{"id":998,"date":"2026-05-18T14:24:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/?p=998"},"modified":"2026-05-18T14:37:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:37:03","slug":"from-asia-to-finland-journey-to-becoming-a-nurse-at-samk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/en\/from-asia-to-finland-journey-to-becoming-a-nurse-at-samk\/","title":{"rendered":"From Asia to Finland: Journey to Becoming a Nurse at SAMK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Source: Graphic Era University (2025) https:\/\/geu.ac.in\/blog\/bsc-nursing-scope-career-opportunities-skills-and-salary<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving to another country and rebuilding a professional career is never easy. For this person, the journey from Asia to Finland was filled with challenges, hard work, and determination. Today, she works as a nurse in the rehabilitation ward under the neurological department at Satasairaala, proving that persistence and passion can lead to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting a New Life in Finland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally from Asia. she has been living in Finland for almost ten years. She first moved to the northern part of Finland before later settling in west Finland with her Finnish husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before moving abroad, nursing was already an important part of her life. She became a registered nurse in her home country in the early 2010s. She always knew she wanted to continue working in healthcare. However, building a nursing career in Finland required new studies, language skills, and adapting to a completely different healthcare system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing SAMK and Studying Nursing Again<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, she began studying nursing at Satakunta University of Applied Sciences. Since she already had a nursing background, she was familiar with the field, but studying in Finland still brought new experiences and challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her studies became even more difficult when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Most classes moved online, including presentations and group work. Like many students during the pandemic, she experienced remote learning instead of traditional classroom education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the situation, she successfully continued her studies and graduated in mid 2020s. According to her, studying nursing itself was not too difficult because of her previous experience, but the biggest challenge was the Finnish language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Challenge of Learning Finnish<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language became the most difficult part of her journey. Even though she is married to a Finn, they mostly speak English at home, which limited her daily Finnish practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before fully entering the healthcare field, she worked as a cleaner and later worked with children in mental health services at Attendo. These experiences helped her slowly adapt to Finnish working life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that the best way to learn Finnish is by speaking as much as possible. She learned most of her language skills during practical training, harjoittelu<\/em>. Working directly with patients and colleagues gave her confidence and improved her communication skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also mentioned that language can become a major obstacle for many international nursing students in Finland. Some students\u2019 training was even cancelled midway because healthcare jobs require strong communication skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Internship to Full-Time Job<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important moments in this person\u2019s journey happened during her final internship at Satasairaala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before her internship ended, the hospital staff approached her and asked about her future plans and offered her a position in the neurological department. For her, this was a proud and emotional moment because it showed that her hard work had been recognized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, she could not fully work independently because she had not yet completed the L\u00e4\u00e4kehoidon osaamisen varmistaminen (LOve) medication exam required in Finland. After successfully passing the exam, she gained permission to administer medication to patients and became more confident in her professional role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working Life in Finland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She mentioned that in her home country, there was more of a hierarchy that was set in place. But in Finland, it was the opposite. She appreciates equal communication from person to person regardless of their occupation (e.g. doctor, nurse, physiotherapist). It gave her an easier time opening up to others about her concerns and even voicing out suggestions that she thinks could benefit the patient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was also highlighted that back in her home country, there tend to be medical devices that are missing or broken which prevents faster and more efficient care. Finland on the other hand, live up to the reputation of having the best healthcare system there is. Machines used in healthcare are present and are well maintained. Moreover, the prognosis of recovery was better than what she knew from back home due to Finnish healthcare\u2019s intensive and multidisciplinary rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Most Rewarding Part of Nursing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this person, the most rewarding part of her career is the positive feedback she receives from patients and colleagues. She shared that hearing patients appreciate her care makes her feel proud of her work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even small moments, such as a patient mentioning her positively before leaving the hospital, become meaningful rewards. Positive comments from occupational therapists and coworkers also motivate her to continue improving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These experiences remind her why she chose nursing as her profession many years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Source: Edge Hill University (2026) https:\/\/www.edgehill.ac.uk\/departments\/support\/international\/<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice for International Students<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This person\u2019s story (even while anonymous) is inspiring for many international students who hope to build a career in Finland. Her journey shows that success does not happen immediately. It requires patience, courage, and continuous learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her biggest advice is to practice Finnish as much as possible and do not be afraid to speak. Mistakes are part of the learning process, and confidence grows with experience. Don\u2019t be pressured because sometimes you may learn better when you are relaxed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, she suggests that when a student does their traineeship in a workplace, they should make an impression. Students can do this by showing that they take initiative, showing they are motivated to learn, and always up to do work tasks. She says students can also take initiative by asking if there is a job vacancy available in that workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another thing that she noticed is that students should not be afraid to ask questions regarding nursing care. She added that employees enjoy it more when a student has lots of questions. If you are unsure about something, ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From being a registered nurse in Asia to becoming a registered nurse in Finland, Her journey reflects determination, resilience, and the importance of never giving up on your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nilam Lama K C, Raphaela Alessandra Mendoza<\/p>\n\n\n

Soteekki Opiskelijat<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source: Graphic Era University (2025) https:\/\/geu.ac.in\/blog\/bsc-nursing-scope-career-opportunities-skills-and-salary Moving to another country and rebuilding a professional career is never easy. For this person, the journey from Asia to Finland was filled with challenges, hard work, and determination. Today, she works as a nurse in the rehabilitation ward under the neurological department at Satasairaala, proving that persistence and … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “From Asia to Finland: Journey to Becoming a Nurse at SAMK”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,31],"tags":[75,99,93,113,95,107,89,85,73,71,101,117,81,103,111,105,69,91,87,83,109,77,79,97,115],"class_list":["post-998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-soteekki-samk-studying","tag-advice","tag-clinical-practice","tag-elama-valmistumisen-jalkeen","tag-experience-in-finland","tag-harjoittelus","tag-hoitotyo","tag-immigrant","tag-immigrants","tag-international-student","tag-international-students","tag-internship","tag-job-advice","tag-kansainvalisia-opiskelijoita","tag-kielitaitoa","tag-kokemusta-suomesta","tag-language-skills","tag-life-after-graduation","tag-maahanmuuttaja","tag-maahanmuuttajia","tag-neuvoja","tag-nursing","tag-nursing-student","tag-sairaanhoitajaopiskelija","tag-tyoharjoittelu","tag-tyon-neuvoja"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=998"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1009,"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998\/revisions\/1009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soteekki.fi\/blogi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}