Developing multicultural competence and understanding vulnerability in health care is essential for future professionals as the globalization enhances. In September 2025, Laurea University of Applied Sciences hosted an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) at Tikkurila campus, bringing together nursing students and educators from Finland, Austria, France, and the Czech Republic. Through collaborative learning, cultural discussions and practical workshops, the programme explored how diversity and empathy influence patient care across different European health care systems.

BIP (Blended Intensive Programme) is an Erasmus+ program, where online learning and in-person intensive week in one of the partner institutions. In Erasmus+ BIP there needs to be at least three partners from Erasmus+ programme, and the study needs to produce 3 ECTS.

We hosted a BIP in September 2025 at Tikkurila campus. The topic for this BIP was Multicultural competence and vulnerability in health care. The study unit was planned together with partners institutions; Laurea university of applied sciences (Finland), University of Applied Sciences Burgenland (Austria), Ocellia, Ecole des métiers Santé Social en Auvergne Rhône-Alpes (France), College of Healthcare and Nursing in Brno (Czech Republic).

We had totally 40 nursing students joining our BIP; 9 students from Finland, 11 students from France, 10 students from Austria and 10 students from Czech Republic and teachers from all of the participant institutions. This BIP was a 3-credit course and a part of Laurea’s nursing curriculum core competencies.  

The idea for this BIP had started when we met our partner institution staff members first in international week in Lyon France 2023 and a year later in Austria Burgenland. We decided to start co-operation and join the students also into this internationalisation. After Teams-meetings we decided that Laurea will be the first partner to arrange the BIP intensive week in the Tikkurila campus in September 2025.

Prior to the intensive week we had online kick-off meeting with all the students and staff. In that meeting we had practical information, introductions and students got their first assignment.

The intensive week programme was plant so, that that we respected the request from the partners to familiarise them with Finnish nature and culture also with Finnish healthcare system.

The BIP weeks program started with ice breaking activities to get to know each other. The students from different countries were divided in study groups where in every group there was at least one student from each participating country. The aim was to do their learning assignment during this week with this group, and the last day students presented these group assignments. Assignment was about the differences of the country’s laws, regulations and services regarding the vulnerable groups. It was very interesting and giving good insight of the country’s differences and similarities.

During the intensive week we had many workshops related to BIP topic. Every country teachers joined to the teaching during all week. Also, development manager Paula Yliluoma, Maryam Hussein from International office, the head of student’s affairs Riikka Mulder and our counsellor Leena Kuosmanen had their presentations and workshops during this week’s program.

We introduced the Finnish health care system to our participants and visited the New Children’s Hospital in Helsinki. In New Children’s Hospital we got tour and lectures from their professionals. After the visit we had small city tour with the tour guides and learned little bit more about Helsinki city. 

Also, we had the change to visit Velskola camping centre in Vihti as a “Nature heals afternoon”.  Institution minister Panu Mäkelä arranged a walking tour to woods, where we had a bonfire coffee and then we the participants had a had a chance to try out Finnish sauna and swimming in the lake. The focus on the trip to the nature was to understand how the nature can affect in well-being of humans and how we could take the nature to those who are not able to go to the woods themselves.

The feedback of the BIP was very good from the students. Most valued activities were the workshops at school and the visit to the New Children’s Hospital. According to the feedback, students feel that they learned a lot from each other and would recommend this kind of learning to others. This BIP programme will hopefully live on for long. The next step is that we go with ten Laurea students to BRNO Czech Republic in May 2026.