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Sairaanhoitajaksi Suomessa - EU- ja ETA-maiden ulkopuolella, ei-Bachelor -tasoisen sairaanhoitajan pätevöityminen työelämään

In cooperation with working life, the project develops a qualification path for non-Bachelor-level nursing graduates from outside the EU and EEA countries into the Finnish working life. The goal is to increase nurses' knowledge of Finnish social and health care structures, the legislation that guides them, patient safety and the ethical principles of nursing work, and to strengthen the health care Finnish language skills in working life. In addition, the project compiles and evaluates methods for assessing the competence of nurses. The project produces a model of the nurse's qualification path for the website, from which it can be used in the future when recruiting foreign nurses to work in Finnish social and health care. Partner universities: Laurea, OAMK, TAMK, TurkuAMK & Savonia.

  • Implementation date8/1/2022 - 12/31/2024
  • FunderJOTPA
  • Research programmeSustainable and versatile social and health care
  • Project typeKansallinen TKI
  • Themes
  • Project managerLotta Tiikkainen

In the "Continuing Professional Education for nurses granted with a Diploma in General Nursing outside the EU/EEA" project, support is provided for the qualification path of non-Bachelor's level nurses from countries outside the EU and EEA to integrate into the Finnish working life.

For nurses to enter the Finnish workforce in a position corresponding to their profession, they need to obtain the right to practice granted by Valvira. A nursing degree obtained outside the EU/EEA is not automatically accepted in accordance with the professional qualifications directive. In the process of granting the right to practice, the applicant's degree is compared to the Finnish nursing degree, and the need for competence enhancement is determined. While models have been developed in previous projects in Finland to recognize the skills of highly educated nurses, a clear model for non-higher education nurses has not been established.

The goal of the project is to:

  • Assemble, evaluate, and apply assessment methods for evaluating the competence of nurses who have completed a non-bachelor's degree outside the EU and EEA countries, in relation to the competence required for nurses in Finland.
  • Increase the knowledge of professionals who have completed a non-Bachelor's level nursing degree outside the EU and EEA about the structures of the Finnish social and healthcare system, the governing legislation, patient safety, and ethical principles in nursing.
  • Support the improvement of language skills for nurses participating in the project so that they can function in Finnish social and healthcare in nursing roles.
  • Guide and support nurses participating in the project in the application process for Valvira's right to practice.
  • Facilitate competence enhancement pilots in collaboration with a university of applied sciences in the workplace.

The project collects information on competence assessment models and skill development through personal training. During the project, an online course called "Orientation to the Finnish Social and Healthcare System" is produced and is intended to be published in 2024. You can read more about the development and pilot phase of the course in this article (in Finnish): "MOOC Supporting Qualification as a Nurse | Laurea Journal." As a result of the "Becoming a Nurse in Finland" project, a website is created, which can be utilized in the future when recruiting foreign nurses to work in the Finnish social and healthcare sector. The content of the Sairaanhoitajaksi suomessa (Becoming a Nurse in Finland) - website is regularly updated during the project.

The application period for the training organized by Laurea ended on July 31, 2023.

Visit project´s website

The training is funded by the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment, which increases the opportunities for the working-age population to develop competence required in working life. The activities of the service center are guided by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

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