Category: Soteekki, SAMK & Studying

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My Journey to Becoming a Nurse in Finland (Finnish below)

Hello, everyone! My name is Nisha Bhujel, and I’m from Nepal. My native language is Nepalese. Since childhood, whenever anyone asked about my future profession, I would always say, “Nurse.” My parents have always been incredibly supportive, encouraging me to follow my dreams. I have completed my diploma in nursing and have four years of experience working as an ICU nurse. I believe in constant growth, both personally and professionally.

Wanting to further my education, I investigated options abroad, and Finland quickly became my top choice. Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world seven times in a row, and it’s known for its strong educational system. This made it the perfect place for me to continue my studies, so I applied to Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, and I was thrilled when I got the news that I got in. Then my adventure to one of the safest countries in the world truly began.

Clinical Experience and Nurse-to-Patient Ratio

I completed placements in various settings, including a mental geriatric unit, daycare, and geriatric care. One area I’d like to address is the nurse-to-patient ratio. In my experience, especially in the critical care unit, the ratio was often 2:6, meaning I had a lot of patients to care for at once. In contrast, Finland’s healthcare system seems to have a better nurse-to-patient ratio, allowing nurses more time to provide quality care.

Being able to care for the elderly has always been fulfilling, but communication is crucial in providing effective care. During my first internship, I learned the basics of care in finnish ensuring that residents participate in daily activities and receive the attention they need. I used a variety of apps and books to learn Finnish, and I’m still working on improving my language skills. However, I’ve encountered challenges due to the language barrier. It’s difficult to communicate with patients and their families, and I haven’t yet had the chance to apply my clinical skills in a hospital setting. I have, however, gained valuable knowledge through theory and simulations.

Educational Differences Between Nepal and Finland

One of the most striking differences I’ve noticed is in the education system. In Nepal, we used to take exams on paper, and the academic year was much longer, lasting a full year. There was a lot of pressure to pass exams, and if we failed, we had to wait until the next year to retake them. In Finland, however, students have much more flexibility. The courses are typically shorter (around six months), and there is a greater focus on student well-being and self-planning. There is no pressure to pass exams on the first attempt, which provides a sense of mental calm. I find this approach much healthier, and it helps me focus more on learning than on stress. Additionally, I appreciate the culture of respect here, where we address our teachers by their first names, making it easier to express our opinions freely.

The Importance of Finnish Language in Healthcare

While Finland’s educational system is outstanding, I’ve encountered a reality check: without knowledge of the Finnish language, it’s challenging to find placement opportunities, especially in healthcare. Even though many programs are in English, most healthcare settings require fluent Finnish communication. Many hospitals and health services do not accept students who don’t speak the language because Finnish is the primary mode of communication. I believe that institutions could better support international students by requiring a certain level of Finnish proficiency, which would make it easier for students to gain practical experience and apply their knowledge in real-world healthcare settings.

Adapting to Finnish Culture and Looking Ahead

Leaving my home country for a better career, improved pay, and more experience was a big decision, but I am optimistic about my future in Finland. I appreciate how the Finnish healthcare system is pushing me toward professional development. I’ve learned so much from Finnish individuals, especially about timeliness, gender equality, and self-improvement. I enjoy the small things, like drinking coffee and experiencing sauna culture, which have become part of my life here.

While studying abroad has been an adjustment, especially being away from my family and adapting to the Finnish weather, I’m now used to it and find myself growing every day. I’ve learned that communication is essential in nursing, and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, from understanding patients’ requests to confidently interacting with coworkers.

Final Thoughts and Future Aspirations

Nothing comes easy, but I am determined to graduate next spring. I’m focusing on improving my Finnish language skills, as I know that mastering the language will open doors for me in the Finnish healthcare system. My goal is to continue my nursing career in Finland, working in a hospital and contributing to the health and well-being of the community.

Through this blog, I want to express my concern about the gap between English-based nursing programs and practical placement opportunities in Finland. While the country offers world-class education, international students often face difficulty finding placement in healthcare settings due to language barriers. It’s my hope that institutions will better align their programs with the needs of the healthcare system, ensuring that international students can gain the clinical experience they need to succeed.

Minun tieni sairaanhoitajaksi Suomessa

Hei kaikille! Minun nimeni on Nisha Bhujel ja olen kotoisin Nepalista. Äidinkieleni on nepali. Lapsuudesta lähtien, kun joku kysyi tulevasta ammatistani, sanoin aina: “sairaanhoitaja”. Vanhempani ovat aina olleet uskomattoman kannustavia ja kannustaneet minua seuraamaan unelmiani. Olen suorittanut sairaanhoitajan tutkinnon ja minulla on neljän vuoden kokemus teho-osaston sairaanhoitajan työstä. Uskon jatkuvaan kasvuun niin henkilökohtaisesti kuin ammatillisesti.

