Abstract:

There is an increasing demand for foreign health care professionals in Finland. Despite of this substantial demand, health care professionals educated abroad often find themselves recruited into low-skilled positions that do not align with their education and competence. Many of them even end up working in fields entirely unrelated to their expertise. The primary reasons for this mismatch are that these professionals lack the necessary professional practice rights required in Finland or they do not know how to achieve these professional practice rights.

The Validation Pathway for Health Care Professionals project was initiated to enhance internationally educated biomedical laboratory scientists, midwives, nurses, physiotherapists, and radiographers to update their competence to correspond with Finnish health care requirements, enable them to obtain the necessary professional practice rights, and increase the general knowledge about validation opportunities. The project is carried out between June 2022 and December 2024. In total, over 170 foreign health care professionals have enrolled in the studies offered by the project. Among them, registered nurses constitute the largest group. The project provides guidance and additional studies including Finnish language studies as proficiency in the local language is essential. For registered nurses there are tailored courses with integrated Finnish language. Other professionals study with degree students. The project collaborates with Valvira, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health, in assessing the participants’ competence and equivalence of degrees compared to Finnish degrees and professional requirements. Cooperation with employers in the health sector is also crucial for securing the mandatory training placements for validation.

The validation pathways allow participants to secure employment that aligns with their foreign degrees. It also aims to increase the value of foreign qualifications, immigrant professionals’ belonging to society, and to optimize resource utilization within society. The pathways are designed to be feasible for professionals who are already working. However, challenges persist. For example, insufficient language skills, the delicate balance between work and studies, economic barriers, and difficulties in finding suitable training placements can lead to participant dropouts or delays. Therefore, comprehensive guidance, support, and improved knowledge of the validation process are essential for both participants and employers.

Smooth and efficient validation pathways are an excellent way to enhance foreign health care professionals’ career paths and to acquire in-demand workforce. It is also an opportunity to get multicultural professionals to increasingly multicultural health services. A better use of migrants' competence benefits individuals, employers and society at large. For best results, validation pathways in health care should be offered on a permanent basis.

Keywords:

Education, immigrants, health care, degree validation, labour shortage.