Nursing degree path studies for nurses from outside the EU, blended studies, Kemi, autumn 2025-spring 2026

Education name: Nursing degree path studies for nurses from outside the EU, blended studies, Kemi, autumn 2025-spring 2026
Education type: Bachelor level
Scope of studies: 63 ECT
Implementation time: 01.08.2025 - 30.06.2026
Enrollment time: 24.03.2025 08:00 - 19.05.2025 23:59
Seats free: 8/10
Implementation type: Blended studies
Themes: Well-being and health, Human being and society, Safety
Price: 300€
Teaching language: English
Teacher: Sirpa Orajärvi

General information

Are you interested in university studies? Are you aiming for a bachelor’s degree?
Open UAS gives you an opportunity to study towards a degree.

Implementations

Competence in Health Care and Social Service System
Basic information
Identifier: A72D005-3002
Learning Objectives

You know how healthcare and social services are organised, produced, managed and supervised in Finland.
You know how societal decision-making is connected to the promotion of health and functional capacity.
You can guide customers in using public-, private- and third-sector healthcare and social services to promote health and well-being.
You are familiar with the data protection and security requirements concerning the processing of patient data in healthcare and social services.

Content

-Current legislation governing healthcare
-Multi-professional patient care and service paths
-Organisation of healthcare in Finland (management and supervision, healthcare and social service providers and the public, private and third sector)
-Data protection and information security in healthcare
-Customer and patient data systems, Kanta archive

Start Your UAS Studies
Basic information
Identifier: AMKO045-3002
Learning Objectives

Having completed this study unit
• You know Lapland University of Applied Sciences as a study environment, and you know the services and systems that support your studies.
• You develop your higher education readiness and skills as well as your information acquisition skills.
• You identify the factors related to your own study ability and wellbeing and consider how you can maintain your own study ability and how you can take care of your own wellbeing.
• You know how to use digital learning tools and make the most of them in your studies.
• You are familiar with the study guidance system, and you know the university's guidance actors.
• You get to know the curriculum of your education and create your own curriculum under guidance. You know the students and teachers in your group.
• You have the essential writing, speaking and presentation skills needed in managerial settings in business.
• You are able to communicate in a variety of business situations and identify and adjust to the ethical aspects of business communication.
• You are able to work as part of a multicultural team.
• You can use Lapland UAS templates.

Content

New degree students at Lapland University of Applied Sciences are oriented to their studies by this course. Course is divided to two parts. The first part of the course (2 ects), you will do independently in Moodle- environment, during the first month of study. In this part of course, you will get to know Lapland University of Applied Sciences as a learning environment. You will consider your learning abilities and acquire the skills and systems needed for your future studies.

The second part of the course (3 ects), will be hold on campus with your own educational fields’ teacher. In the Study Guidance and Curriculum section, you will get to know the other students in your starting group and start planning your own studies. Your own teacher will give the instructions for this part of the course.

Content:
• introduction to Lapland University of Applied Sciences
• studying at a university and developing university study skills and abilities
• studying in a multicultural group
• means of taking care of study ability and wellbeing
• developing knowledge acquisition skills
• services and systems that support learning
- roles of teachers and other guidance actors
- welfare services
- study administration services and systems
- IT, library and e-learning services
• digital tools for studying
- e.g. Moodle, Zoom, Teams, Cloud Services, Outlook , AI
- Microsoft Office tools
• studies and curriculum, planning your own studies, ISP
• writing, speaking and presentation skills
• communication skills

Guided Practice in Social and in Health Care Environments
Basic information
Identifier: A72D013-3002
Learning Objectives

You are able to plan, implement and evaluate the daily activities of patient or customer care in a responsible way.
You know how to work aseptically.
You are able to administer enteral and parenteral medications safely. You know how to guide patients in a way that promotes health.
You are able to interact professionally with patients, customers, relatives and staff. You can define your professional identity and develop your professional skills in terms of nursing competence and responsibilities.