Koska halusin jatkaa opintojani, tutkin vaihtoehtoja ulkomailla, ja Suomesta tuli nopeasti ykkösvalintani. Suomi on arvioitu seitsemän kertaa peräkkäin maailman onnellisimmaksi maaksi, ja Suomi tunnetaan vahvasta koulutusjärjestelmästä. Tämä teki siitä täydellisen paikan jatkaa opintojani, joten hain Satakunnan ammattikorkeakouluun ja olin innoissani saadessani tiedon sisäänpääsystä. Silloin seikkailuni yhteen maailman turvallisimmista maista todella alkoi.

Kliininen kokemus ja hoitaja-potilassuhde

Suoritin harjoitteluja erilaisissa ympäristöissä, mukaan lukien mielenterveysosasto, päiväkoti ja geriatrinen osasto. Yksi alue, josta haluaisin puhua, on hoitaja-potilassuhde. Kokemukseni mukaan erityisesti teho-osastolla, suhde oli usein 2:6. Tämä tarkoittaa, että minulla oli paljon potilaita hoidettavana kerralla. Sen sijaan Suomen terveydenhuoltojärjestelmässä näyttää olevan parempi hoitaja-potilassuhde, jolloin hoitajille jää enemmän aikaa laadukkaan hoidon antamiseen.

Vanhusten hoitaminen on aina ollut antoisaa, mutta kommunikaatio on ratkaisevan tärkeää tehokkaan hoidon tarjoamiseksi. Ensimmäisen harjoitteluni aikana opin suomeksi hoidon perusteet sen varmistamiseksi, että sain asukkaat osallistumaan päivittäiseen toimintaan ja he saavat tarvitsemansa huomion. Käytin erilaisia sovelluksia ja kirjoja suomen kielen oppimiseen, ja työskentelen edelleen kielitaitoni parantamiseksi. Olen kuitenkin kohdannut haasteita kielimuurin vuoksi. Potilaiden ja heidän perheidensä kanssa on vaikea kommunikoida, enkä ole vielä päässyt soveltamaan kliinisiä taitojani sairaalaympäristössä. Olen kuitenkin saanut arvokasta tietoa teorian ja simulaatioiden kautta.

Nepalin ja Suomen erot koulutuksessa

Yksi suurimmista eroista, joita olen huomannut, on koulutusjärjestelmässä. Nepalissa meillä oli tapana tehdä tentit paperilla ja lukuvuosi oli paljon pidempi, kestäen kokonaisen vuoden. Kokeiden läpäisemiseen oli paljon paineita ja jos epäonnistuimme, jouduimme odottamaan seuraavaan vuoteen suorittaaksemme ne uudelleen. Suomessa opiskelijoilla on kuitenkin paljon enemmän joustavuutta. Kurssit ovat tyypillisesti lyhyempiä (noin kuusi kuukautta) ja niissä keskitytään enemmän opiskelijoiden hyvinvointiin ja itsesuunnitteluun. Ei ole paineita läpäistä tenttejä ensimmäisellä yrityksellä, joka antaa henkisen rauhan. Mielestäni tämä lähestymistapa on paljon terveellisempi ja se auttaa minua enemmän keskittymään oppimiseen eikä niinkään stressiin. Lisäksi arvostan täällä olevaa kulttuuria, jossa puhuttelemme opettajiamme heidän etunimillään. Tämä helpottaa ilmaisemaan mielipiteitä vapaammin.

Suomen kielen tärkeys terveydenhuollossa

Vaikka Suomen koulutusjärjestelmä on erinomainen, olen törmännyt haasteeseen: ilman suomen kielen taitoa on haastavaa löytää harjoittelupaikkoja, erityisesti terveydenhuollossa. Vaikka monet ohjelmat ovat englanniksi, useimmat terveydenhuollon yksiköt edellyttävät sujuvaa suomenkielistä kommunikaatiota. Monet sairaalat ja terveyspalvelut eivät hyväksy opiskelijoita, jotka eivät puhu kieltä, koska suomi on ensisijainen tapa kommunikoida. Uskon, että oppilaitokset voisivat paremmin tukea kansainvälisiä opiskelijoita vaatimalla tiettyä suomen kielen tasoa, mikä helpottaisi opiskelijoiden käytännön kokemuksen hankkimisessa ja lisäisi tietämystä soveltaa tietoa oikeassa terveydenhuollon ympäristössä.

