National Healthcare Language Program

Online communication training for internationally educated healthcare professionals across Canada.

A female nurse smiling and holding a patient

Share this program

Home › Programs › National Healthcare Language Program

About the Program

The National Healthcare Language Program (NHLP) supports internationally educated healthcare professionals across Canada in developing the communication skills needed to succeed in their fields and exams. Courses focus on patient interactions and include profession-specific language tasks tailored to various healthcare roles. 

Offered online in collaboration with partner organizations, these courses are designed for national access with minimal wait times. Partners include: 

NHLP-partners-logos

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for the program candidates must be currently residing in Canada and meet one or more of the following immigration status criteria:

  • Have permanent resident status
  • Have arrived in Canada as a convention refugee
  • Hold a valid work permit with MOME23 annotations
  • Be a participant in the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
  • Be a participant in the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP)
  • Be recognized as a Protected Person under section 95 of IRPR

Candidates will also need to have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 6 or higher.

Due to funding restrictions we cannot accept Quebec residents or pre-arrival candidates.

Contact Information

To register or for more information: email  healthcarelanguage@isans.ca

Courses for Nurses

A male nurse wearing blue scrub

Professional Communication Skills for Nurses (PCSN)

Build communication skills for patient care in Canadian healthcare settings.

Course Outline
A female nurse wearing teal scrub smiling

Strategies for CELBAN

Prepare for CELBAN and strengthen communication for nursing in Canada.

Course Outline

"Thank you so much for all your support and guidance during the writing course. I improved a lot after taking this course."

Jincy Job

"I am writing to you to give you an update on my CELBAN exam and result . . .  I have achieved my required score in the CELBAN test and I am really thankful to you for helping me out and teaching me. I have scored 10 in listening, 9 in speaking, and 8 in reading and writing."

Maria Siddiqui

Course for Physicians and Pharmacists

An internationally educated female doctor holding a tablet in a hospital

Communication Strategies for Patient Interactions

This 8-week course is for internationally trained physicians and pharmacists who want to improve their communication skills for the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE).

Course Outline

"The Communication Strategies for Patient Interaction course proved incredibly valuable, not only in preparing for the NAC OSCE but also in understanding the patient-centered approach in the Canadian healthcare system."

Elina Zakharets

"I just wanted to let you know that the NAC OSCE results were released yesterday and my result was a Superior Pass. I am really grateful for your help during the preparation process."

Oyeleye Oyesode

"I just wanted to let you know that I did very well on my NAC OSCE! I especially did well in my communication. I want to thank you once again for the CSPI course, as it played a big part in my success in this exam."

Edú Rafael Herrera Rios

A nurse smiling and interacting with a patient

Events

Communication Strategies for Patient Interactions (CSPI)

  • October 6 – December 4
  • November 9 – January 15
  • December 7 – February 19
  • January 11 – March 11
  • January 12 – March 12
  • February 1 – April 2
  • March 1 – April 30

Professional Communication Skills for Nurses

Classes start every Monday

Strategies for CELBAN

Classes start every Monday

Share this Program: