Speaking care: a collaborative online international learning experience in English with future nurses and pharmacists

• COIL connects students internationally, promoting linguistic and intercultural skills. • Nursing and pharma students developed soft skills and Technical English via teamwork. • COIL projects strengthen healthcare students’ readiness for collaborative practice. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) offers an inclusive approach to internationalisation by connecting students and faculty across borders through virtual teamwork. In health education, COIL promotes linguistic, intercultural, and interdisciplinary competencies essential for international and interprofessional communication. This study examined how collaborative COIL activities - Padlet introductions, videoconferencing, poster design, and reflective writing - supported ‘Technical English in Health’ learning and soft skill development across Portuguese Nursing and Belgian Pharmaceutical Sciences students. A qualitative case study design, aligned with the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research, was used. Data from 29 IPV (Portugal) and 27 UMONS (Belgium) students were collected through observation, learning portfolios, and collaborative outputs, then analysed via reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicated that COIL enhanced students’ technical English proficiency, teamwork, and problem-solving skills while fostering cultural awareness and interprofessional communication. Despite challenges in coordination and communication, participants reported increased confidence in interdisciplinary collaboration and patient education. COIL represents an effective pedagogical strategy for developing linguistic and intercultural competencies in healthcare education, enriching students’ readiness for international professional contexts.