Sopeutuminen suomalaiseen kulttuuriin ja katse tulevaisuuteen

Lähtiessäni kotimaastani paremman uran, palkan ja kokemuksen takia oli iso päätös, mutta olen optimistinen tulevaisuuteeni Suomessa. Arvostan, kuinka Suomalainen terveydenhuolto puskee minua eteenpäin kohti ammatillista kehittymistä. Olen oppinut niin paljon suomalaisilta, erityisesti aikataulujen tärkeyttä, sukupuolten välistä tasa-arvoa ja itsensä kehittämistä. Nautin pienistä asioista, kuten kahvin juomisesta ja saunakulttuurin kokemisesta, jotka ovat nykyään osa elämääni täällä.

Ulkomailla opiskelu on vaatinut sopeutumista, erityisesti perheestäni kaukana oleminen ja Suomalaiseen säähän sopeutuminen. Olen nyt tottunut siihen ja huomaan kasvavani päivittäin. Olen oppinut kommunikaation välttämättömyydet hoitotyössä ja olen ylpeä saavuttamastani edistyksestä, ymmärtäessäni potilaiden pyynnöt ja itsevarmasti keskustellen työkavereilleni.

Lopulliset ajatukset ja tulevaisuuden toiveet

Mikään ei tule helpolla, mutta olen päättänyt valmistua ensi keväänä. Keskityn suomen kielen taitoni parantamiseen, sillä tiedän, että kielen hallitseminen avaa minulle ovia suomalaisessa terveydenhuollossa. Tavoitteenani on jatkaa sairaanhoitajan uraani Suomessa, työskennellä sairaalassa ja edistää yhteisön terveyttä ja hyvinvointia.

Tämän blogitekstin avulla haluan ilmaista huolta kuilusta, joka on englanninkielisten sairaanhoitajien ja harjoittelupaikkojen välillä Suomessa. Vaikka maa tarjoaa maailmanluokan koulutusta, kansainvälisillä opiskelijoilla on usein vaikeuksia löytää paikkaa terveydenhuoltoon kielimuurien vuoksi. Toivon, että oppilaitokset sovittavat ohjelmansa paremmin terveydenhuoltojärjestelmän tarpeisiin ja varmistavat, että kansainväliset opiskelijat voivat saada kliinisen kokemuksen, jota he tarvitsevat menestyäkseen.

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Soteekki – Simplified

The Concept of Soteekki

Soteekki is a versatile, multi-functional learning environment designed to allow students to experience various real-life situations that students might encounter in their future professions. It’s open to students studying nursing, physiotherapy and social work. This practice environment includes multiple services and clients, from children to elderly people, allowing students to experience various scenarios.

The idea behind Soteekki is to integrate practical training into the theoretical knowledge already had. Students get to experience entrepreneurship and its management. Soteekki helps students understand what it’s like to plan and execute activities with real clients and patients.

How Soteekki Works       

Soteekki functions as both a practice place and a service provider. It is staffed by students under the supervision of teachers. Students gain experience working in multi-professional groups while also contributing to the ordinary days in the lives of people by offering health and social care services.

Roles:

Students at Soteekki are divided into two groups – the blue and red teams. The blue team focuses on physical fitness and health promotion, and the red team’s main themes are mental well-being and social functioning. In these groups, there are two team leaders for each team and the rest of the students work as the “regular members”, who are the ones completing the services in actuality.

Team leaders’ tasks include making the schedules for students and contacting clients as well as managing their contracts. They can choose to only focus on administrative tasks or also do some services too. On the contrary, the regular members do the planning for the services and go out to execute them. They also work on their mini teams and can plan their workshops or projects.

There are also specific areas of responsibility for the teams. These include social media, blog, podcast, work well-being, health technology, and possible workshop team (though everyone is allowed to design one).

Soteekki also has service counsellors who monitor and assess students’ progress in a realistic setting. They go over the clients’ plans before they’re executed and give tips or improvement ideas.

Everyday Reality at Soteekki + Tips:

Students have their services on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. That means that planning for them usually happens on Monday and Tuesday – the planning times are decided by the student groups themselves.

On Mondays there are also team meetings, where last week’s services are gone through, and team members talk about their progression and future plans in their small groups.

For nursing students especially, since they need more hours to complete their practices, planning workshops as an extra is a good idea to get in more hours.

