Theme COHEHRE Conference 2010 – Oulu, Finland

Innovation in education

The development of society occurs today at a much faster speed than ever before. This brings us new daily challenges in the way we live, in the way health care is provided and in the way health care education is conceived and delivered.

Challenges come from the young generations, as well as from (older) professionals who want to invest in their continuous professional development, and from society as a whole. As Kit Sinclair has noted, the problem of education is that we are working with a paradigm from past, when students should be learning about competences for future.

Our current undergraduate students, generation Y, was born between 1982 and 1995, is pragmatic, characterized by individuals who are multi-taskers and have been raised to be high achievers. They are involved in multiple activities, constantly busy, catered for, provided for, and supervised (PT Magazine September 2009). They master new technologies and have their own ways of communicating.

Is health care education preparing students for the competences needed for tomorrow?

Are today’s learning programmes corresponding to their needs and expectations?

Secondly, health care education institutions need to correspond to other publics - generation (X) who is independent, techno-literate, and entrepreneurial. This generation places a high value on personal and family time, thus being selective on how they spend their time. For these, continuous professional development became a necessity.

Are institutions providing appropriate answers for these needs?

Are the strategies used adequate to the public?

Thirdly, society today poses unique epidemiological and demographical challenges to health care provision, especially in Europe. On one hand we have an ageing population and the increasing levels of European internal mobility (migration). On the other hand, there is an increase prevalence of chronic situations, work related conditions, obesity combined with decreased levels of physical activity and still some infectious diseases which need appropriate answers from health care providers.

Are learning programmes including all the relevant areas?

Are they being dealt in the most adequate way?

Will future health care professionals be prepared for these challenges?

Are the future health care needs of society being included in today’s programmes?

For all these reasons, students and educators need to reconsider their strategies and approaches, innovate and develop the competences required in the future technological and multicultural society.