Content

Guided Practice in Transforming Social and in Health Care Environments
Basic information
Identifier: A72D007-3002
Learning Objectives

3 cr = You are able to meet customers of different ages and in different life situations in the changing operating environments of the healthcare and social services sector.
You are able to interact with customers in a manner that is respectful and builds trust. You understand the roles of the different operating and service units as part of the care and service chain.
You can identify various third-sector providers and their cooperation as part of the healthcare and social service system.

5 cr = You are capable of professional and therapeutic interaction with customers/patients of different ages and backgrounds as well as their loved ones.
You are able to meet vulnerable customer groups from different cultures individually. You can work in multidisciplinary working groups and operating environments.
You can give service guidance by informing customers about different healthcare and social services and guiding them in making choices regarding the services.
You understand the need for change brought about by digitalisation in the changing operating environments of healthcare and social services.

Content

Nursing Finnish
Basic information
Identifier: NURSFIN-3003
Learning Objectives

Students develop oral and written communication skills at level B1.1 (CEFR) and are familiar with the nursing language in the Finnish context. Students expand their vocabulary and structures to the topics related to nursing. Students can communicate in simple, familiar, and routine nursing-related tasks in the hospital, health care center, elderly care, and home care. Students are able to describe in simple terms aspects of his/her working environment, and matters in areas of immediate need using professional social interaction.

Content

Content

Practicing B1 level Finnish in
• reading comprehension
• writing
• listening comprehension
• speaking

in/with the following themes:
• health care and nursing
• sicknesses and medicines
• professional oral and written communication situations

Patient Education and Health Promotion
Basic information
Identifier: A72D0004-3002
Learning Objectives

You know the different stages of the patient education process and the most important patient guidance methods. You can identify health risk factors and target early support to those who need it. You can identify existing and new health threats and know how to include them in the promotion of customers’ and patients’ health.
You know the key concepts, principles, theories and providers of health promotion.
You can use various methods of promoting health and functional capacity for different target groups. You know the principles of customer-oriented structured recording.
You can observe the respiratory and circulatory functions of adults, know the normal functioning or these systems and can identify changes in them.
You know how to use the most common methods of assisting nursing in respiratory and circulatory problems.

Content

-Target-oriented patient education
-Patient-oriented and comprehensive use of education methods
-Customer and patient engagement and its improvement
-Public health and health promotion (the impact of nutrition, physical activity and sleep on overall health)
Healthcare information technology
-Structured recording
-Clinical nursing procedures: respiratory and circulatory control and monitoring methods (ABC: ECG, blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature and NEWS scoring) and nursing assistance methods

Anatomy and Physiology
Basic information
Identifier: A72D011-3002
Learning Objectives

You are familiar with the key concepts related to anatomy and physiology.
You can name and locate bones, joints and their parts and describe their structures and functioning. You can name and locate the main superficial muscles and describe their structures and functioning. You can name the main structures of the heart and blood vessels and describe their functioning.
You can name the structures of the respiratory system and describe its functioning. You can name the structures of the digestive system and describe its functioning.
You can name the structures of the urinary system and describe the formation of urine and the functioning of the organ system in the regulation of fluid and acid-base balance.
You can name the structures of the main sensory organs and the nervous system and describe their functioning. You understand the hormonal regulation of the body and can describe the functioning and regulation of the most important hormones in nursing.
You understand the body’s thermoregulatory mechanisms.

Content

-Key concepts of anatomy and physiology
-Key structures and functions of the human body: tissues, the musculoskeletal system, the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the digestive system, the urinary system and fluid balance, the senses and nervous system, hormonal regulation and thermoregulation

Evidence-based Competence in Nursing
Basic information
Identifier: A72D0001-3002
Learning Objectives

You are able to define the key concepts of nursing and describe the nursing process.
You are able to discuss the importance of nursing values, ethical principles and guidelines in nursing and in your work.
You are able to identify ethical problems in nursing and discuss ethical conflicts. You are able to identify your strengths for professional growth.
You understand that nurses’ work is based on evidence and scientific nursing knowledge. You can describe nurses’ role in evidence-based nursing and know the main sources of evidence.
You are able to search for data in healthcare databases and scientific publications and process and evaluate them.