To some services, someone in the service will need to drive the team to the client’s place. That’s why before starting Soteekki will ask about car licenses – sometimes may need to use students’ own cars (gas mileage will be paid back).

How the service and roles often break down in the planning phase – physios will often focus on making plans for the exercising portions, for example, “tuolijumppa” is part of many services. Then social workers often work as quality control for the clients, like making sure the client’s home seems safe. They have also, for example, made quizzes for clients or hosted bingo. Nurses are often in charge of conversation and the clients’ state of health during the services.

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Bright light lamps

Bright light lamps, do I need that?

When I – as a foreigner – heard about the bright light lamps for the first time, I was sceptical about it. I didn’t believe that these lamps should really help with my tiredness, as I didn’t even accept that my sleepiness was coming from the lack of sunlight (against what the lamps help). Nevertheless, I started reading about bright light therapy and started to see the logic behind it. Eventually, I tried working in front of such a lamp and it helped me a lot to get over my tiredness. So, in the following, you will see all the information, that made my try the lamp and an explanation on how to use it, if you get convinced, too!

Let’s start at the beginning. Every human being underlies different cycles, which influence sequences and processes in the body. Many of those cycles repeat themselves after one day. For that reason, they are called circadian (circa = about, dia = day) rhythms. One, for this article important circadian rhythm, is called sleep-wake cycle.

The sleep-wake cycle influences the human’s energy and activity levels and is affected by environmental cues, such as sunlight. Therefore, when the body is exposed to sunlight, serotonin is produced, generating alertness, and helping us to stay awake and active. At night, when the light outside diminishes, the internal clock initiates the production of melatonin, helping the organism to fall – and stay asleep.

However, what happens at this time of the year, as there is not much daily sunlight and most of the daytime is spend indoors? Logically, we won’t get enough sunlight. This causes an inadequate production of serotonin and melatonin, which in turn, leads to tiredness, fatigue, lack of motivation and in severe cases even to depression and insomnia.

This is where bright light therapy comes in. Bright light lamps mimic the natural sunlight and can therefore start serotonin and melatonin production, too. They replace the lost sunlight and help us to have more energy and positivity during the day and allow us to fall asleep easier at night. Thereby, bright light lamps can not only be used to replace lost sunlight due to the fall and winter season, but also help with various disorders such as SAD (= seasonal affective disorder), depression, dementia or even jet lag.

Finally, how should you use these lamps?

There is still a lot of research going on about that topic and it also depends on the reason for using the bright lamps. However, for the replacement of sunlight and activation of the body system, it is suggested to sit every morning at least 30min in front of the lamp. You should never look directly at the lamp, but your eyes should always be opened, so a simple reading, working or even eating would be possible.

If you now want to try it as well, you will find the bright light lamps in the SAMK Library every weekday (Monday to Friday). From Wednesday to Friday, there will be a program near the lamps from 08:00 to 10:00 am.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/circadian-rhythm

https://www.day-lights.com/homepage/how-light-therapy-works/

Writers: Anna Hagmann, Vilma Kaisla & Jemina Nurminen

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Parenthood in health care sector 

Combining work, study and family life can be a real challenge for many families and single parents. Many people think about family life with burning questions such as “Do I want children?”, “Will I have enough money to support a child?”, “What will happen to my job?” or “What will my future be like?”. People often think that once they have a child, the rest of their lives will come to an end and they will no longer have the time and energy to work, study or meet their friends. For these reasons, having a child is often portrayed in a negative light on social media. However, it is possible to reconcile studying, working, and having a family. Reconciling career, family and studies requires a family-friendly and non-discriminatory working life, equal responsibility for care, home and related meta-work, and quality early childhood education and other family services and support networks. It is therefore possible to dream of a new career and other things that matter to you, even in a family with children. Parenthood can create new and different goals and dreams. Creating a family does not have to mean breaking off a career or giving up dreaming. 

We conducted a little survey of parents who were studying at the same time. Our first question was about applying for a career in care. All respondents agreed that the care sector offers a good employment situation, their own interest in the sector and also the people-oriented nature of the sector came up in their answers. 

Having a child during studies was not perceived as a major problem, even though studies were postponed. Some had already completed courses in advance. Majority of the respondents are not currently in employment. 75% of the respondents felt that their own ability to cope was satisfactory and 25% good.  

