Abstract:

Globalization, technological change and the change in the age structure of the population are the most important factors affecting the future skill needs of the working age population in Finland. The new tasks opening up in healthcare require higher or different skills. Both the way how work is done and the work environments are changing, which requires new skillsets and the ability to adapt to changes. General working life skills such as interaction skills, managing one's own work, digital skills and sustainable development skills are emphasized. Population development in Finland requires increasing immigration. And that's why training nurses with an immigrant background is even more important. More opportunities are needed for tailored training and flexible, working-life-oriented contents, as well as making studying possible for everyone, including during the working career at different stages of life.

In Laurea UAS, the continuing education project for those with an immigrant background who have completed a nursing degree abroad was implemented in spring 2022. The supplementary education was 20 ECTS credits in scope. The training was carried out as a multi-format training, part of the studies were online studies and part of face-to-face teaching in the classroom. The education was preparatory education, which did not lead directly to nursing degree studies. The aim of the training was to support and train a student with an immigrant background who has completed a nursing degree abroad in the application process for Valvira's (National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health) right to practice, as well as to strengthen and deepen the knowledge of the Finnish language, digital skills and readiness for studying at a UAS. The goal of the training was also to strengthen nursing knowledge of Finnish healthcare so that students could work as nurses in Finland in the future.

The goal of Laurea UAS is to design the UAS preparatory training for nurses with an immigrant background in such a way that they get a smooth study path to the training leading to the nursing degree. As a new practice in the spring 2022 UAS preparatory education, tutoring was supported. The teacher met all students three times once a month for one hour. After the initial survey, further education opportunities were discussed in the middle stages of the studies, and at the end of the education, a further study plan was made for all 20 students. The three-phase supported tutoring worked well to support the students and they gave special feedback on the tutoring. A new trend in the education of students with an immigrant background is the Learning Mentoring Method. Learning mentoring (LM) is learning together and sharing knowledge at its best. LM help colleagues develop their own skills, and at the same time learn themselves. LM is one part of the learning organization as a whole, and it can be implemented in many different ways, depending on the goals. It can mean, for example, organizing joint workshops for colleagues on the subject to be learned, or regular learning moments-for example, planned in advance by a mentor. LM can also be about building an atmosphere conducive to learning through different means, for example by organizing learning moments created around a psychologically safe atmosphere. mentors are change agents and mediators of the good news of continuous learning. LM supports the placement of nurses with an immigrant background in Finnish working life.

Keywords:

A nurse with an immigrant background, supported tutoring, learning mentoring.