OnBoard-Med, Harmonization of on Board Medical Treatment, Occupational Safety and Emergency Skills in Baltic Sea Shipping

By harmonising and developing curricula for both maritime and nursing education institutions, OnBoard-Med filled a gap in multinational shipping industry.
 
The OnBoard-Med project developed nine vocational modules (2-8 ETCS) in maritime emergency management, medical treatment, and occupational safety. During the project it was found that communication and leadership are crucial for successful operation and handling of emergency.

The courses are suitable for maritime (seaman, deck officer, maritime engineer) and nursing (registered nurse, emergency care nurse and public health nurse) education institutions. 
 
The results can have a broad impact on the education in the Central Baltic regions.
There are several dozens of vocational schools giving education of the OnBoard-Med topics, many in nursing.
 
The courses consist of a huge amount of learning materials developed in collaboration with the target groups: emergency crews, ships’ nurses, nautical and engineering professionals. Materials directly reflect the needs of working life and are based on survey and interviews of stakeholders and experiences gained. Real life scenarios, problems, solutions, simulation cases and materials are main achievements that can be used in other courses, too. Students enjoyed the joint pilots. It felt more real to practice communication with students from another country with both communicating in English.

The results contribute significantly to the existing national educational practices, and therefore attract continued use and further development e.g. as part of lifelong learning. ​The content is suitable for both e-learning and contact learning courses.
Both youth and adult learners attending the programs can increase their employment possibilities, as they easier will obtain the mandatory certificates needed in their professions and the materials in English improves the students’ mobility as workforce.
 
All institutions will get direct benefits from the project as the aligned course contents, the teachers’ manuals, and harmonised educational materials are free to use.
 
Different institutions can apply for study courses materials if they want to offer their students new study courses in related topics or to develop new ones.
Project partners are responsible for sharing the materials.