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

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.

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The final webinar

The final webinar of the Diploma in General Nursing outside the EU/EEA project was held on December 12, 2024. The webinar presented the project's outcomes, best practices, and recommendations for further development. Additionally, participants heard about the experiences of nurses undergoing the qualification and supplementary training processes. The webinar was specifically designed for experts working with the nursing qualification process or guiding nurses trained outside the EU/EEA on their career paths.

Program: 

• Welcome to the webinar – Opening remarks. Salla Seppänen, Director, Laurea University of Applied Sciences
• Goals of the Diploma in General Nursing outside the EU/EEA project and nurses in the qualification process. Lotta Tiikkainen, Project Manager, Laurea University of Applied Sciences
• Integrating Finnish language and clinical skills assessment. Kukka-Maaria Raatikainen, Savonia, & Sirpa Rajala and Mervi Rasilainen, Turku University of Applied Sciences
• Supplementing Finnish language and clinical skills. Kirsi Myllykangas and Hanna Poussu, Oulu University of Applied Sciences
• Information and guidance needs in the qualification process. Elina Räisänen, Nurse, Master's Degree Student in Advanced Clinical Nursing, Laurea University of Applied Sciences
• Workplace perspective: challenges, solutions, and future directions. Zeynep Niiranen, Specialist in Clinical Training, North Savo Wellbeing Services County
• Internships in qualification studies. Johanna Kangaspunta & Johanna Granlund, Tampere University of Applied Sciences
• Final discussion and closing remarks. Lotta Tiikkainen, Project Manager, Laurea University of Applied Sciences

The webinar recording is available until January 12, 2025, at the following link: Link to the Diploma in General Nursing outside the EU/EEA project webinar recording (in Finnish). Please note that the recording does not yet include subtitles. A subtitled version will be published later for permanent public access.

We have compiled the webinar presentation materials into a single file, which you can download here. The presentation materials are also available as attachments to the webinar recording.

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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