We also asked about time use and need for help. All respondents needed a lot of help with their children. Help comes from for example their own parents. Time management is perceived to be good, although there is little contact with friends and other social life. In the care sector, pay has recently been in the headlines in the media. Most respondents felt that a carer’s salary is not enough to support a family. However, the combined income of themselves and their spouse is enough to support the family. People feel that they miss out on their children’s development when they are at school and working. 

Here’s another list of tips for coping with peak years 

1. Boost your self-esteem, for example by listing your successes. 

2. Recognise your limits and strengthen your resources, for example by identifying what makes you more resilient and energetic. 

3. Increase your self-esteem, for example by making a list of your strengths. 

4. increase your self-compassion and see the good side of things, for example by keeping a diary in which you write down three things every day that you are grateful for or that you think have gone well. 

5. Don’t be alone, seek support from your family, networks or society. 

Sources: 

https://www.mothersinbusiness.fi/tyo-ja-perhe-eri-elamantilanteissa

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Fall 2023 first Soteekki group

This post is written by three social work students, and we want to tell what is involved in a multi-professional entrepreneurship internship at Soteekki. In total, 133 hours are allocated to the entrepreneurial internship in the social work sector, including initial information, final feedback, orientation and writing the internship report.

At Soteekki, we work in a multidisciplinary team together with nurses and physiotherapists. Students on the English-language course also do their training at Soteekki, so you will certainly have the opportunity to discuss and implement plans in English. Soteekki is a great opportunity to learn social vocabulary in English.

Social workers work with different groups of clients, such as the elderly, children and people with intellectual disabilities. Working days include planning and implementing services. Currently in Soteekki, Monday and Tuesday are reserved for service planning and the rest of the days for actually doing the service. From a social worker’s point of view, visits to clients must always be client-oriented, listening to the client’s wishes and working in cooperation with other members of the team.

As in the field, you can plan and write reports, so if you are thinking about working as a supervisor you can learn about paperwork here. Students are mainly responsible about planning and implementing the services. But you can always ask for help!

Interviews:

We interviewed students from different programs about Soteekki internship.

Two social service students:

What are you studying and for how long your practice is going to last? – We are studying Bachelor of social services and our practice is 5 weeks long.

How do you bring your own expertise in Soteekki? – We approach the client in a holistic way and bring our social skills to the services. We also bring good energy to the work community.

What is the best thing in Soteekki? – Definitely the people and free coffee. Nice clients and services are also best.

Nursing student:

What are you studying and for how long your practice is going to last? – I’m a nursing student and my practice in Soteekki lasts 5 weeks.

How do you bring your own expertise in Soteekki? – I always focus on the client’s overall well-being and safety.

What is the best thing in Soteekki?  – The best thing about Soteekki is working with students from different programs, because you get to see and share different perspectives with others.

Physiotherapy student:

What are you studying and for how long your practice is going to last? – I’m a physiotherapy student and my practice lasts 6 weeks.

How do you bring your own expertise in Soteekki? – I always try to find something physical to do with the client and try to bring my own expertise to the service.

What is the best thing in Soteekki? – As students we are responsible for all the planning and doing, so you learn a lot and get to work with students from different programs.

Soteekki’s autumn season has gotten off to a good start, and services are being implemented and planned at a good pace. Practice in Soteekki goes by really fast when there is a lot to do. We wish everyone a good continuation of autumn!

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Soteekki international day 29.4.2022

Internationality is a subject that has been discussed a lot during our Soteekki practise. It resurfaces again and again every time from a different point of view. In Soteekki we want to offer an equal chance to participate not only on the services but also the action inside the world of Soteekki. Together we take these steps forward little by little and treasure this idea.

On Friday 29th of April Soteekki had an international day. This event was planned by Soteekki’s own international team. The main goal was to bring together international students and people from Soteekki. We were hoping for an easily approachable event where people could enjoy multiculturality, have fun together and get a chance to get to know to Soteekki before starting their own practice.

Beautiful Vietnamese dolls and balancing dragon flies.

The day started at 10am when Agora hall doors were opened. There were games to get to know each other, games to celebrate Finnish culture and beautiful souvenirs from different parts of the world. We started with our own Soteekki people and even though we’ve worked together for the past three weeks, you can always learn something new about each other.

After lunch we finally got some international guests. For a bit we just got to know each other and after that carried on to tasting some Finnish delicacies. There was mämmi, breadcheese, salted liquorice and of course to celebrate Vappu: sima and mini doughnuts. We had also some fun little competitions and games like Alias, traditional boot throwing and finally a tug of war.

Would you like to try these delecacies?
Honoring the Finnish traditions; of course there was some Sima and doughnuts for Vappu!

