International Winter School
Interprofessional Challenges in the Health and Social Sector
11 January – 5 February 2027
A cooperation between the ZHAW School of Health Sciences, the ZHAW School of Social Work, the INUAS, and the COHEHRE network.
Join us for the International Winter School 2027!
The ZHAW School of Health Sciences in Winterthur, Switzerland, is thrilled to announce an exciting International Winter School 2027!
Are you a health or social work student? Do you want to experience interprofessional collaboration? Our International Winter School 2027 offers the unique opportunity to meet Swiss and international students online or on campus to learn more about interprofessional collaboration within the health and social system.
Registration
Winter School 2027, the registration is open from June until 15 November
«I cant recommend the study visit course enough! I met so many amazing people and got great insight into how healthcare systems function in a variety of countries.»
Madalynn Planty; Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, USA
The International Winter School for interprofessional collaboration in the health and social sector
What can Winter School participants expect?
Future health professionals and social workers gain new competences in dealing with complex and challenging interprofessional situations and learn how to collaborate efficiently.
Students participate in role-play activities, study visits, group projects and interactive lectures. They learn about working together in interprofessional teams, in different health and social systems and with clients and professionals from different cultures.
Who can participate?
We welcome international future health and social work professionals to join the approx. 500 ZHAW BSc students in their third year of study in the fields of midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, health promotion and prevention, and social work.
Courses are primarily aimed at the bachelor level, but master level students are equally welcome to participate. Because some practical experience is required, participants must be at least in the second year of their BSc programme.
In which languages are the courses held? And which language level is required?
Some of the courses are held in English and some in German. Please check in the course details below if your chosen course is available in your preferred language. To attend a course, a B1-B2 language level is required.
How many credits can be gained and how much involvement is required?
For each course, students will gain 2 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits subject to 50-60 hours of student work. Preparatory assignment, full-time attendance during the five course days and a successful end-of-week assessment are required. Participants can book one full-time course per week. All courses take place from Monday to Friday 08:00 – 17:00 Central European Time (CET) unless otherwise stated. Students will get a certificate after fulltime course attendance and successful completion of the course assignment(s).
In which format do courses take place?
Most courses will be held on campus in Winterthur. One course will be taught in an online format.
- On campus courses will require full-time presence in Winterthur.
- The online course does not require physical presence in Winterthur and can be taken from anywhere in the world. The course also requires full-time presence (please be aware of time zone differences; all time information refers to CET).
What are the course fees?
The course fee is CHF 50.00 (approx. EUR 50.00) per full-time course.
The total amount will be charged after registration with the course confirmation via the International Office (payment by Visa/Mastercard).
Please note that this fee does not include meals, accommodation, travel/visa costs, insurance or other personal expenses.
Procedure after registration
Within two weeks after registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the payment link for the program fee.
At the end of November/beginning of December you will receive further information on the courses as well as practical information for your stay in Switzerland and the social programme. Further details can be found below. If you have any questions about the programme, please contact us: international.gesundheit@zhaw.ch
Can registrations be cancelled?
If a course cannot take place as planned, the ZHAW reserves the right to make adaptations or cancel a course. Registered participants will be informed as early as possible of any changes. Registered participants who withdraw due to ZHAW course adaptations (e.g. switching from an on campus to an online format) will not be refunded. Courses canceled by ZHAW will be fully refunded. Any further claims for compensation are excluded.
«The Winter School programme was enriching and enjoyable, broadening my knowledge and deepening my understanding of diversity and healthcare systems around the world. It highlighted the importance of inter-professional collaboration and encouraged me to adopt broader perspectives in healthcare. I particularly valued the opportunity to meet, interact, and work alongside international participants from a wide range of professional backgrounds. This was truly a wonderful and memorable experience.»
Kathryn Ho, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore
Course overview
Calendar week 2: 11 – 15 January 2027
- Diversity in Health Professions (English, on campus)
- Study Visits to Swiss Health and Social Care Institutions (English, on campus)
Calendar week 3: 18 – 22 January 2027
- Krise und Coping (Deutsch, vor Ort)
- Interprofessionelle Zusammenarbeit in komplexen Fällen (Deutsch, vor Ort)
- Diversity in Health Professions (English, on campus)
Calendar week 5: 1 – 5 February 2027
«The Winter School at ZHAW was a wonderful experience: the courses, the professors and the classmates who became friends. I love how I learned about Diversity and Interprofessonal Collaboration as a lived experience and all the new perspectives I got on said topics. It has definitely been one of the best parts of my studies! I strongly recommend it to all my fellow Health and Care students.»
