Study Guide

Descriptions

The purpose of the Degree Programme in Nursing is to train professionals of nursing , whose work is based on evidence-based multi-disciplinary knowledge, extensive nursing and multicultural competence and high ethical standards. Registered Nurses (UAS) are qualified to examine, evaluate and develop their nursing competence, professional work, work community and professional field. They plan, implement and develop nursing in national, international and multicultural contexts.

Registered Nurses (UAS) are licensed to practise professional nursing. The training abides by the directives of the European Council pertaining to the education of nurses responsible for general care. Part of the studies is carried out in Finnish and the practical training takes place in Finnish environments. It is also possible to partly study abroad.

Registered nurses work as independent professionals of nursing in primary health care, specialized medical services, social services and in the private and third sectors. Finnish language skills are required in order to work in Finland as a professional of health care. Registered nurses support, nurse and counsel healthy and ill individuals of all ages, families, groups, and communities. Nurses implement and develop evidence-based nursing to promote and maintain their patients' health, to prevent and cure illness, to ensure rehabilitation and to implement medical care prescribed.

Objective

The curricula of Degree Programme in Nursing is competence-based. Students have to achieve the outcomes of the national competencies during their education. The structure and the contents of the education have been planned according to these competencies. In the curricula there are both the general competencies, which are common to every fields, and the profession - specific competencies to Degree Programme of Nursing.

COMPETENCIES

Y1 Learning competence

- is able to self-evaluate and develop one’s competence and learning style orientation
- is able to retrieve and analyze information and evaluate it critically
- is capable of taking responsibility for collaborative learning and sharing knowledge in teams

Y2 Ethical competence

- is able to take responsibility for one’s own actions and for the consequences of these actions
- is able to work according to the ethical principles of the subject field
- is able to take other people into account in one’s actions
- is able to apply the principles of equality
- is able to apply the principles of sustainable development
- is capable of social influencing using one’s know-how and based on ethical values

Y3 Working community competence

- is able to operate as a member of a work community
- is able to operate in communicative and interactive situations in working life
- is able to utilize information and communications technology in one’s subject field
- knows the working life in one’s subject field and is able to create personal contacts in working life and to operate in professional networks
- is capable of decision making in unpredictable situations
- is able to apply the principles of organizational management and leadership in working life and has abilities for supervision tasks
- possesses entrepreneurial skills

Y4 Innovation competence

- is able to conduct research, development and innovation projects applying the existing knowledge and methods of the field
- is able to work in projects
- is capable of creative problem solving and development of working methods
- is able to find customer-oriented, sustainable and profitable solutions

Y5 Internationalization competence

-possesses communicative competence necessary for one’s work and for professional development in the subject field
- is able to operate in a multicultural environment
- takes into account the effects of and opportunities for internationalization development in one’s own field

Y6 Entrepreneurial competence

- Understanding of the interaction involved in the operations in a company and the business environment, and of the concept of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial way of working.
- Understanding of the principles associated with a profitable business, and ability to analyse the operations and risks in a business.

Y7 Quality control competence

- Knowledge of the typical field-related quality control systems
- Understanding of quality-control and the requirements of quality-control systems.

sh1 Client-centred professional ethical competence

A Bachelor of Health Care, Registered Nurse:
- knows how to encounter clients/families/community members as experts of their lives
- makes use of the client's experiential knowledge in health care and nursing
- sees the client as an active agent during the care
- knows how to assess the clients' resources and supports them in planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care
- encourages families' involvement while respecting the client's opinions and resources
- is capable of professional and therapeutic interaction with clients and family members of all ages
- understands the meaning of culture in care and is able to encounter clients from various cultures individually
- observes nursing values and ethical principles
- abides with laws on professional conduct and with ethical guidelines; evaluates the implementation of laws and guidelines in nursing
- knows how to work without violating human rights
- knows how to act as a representative of clients and nursing profession in various work groups
- evaluates and develops her/his action and assume responsibility for the consequences of the action
- evaluates her/his competence and development in interaction
- has acquired the professional identity of a nurse
- is able to produce, share and make use of expertise and partnership in multidisciplimary teams and networks

sh2 Management and entrepreneurship

A Bachelor of Health Care, Registered Nurse:
- is able to manage her/himself and understands the importance of internal entrepreneurship
- knows how to assess a work group's resources and to prioritise duties and responsibilities
- understands the role of management in nursing
- is aware of the basics of entrepreneurship in health services and understands its role in the service provision system
- is able to coordinate a client's total care within the nurse's scope of practice
- understands the meaning of changes in the health services and is able to act in changing circumstances within the nurse's scope of practice
- knows how to act in various changing settings, demonstrating good work community skills
- knows and recognises career options in nursing specialties or administration