Favourites from our little taste testing ended up being sima and breadcheese. To our surprise even mämmi was bravely tasted and as always it really divided opinions. There were some heated debates both for and against. While planning we also looked up traditional foods from different countries. There would’ve been nothing better than to get some of these to taste too.

Multiculturality was also present through clothing. Every member of the international team brought something from their own culture to wear for the day. You could see fashion from Africa and Vietnam and also very traditional finnish bathrobe and rain boots. These were proudly presented on catwalk with backround music to set the mood.

The best part of the whole event was definitely the spirit and how everyone just threw themselves right on the fun! You couldn’t miss the laughter and glee ringing through the walls. All the joy was heard all the way back in the Soteekki office! It was also the last day of Soteekki for our nursing students so you couldn’t really hope for a better final day. We are grateful to get the chance to organize this event. Thank you to everyone who took part on the fun with us, to all members of the international team and of course our amazing supervisors that made this thing possible.

We must all pull together! Strong together!
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A Get-Together to remember

Written By : Nursing Student Vanessa Sayang

SAMK’s International Office hosted a “Get Together Day” at Silokallio on April 6, as part of its efforts to welcome exchange students from other nations in 2022. The majority of the participants came from Pori and Rauma campuses.

Me and my three international colleagues were invited to be part of the organising team in Soteekki as part of our practice, primarily to cover for games and other activities for the students. One of our objectives was to introduce Finnish culture and traditions through games and food tastings.

This blog will go into greater detail about the students’ experiences on this eventful “Get Together Day”.

Photo Credits : Laura (on the right)

Laura Adorni is an Italian exchange student at SAMK, Pori, studying Business and Administration.

She considers herself bold and adventurous, which is why she chose Finland as her study destination. The natural beauty of Finland drew her in, and she decided to learn more about it by studying here.

She was keen to urge that additional meetings like this be held in the future to foster friendship and camaraderie among international students, particularly at the start of the semester. Students that attended this event were able to participate in the Finnish Easter ritual and sample a variety of unusual Finnish dishes.

She said the most exciting Finnish tradition for her is going to the sauna and she finds the ritual of jumping into the lake afterwards remarkable. “For me, the experience was so weird, yet it gave me a sense of accomplishment,” Laura said.

Photo Credits : Vanessa Sayang

Nutthanicha Thaosing, a Finn-Thai who has lived in Finland for almost nine years and was one of the Get Together Day organisers, is a student trainee at the International Office.

This was her first time seeing all of the international students and faculty members from various universities. She considers easter tradition as one of the most fascinating aspects of Finnish culture.

Nutthanicha was responsible with assisting the international office in the preparation of event programs.

Unfortunately, the cold weather made it impossible to organise all of the activities as planned for the event.

This event was beneficial for her because she aspires to one day work as a customer care representative for an international company.

She has always admired Finns for their punctuality and discipline. Her go-to-place for recreation and relaxation has always been the woods.

Photo credits : Vanessa Sayang (Janet on the left)

Janet Pitkänen, is a Finn-Ghanian second-year nursing student, got the opportunity to participate in the “Get-Together-Day” for International Students.

Janet participated in this memorable meeting as part of her practical training at Soteekki.

For her, the most interesting part of the event was the socialising. “Even though the students did not know each other, the mood was warm and inviting, ” she said, that “having more events like this is a must-have for the university.”

Since the event presented everyone to Finnish culture, asked as to which part of Finnish cultures she finds most fascinating. “Summer cottages, festivals like Juhannus (Midsummer) where everyone grills all kinds of food. The event starts on a Friday and by Saturday people are drunk, then the building of bonfires (kokko),” said Janet.

When it came to culture and tradition, asked about her favourite tradition back in Ghana and compared to what we have here in Finland. “Sauna”, she said, is an extraordinary Finnish culture.

Also, Finns are quiet individuals, which is in stark contrast to her native nation. She admires this side of Finns because she has wished to be alone and enjoy privacy at times. This is something the Finns have given her that she treasures.

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Nursing is My Calling, Lifestyle, and Passion : Jane Ojo

Written By : Nursing Student Vanessa Sayang

Photo Credits : Jane Ojo

Jane Ojo has always harbored a strong desire to make a positive impact on the lives of others in her community. She chose to make that difference through nursing career.

Jane is in her final year of her nursing studies at SAMK. The journey began in 2019, when she started cultivating the seeds for this career. She’ll be able to enjoy the rewards of her labor later this year when she hopes to graduate as a registered nurse.