Claudia Herrera-Rosales, Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Course details
Diversity in Health Professions (English only)
| Dates |
11 – 15 January 2027 (course A), on campus 18 – 22 January 2027 (course B), on campus The same course is held twice. |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | English | ||
| Learning format |
Course A and B: On campus course On campus presence in Winterthur for whole week required. |
||
| Short description | We will discuss concepts of diversity and intercultural communication and apply them to practical situations. Students will develop their competence in dealing with culturally diverse people at work and develop skills to interact more effectively with people from different backgrounds by means of case studies, simulations, games and working on critical incidents. |
Study Visits to Swiss Health and Social Care Institutions (English only)
| Dates | 11 – 15 January 2027 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | English | ||
| Learning format |
On campus course On campus presence in Winterthur for whole week required. |
||
| Short description | We will travel from Winterthur to Zurich and into the mountains to visit different institutions where health and social work professionals work together. Jointly, we will learn about and reflect on the challenges of their daily interprofessional work. Presentations of each participating country’s health and social care system broaden the perspective beyond students’ own health and social system. |
Krise und Coping (German only)
| Daten | 18. – 22. Januar 2027 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprache | Deutsch | ||
| Lernformat |
Der Kurs wird vor Ort durchgeführt. Anwesenheit an der ZHAW in Winterthur wird für die ganze Woche vorausgesetzt. |
||
| Beschreibung | Es gibt verschiedene Arten von Krisen und Bewältigungsstrategien. Wir thematisieren Stress, Burnout, Krise und Trauma sowie Bewältigung aus psychologischer, soziologischer und neurobiologischer Sicht. Die Teilnehmenden reflektieren ihre eigenen Bewältigungsstrategien und Verhaltensweisen und lernen, wie sie als Gesundheitsfachpersonen in akuten Krisensituationen unterstützen können. |
Interprofessionelle Zusammenarbeit in komplexen Fällen (German only)
| Daten | 18. – 22. Januar 2027 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprache | Deutsch | ||
| Lernformat |
Der Kurs wird vor Ort durchgeführt. Anwesenheit an der ZHAW in Winterthur wird für die ganze Woche vorausgesetzt. |
||
| Beschreibung | Das Von-über-und-miteinander-Lernen steht im Fokus dieser praxisnahen Woche. Durch den Besuch einer Institution, verschiedene Workshops zu aktuellen Themen aus der Praxis und das Bearbeiten eines konkreten Falls erleben und wenden Sie interprofessionelle Interventionen, Konzepte und Assessments an und diskutieren Chancen und Herausforderungen Interprofessioneller Zusammenarbeit. |
Working Together as Professionals in Health and Social Care at Home and Abroad (English only)
| Dates | 1 – 5 February 2027 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | English | ||
| Learning format | Online course | ||
| Short description | Students from different countries and different professions in the health and social care system meet, share, and learn together. In a mixture of e-learning sequences and online meetings, we will compare professional and interprofessional identities as well as interprofessional collaboration from an international perspective and against the backdrop of different fields of practice. |
«The Winter School was an incredibly enriching experience. It gave me valuable exposure to the healthcare, social, and welfare systems of different countries. The first week, which included observation visits, was especially helpful in understanding the Swiss system and learning practices that I could take back and apply in my home country, India. In the second week, we learned about theories of intercultural diversity, which deepened my understanding of how culture influences social work practice. I was truly amazed by the importance and recognition given to social work in Switzerland. It was wonderful to meet people from across the globe. I would definitely recommend this program to my friends, as it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with professionals from similar fields worldwide.»
Jessica Gracelyn E, Christ Uniersity MSW, India
Practical information for incoming students
Location and Campus Life
The courses take place at ZHAW School of Health Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland. The city of Winterthur is a very pretty, small town near Zurich. The cities of Zurich, Berne and Lucerne as well as the Swiss mountains with its skiing resorts are easily reachable by public transport.
- Location map (PDF 385 kB)
- ZHAW School of Health Sciences campus
- Cafeteria on campus (meals available at student rates) or possibility of bringing your own lunch, microwaves available
- Studying in Switzerland
Accommodation
Organisation and booking of accommodation are in the responsibility of each participant.
- Hostel Winterthur
Hostel Depot 195 is just around the corner of ZHAW School of Health Sciences. It has a cosy vibe and features a kitchen with communal area. We have reserved several rooms (with four to six beds) at a special rate of CHF 34.- (approx. EUR 34.-) per bed and night, which are available on a first come first served basis. Please use the following form to benefit from this special rate: booking form - Airbnb Winterthur
- Couchsurfing
Life and Leisure in Switzerland
Entry requirements for Switzerland
Please note that, as Winter School participant, it will be your responsibility to ensure that you have the valid travel documents required to enter Switzerland for the duration of your booked Winter School courses (and the additional travel days before and after the program).
Students from EU and EFTA countries need a valid travel document (i.e. passport or identification card) in order to enter Switzerland. For students from the new EU states, interim regulations apply. Please contact the Swiss embassy or consulate in your country for information about the exact procedures that apply for you. You can find a list of Swiss representations below.
Students from outside the EU and from non-EFTA countries who wish to enter Switzerland for a stay of up to 90 days (within a 180-day period) can apply for a Schengen visa. Please note that this visa is not suitable for full-term exchange students and degree-seeking students who wish to study at ZHAW. You can find more information on the Schengen visa below.
Insurance
Participants are responsible to ensure adequate insurance coverage in Switzerland. Recommended are
- Health insurance which covers medical costs in case of illness an accidents and repatriation to the participants home country in case of emergencies (or a travel insurance that covers these risks)
- Personal liability insurance
Before you leave your home country, please check your personal insurance coverage, and find out from your insurance provider whether it is sufficient to cover liability for the entire period of your stay in Switzerland.
International Winter School at the ZHAW
