Ontario
“This course is essential for nurses… It teaches us how to be confident when talking to different health care professionals. I strongly recommend it. All internationally educated nurses will benefit from it!”
– Mi Li, Toronto, Ontario
Now Available to Health Care Organizations
CARE Centre now makes the Language and Communication for Nurses program available to health care partners who value the curriculum and want to offer it to their own employees. CARE Centre can customize modules, content as well as length, to meet specific organizational needs, and can facilitate delivery of the program on-site or via Ontario Tele-medicine Network videoconferencing. CARE Centre members who graduate with LCN certificates stand out in the nursing workforce.
For more information please contact: James Wilkie – jwilkie@care4nurses.org
Testimonials from Organizations
“Yee Hong Centre-Markham really appreciates CARE Centre for customizing Language and Communication for Nurses program to meet the particular needs of our employees and client groups in long term care. Nurses with English as a Second Language are better prepared to excel in the environment of geriatric care upon completion of the program.”
– Amy Go, Executive Director, Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, Markham
“The Language and Communication for Nurses Level 3 program provides a wonderful and much needed opportunity for our participants to enhance their nursing language applicable to the workplace and also gives them the benefit of working with other IENs. Through this program they develop a support network which goes beyond this course.”
– Daniela Beckford, Project Manager, IEN/ESL Nurse Integration Project, Hamilton Health Sciences
