Interaction with the patients

We are Milcah from Kenya and Huyen from Vietnam, and we are studying nursing at Centria.

The nursing programme takes three and half years and it is divided into sections: studying theory, doing work placements and doing independent studies. The first year is for basic clinical skills, then nutrition, surgical nursing and medical nursing and so on. They all prepare you really well for the work placement. You are able to go to the ward with the knowledge you receive at school. We have simulations and we are really prepared before going to the ward. In the class, you will learn the basic sills: how to do wound care, how to place a catheter or a canula, or even subcutaneous, intramuscular injections.

We have had practical training in elderly ward, home care, surgical ward where we took care of patients that were in surgery before they can go home, and in internal medicine ward, which is specialized in lung, kidney and liver diseases. A nice experience but a tough one was training period in palliative care unit.

What is different in Finland, comparing to our home countries, is the use of tutor nurses – you get really one-on-one support. It gives them a possibility to evaluate you as a student and they will provide you the support that you need. The tutors do not put that much pressure on your shoulders, they guide you but you do not bear as much as responsibility as the other nurses. It means that you can take the chance to learn and practice at your own pace without too much responsibility.

We knew Finland had one of the best educational systems before applying here. The structure is quite relaxed - you can focus on one part at the time. You do not need to learn too much theory at the same time before going to practice.

After coming to Centria we understood why the Finnish educational system is so famous – yes, it is cold here and the language is difficult, but the educational aspect is so logic. You study and then you go to practice, you just need to take one step at the time. The teachers take care of you: not only of your studies but also of your wellbeing.

We start learning Finnish at school, and working with Finnish patients encourage you to learn the language. It is quite a challenge, but when talking with the patients, you notice that communication is more than the words that come out - it is about the interaction with the patients, the body language.

Kokkola is a small city. If you come from a congested city, this place stands out by how organized it is. You have enough space, you don’t have to push anyone to cross the street. There are loads of outdoor activities that you can do all year round. The student union of Centria, COPSA, organizes loads of activities.

At Centria, you get the best school and the best friends!

Milcah Kipkoech
Huyen Dao Nguyen

Nursing students

A work placement became my dream job!

I am originally from Belgium but I studied in the degree programme in Nursing in Kokkola. I graduated from the degree programme in Nursing, and I now work as a nurse in the ER, intensive care unit and surgical ward. 
When I came to Finland, it was because of love. I had a different career in Belgium, where I was a chemistry and biology teacher. I would not have been able to pursue that career here, as I didn’t speak Finnish back then.

I applied to study to become a nurse because I have always been interested in the field of healthcare, as my mother is a psychologist.

Our class was extremely international: there were students from Kenya, China, the USA, Finland and me, from Belgium. We studied using the PBL procedure, meaning Problem Based Learning: we were presented with a situation, a patient’s story or care plan, we had to come up with a treatment or figure out how to deal with the situation and why. It was a pleasant way to study; it was both a participative and active way of learning: we had to look for information by ourselves.

At school, we learnt everything that was related to nurse’s work: how to place a cannula, how to inject drugs into muscles, and so on. We learnt the theory at school and the practice through the work placement, which we had in various places: ER, intensive care, at centre for handicapped… It taught us how to deal with people, both our counsellors and the patients taught us a lot. We learnt that each is unique, each person has an individual story and should be cared for as such. I became sure of my future career when I was a trainee in the emergency; I knew that I wanted to work there. I like the chaotic aspect! My Finnish skills have been improving thanks to the internships, even though I have also made use of my English and French skills at the central hospital here in Kokkola! Many of the Finnish students in my class were interesting in going to work abroad as nurses and become fluent in the Nursing vocabulary thanks to this programme.

Centria has excellent teachers as well as a fantastic environment. What I enjoyed the most was the possibility to take part in exciting work placements. The school collaborates actively with the central hospital in Kokkola.

Vincent Gleviczky, Bachelor of Healt Care