sh3 Clinical nursing

A Bachelor of Health Care, Registered Nurse:
- is able to use various nursing interventions to provide psycho-social support to patients
- has command of essential clinical nursing procedures and diagnostic examinations as part of the patient's total care
- is able to meet nursing needs by nursing interventions and is competent in structured documentation, including uniform classification
- knows how to assess a patient's nursing needs using appropriate clinical and physiological tools and instruments, to prioritise the findings and to enter the findings onto a structured documentation system using uniform classification
- knows the principles of preventing infections and is able to explain why this is important
- knows how to plan, implement and evaluate safe pharmacological care for various diseases
- knows how to plan, implement and evaluate pharmacological care for various patient groups
- understands the structure, function and regulation of the human body and has knowledge of the background factors
- understands the development mechanisms of diseases and the ensuing changes in the organism
- observes Finnish nutritional guidelines in the prevention and care/nursing of prevailing diseases
- is able to integrate nutritional care and counselling in cooperation with a multidisciplinary network of experts
- knows how to implement nursing care of patients suffering from medical conditions or cancer
- knows how to implement nursing care of patients requiring surgical treatment
- is able to support and promote the well-being of families with children
- understands the normal progress and observation of pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium
- is able to support families in their growth to parenthood and in the care of the newborn
- knows how to encounter mental health patients, intoxicant abusers and their families in various settings and how to maintain therapeutic interaction with them, promoting mental health, preventing disorders and focusing on resources
- understands the effect of mental health and use of intoxicants on the well-being of individuals and their families
- is able to support clients in acute crisis
- knows how to help aged people achieve and maintain well-being, health and ability to function
- is competent in assessing needs for urgent care in patients and families
- is able to support patients and families in need of urgent care
- is able to implement nursing care of terminal or chronically ill patients in a humane manner, alleviating their symptoms and supporting their significant others
- knows how to support the functional capacity and participation of mentally disabled and injured persons

sh4 Evidence-based nursing and decision-making

A Bachelor of Health Care, Registered Nurse:
- knows how to use nursing scientific knowledge in decision-making
- is able to solve professional problems and conflicts in multi-professional teams
- evaluates her/his competence critically
- is able to assess nursing needs and to plan, implement and evaluate nursing following the decision-making process
- makes active use of scientific knowledge (evidence-based guidelines, reviews) in decision-making in nursing
- is able to contribute to development, innovation and research processes
- is competent in seeking information from common health science databases
- reads and critically evaluates scientific publications
- understands the concept and role of evidence-based practice in health and social services
- understands and is committed to the nurse's role in evidence-based practice
- knows how to observe and critically evaluate his/ her action and prevailing practices
- understands the importance of uniform practices in the care of clients, and acts accordingly
- knows how to evaluate, observe and document the results of uniform practice

sh5 Counselling and teaching competence

A Bachelor of Health Care, Registered Nurse:
- understands the philosophical, ethical and pedagogical background and meaning of counselling and teaching in nursing
- knows how to plan, implement and evaluate counselling and teaching in a client and group-oriented manner in cooperation with other experts
- has command of counselling and teaching as a nurse's tool in various contexts
- knows how to use client-oriented teaching and counselling methods, appropriate to the situation
- appropriately uses existing teaching and counselling material and is able to produce new material

sh6 Promotion of health and ability to function

A Bachelor of Health Care, Registered Nurse:
- understands how decision-making and structures in society are linked with the promotion of health and functional capacity
- understands the economic perspective of health promotion
- understands the principles of health promotion and acts according to the values of health promotion
- observes and evaluates the health and well-being of the population, as well as factors linked health and well-being from the perspectives of individuals and the community
- makes use of existing knowledge (registers, statistics) of the population's health challenges from the perspectives of individuals and the community
- recognises factors which cause public health problems
- is able to prevent risk factors which impair the client's health, function and ability to work and lead to dysfunction; is capable of early intervention
- knows how to plan, implement and evaluate interventions to promote health and functional capacity of individuals, groups and communities while making use of multidisciplinary and multiprofessional networks.

sh7 Quality and safety in social and health services

A Bachelor of Health Care, Registered Nurse:
- understands the basics of safety management principles and is aware of her/his responsibility for promoting them in the organization
- understands her/his professional responsibility for ensuring and promoting patient safety
- is able to promote patient safety throughout the patient's nursing process
- is able to counsel patients and families on decision-making concerning care and on the promotion of safety
- through her/his action, demonstrates responsibility for the quality of nursing care
- is able to prevent and recognise quality deviations throughout the nursing process
- is able to evaluate nursing quality and interventions throughout the nursing process
- understands the importance of data security in the nursing process
- acts in a responsible manner, maintaining data security and data protection
- understands how health and social services are organised, provided, delivered and supervised in Finland
- is aware of and observes important/current health and social policy action programmes
- knows how to counsel clients/patients on the appropriate use of public, private and third sector social and health services to promote their health and well-being
- understands the role of various organizations and service units in the client's care and service pathway
- knows how to use electronic services as part of the patient's/client's total care
- knows how to use social media in nursing, keeping professional and private roles separate
- has command of essential clinical nursing equipment and monitoring devices
- knows how to use patient data systems