Degree Programme in Nursing was not her first qualification. Few years ago she earned a degree in International Business.

But she recalls that nursing is her true calling. She describes this industry as a one-of-a-kind position that allows people to feel good about helping others while also allowing them to grow professionally and personally.

“It gives opportunities and challenges that encourage people to be the best they can be. Commitment is essential for overcoming obstacles on this road. The ideal ingredients to have are committing every ounce of energy to getting through and having the best support system behind you, ” Jane said.

In pursuing her goals, Jane has been supported by her family. The family relocated with her from Turku to Pori to assist her in establishing a new life at the university.

Looking back to when she first started her course, “Everything was new.” she said. However, as she discovered her heart for caring for others, things became easier for her. “I discovered that nursing is my true calling simply by putting a little smile on people’s faces”.

She is currently working on her thesis and obtaining advanced practical training. Jane was visibly smiling and joyful as she contemplated the prospect of finishing her studies and beginning her career as a nurse in earnest.

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Education system in different areas of the world

Written by physiotherapy students Sangita Gurung and Iqra Batool

There is a reason that we humans are the smartest creatures in the world. Because we have acquired skills and knowledge that has helped us to progress and develop further. The key element needed to acquire such smartness is called education that has provided us with the knowledge of surrounding world and environment. Each country or culture have their own set of rules and curricula in their education system. Here we provide few examples of how education is provided to students in different environment and how each system differs vastly from one another. We have interviewed students coming from different part of the world and asked them about their experiences of education in their home countries. 

Q1. What are your thoughts about schooling system in your country? 

Rassendyll (Cameroon): School provide good theory-based education and the student are very knowledgeable with theory content of the topic or subject. There is still lack of practical training because of lack of funding. In his personal experience the school or university environment was very active and a lot of interaction and exposure to different things were provided to him. He went to boarding school where he told us he learns skills like personal hygiene and organizing skills. He thinks that the skills he has today is all thanks to his exposure in his schooling days and it help him right now in his life either it is related to his personal or educational life. 

Karolina (Czech Republic): She mentioned that education is free in her country but way stricter according to her experience. According to her, methods of teaching is old school and memorizing the information is given priority over learning the actual thing. They had very frequent exams both written and oral throughout the semester. They are always graded for all the exams and the 1 is the best grade while 5 is the worst. Student does not have voluntary choices of the subjects as everything was mandatory. According to her the student are in constant pressure to be able to cope up and keep up with the pace of study. 

Matilda (Finland and Luxemburg): She had two different experience of schooling system and they were very different from each other. She had her primary education first in Finland and then her family moved to Luxemburg and then she started her schooling there. She mentioned that here in Finland children usually choose the school which is near to their area and learning environment is more relaxed as they do not pressure the children. Her experience in Luxemburg was very vastly different as school is chosen by parents according to their wishes that means it can be very far from their home and need longer time just to travel to and from the school. Studying environment was very strict and competitive. Children are examined and tested very often and are graded. Very long school days and you are forced to learn languages as you must at least know 3 languages in minimum. Studies were provided on the languages that you choose already at the beginning of your school first year. The education system was bit complicated as well. Most of the family comes from very prestigious professional background so the children had very much influence from early childhood. The school was very academic.  

Q2. What are your thoughts about education system here in SAMK? 

Rassendyll: Education in SAMK is job oriented basically the aim is to make sure that each student graduating from SAMK finds a job very easily and quickly. Overall, education/training is based on what is needed in that profession precisely. According to him, SAMK provides more practical training together with theory in each field, which is a good learning experience and gives motivation to learn new skills and earn new knowledge. Practical training makes a student be ready for work life which is great aspect in SAMK education. He as well mentioned that SAMK education is more focused for Finnish market. They target the job, employment for Finnish market. It would be great that the focus can be widen to more international market.  

Karolina: She mentioned that the studying environment is much easier here in SAMK, teachers are friendly, and they treat you equally. The focus of school is to help everyone to graduate. The school is modern and well equipped. Everything works smoothly here and is nice. Student events and organizations are a plus point. 

Matilda: She told us she had very good experience so far within SAMK and its education system. It is impossible to fail here which means teacher encourages us to pass and graduate and give all of us fair chances to succeed. Teacher and staff are supportive. Food is cheap as well. 

Q3. How do you compare both education systems? 

Rassendyll: According to his experience he told us back in his country social activity, interaction plays a huge role and is part of education system. They had various clubs’ activity provided to student for enhancing their additional skills. They had journalism club, sports club, writing club and many more kind of clubs provided by universities to students, and it helps their social skills as well. While in SAMK he has not been exposed to any kind of these activity and even though there are games and social event parties they are very closed group.  

Karolina: She told us sometime forced environment prepare you for upcoming life difficulties. According to her even though things were hard and pressurized during her academic year in her country still it has taught her various skills that is useful now in her life. While in SAMK she said she has right to choose that put her to ease. 

Matilda: She said both schools have its own strength and helped her to develop. She said the schooling in Luxemburg made her competitive and she gained language skills while in SAMK you have right of choice. Workload in SAMK is easier and you have free days which help student to work on their pace instead of pressurizing themselves.  But sometimes she finds herself less motivated to use free independent time to study as she need push from within herself. 

Wao, amazing! Each of their experiences differ so much from each other and from SAMK education system. Almost all of them have had strict school environment which has affected their future greatly, in some ways the effect has been positive while in other ways it’s been negative. Having a strict environment helps the student to be well-behaved, responsible as well as improve social and personal skills while on the other hands it can also have negative effect especially in regards with mental health. 

In our opinion, it is important to make sure that the schooling being provided to students should be thoroughly planned and implemented with giving equal rights to all students. Students do not learn by memorizing subjects or studying theories, they learn by understanding and practicing their skills to be able to become successful in life. They deserve to be given choices and chances in life to find the best and suitable career for themselves. It is important to motivate them instead of being too strict with rules which often results in demotivation of learning new things. With that being said, rules and regulations are extremely important to be able to make a system work and to be able to teach students the values and its importance. Rules are important but students’ wellbeing should not be affected by those rules. 

With this, we would like to end this blog here by saying thank you to the readers. We would like to mention to the readers that everything written in this blog is pure personal opinion and personal experience of different students. Hope you enjoyed reading😊. 

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Physiotherapy student Julien Bobet shares his journey as an intern at Soteekki, and the experience doing a podcast

Written by nursing student Tatenda Malan

At Soteekki practice there is possibility to take advantage of any opportunity to further prospective careers, noting that making available opportunities strengthen both student personal and professional development.

Julien Bobet is a second year physiotherapy student and has just completed a successful entrepreneurship internship with Soteekki. During his five-week period, Bobet worked diligently to promote various social and health projects, including a hands on experience at podcasting.

We spoke to Bobet and asked him if he  had any prior experience of doing podcasts and what inspired him to do podcasts.

Doing podcast at Soteekki was Bobet’s first and only experience doing podcast: “I like to have a conversation with people and get the time develop a subject.”

“The good thing of it is its uncertainty, you can plan questions and time, but you want to have a conversation with your guest and you never know where it leads. Of course, you can always come back to tracks but never be afraid to dig in an information your guest gave you,” he adds.

For him to be able to do the podcasts, Bobet explains that he had to develop a concept by identifying the goals. Once the goals were in place, it was time to personalise the podcasts by selecting themes he always had in mind that which he thought he shared with listeners.

First podcast was about physiotherapy as a preventing tool. They interviewed physiotherapy teacher Maija Kangasperko and discussed on how to implement physiotherapy as a preventative therapy to patient before it’s too late, and to see what support there is from government, organization. Second podcast is made about having practical training in RoboAI Lab. Podcasters were interested in the implementation of new technology in health care and asked student Lorenzo Roccheggiani´s personal thoughts about his practice. Third was about triathlon and interview was done with teacher Kati Karinharju. They talked about her journey in the sport, community, training, different distances, and the fact that having fun can go together with performance. 

Bobet advices for effective podcast interviews, podcasters must prepare carefully, focusing on questions that induce the interviewee to talk freely. “Gathering with your pair, suggesting ideas, agreeing on a topic and a guest and writing some questions. What you are passionate about or just like the topic you kind of  know what you talk about, you share the experience and or you learn.”

He adds, “have on mind that you only have 20 minutes, and that goes fast so if you have a guest, it’s nice to let him or her talk as much as possible.”

Asked what he learned from doing podcasts and possibilities to enhance his own professional knowledge, Bobet says “learning from personal experience is great you can relate to it. People have great stories to tell when they are passionate about the topic. If you have fun or are inspired during it there are great chances for the listeners to feel the same.”

“Be interested in the story your guest tells more than in your questions. Podcasts are meant for discussion not for interviews.” He says that asking unwritten, and the information the guests helped him grow professionally, “I think that will help me when interviewing patients before treatment.”