Content

-Nursing process and key concepts
-Nursing values, principles and ethical guidelines and decision-making
-Nurses’ professional competence requirements
-Evidence-based practice and nurses’ role in evidence-based care
-Healthcare evidence data sources

Competency in the Fundamentals of Medication, Pharmaceutical Calculation and Pharmacology
Basic information
Identifier: A72D012-3002
Learning Objectives

You know the key aspects of pharmacotherapy competence required of nurses as well as nurses’ responsibilities and ethical principles in the pharmacotherapy process.
You are familiar with the legislation that governs pharmacotherapy.
You can describe the principles of pharmacotherapy and pharmacology. You understand the most common side effects and interactions of drugs.
You can describe a safe uninterrupted pharmacotherapy process and understand the importance of a pharmacotherapy plan in the implementation of a safe pharmacotherapy process.
You know how to use reliable pharmacotherapy databases.
You are able to administer drugs by the natural route and give injections subcutaneously and intramuscularly based on evidence.
You master the medical dosage calculations required of nurses.

Content

-Nurses’ duties, responsibilities and ethical principles in the pharmacotherapy process
-Principles of pharmacotherapy and pharmacology
-Uninterrupted pharmacotherapy process
-Pharmacotherapy safety
-Pharmacotherapy databases
-Principles of enteral and parenteral pharmacotherapy
-Injections: SC, IM (deltoid, ventrogluteal and thigh) and ID
-Medical dosage calculation

Safety in Nursing
Basic information
Identifier: A72D0003-3002
Learning Objectives

You deepen your knowledge of the different stages of the nursing process.
You know how to promote patient safety and prevent dangerous events in nursing.
You know the principles of work ergonomics in nursing and know how to apply them in patient care. You know the principles of infection control in nursing and know how to apply this knowledge when implementing infection control.
You can identify and assess patients’ needs in terms of rest, nutrition, excretion, cleanliness, movement and interaction, and you can plan and implement related nursing assistance methods in accordance with patients’ individual resources.
You know how to act in situations that require first aid.

Content

-Aspects of patient safety
-Patient safety legislation and ensuring patient safety
-Ergonomics in nursing
-Aseptic work, hand hygiene and common precautions
-Microbiology
-Diagnostic examinations (venous blood sampling)
-Clinical nursing procedures: nursing assistance methods related to patients’ daily activities, such as
hygiene assistance (basic care, bed washes), skin condition, pressure ulcer prevention,
taking care of nutrition (assisting with eating, NG tube insertion),
taking care of excretion needs (single and permanent bladder catheterisation, bowel function, excretion aids)
-Dying patient care
-Basics of first aid

Professional Interaction and Communication in Multicultural Nursing
Basic information
Identifier: A72D0002-3002
Learning Objectives

You know how to interact professionally and dialogically with customers and patients of different ages and backgrounds as well as their loved ones.
You know how to take customers’ and patients’ cultural background into account when you interact with them. You know how to act professionally and ethically in various interaction situations as well as digital environments.
You know how to follow work community skills in a multi-professional and multicultural work community. You know how to communicate verbally and in writing in a competent manner, following sector-specific practices and Lapland UAS guidelines.

Content

-Humane and respectful nurse-patient encounters
-Cultural sensitivity in nursing and work communities
-Cultural background in customer encounters and interaction
-Customer-oriented dialogic interaction
-Multi-professional work communities and teamwork
-Goal- and situation-oriented verbal and written communication in work and study situations

Additional information

Target group
The path studies are intended for nurses resident in Finland who have completed their nursing degree outside the EU. You cannot apply with a degree in practical nursing only, but a degree in practical nursing completed in Finland will speed up your path. The studies are implemented at the Kemi campus according to an individual study plan. There are study days at the campus that require attendance according to the individual study plan, and each student should be prepared for compulsory campus days on a weekly/monthly basis. The studies require commitment to studying, motivation, self-guidance and sufficient linguistic, mathematical and IT skills. The student must have their own computer (laptop).

You have the possibility to complete these studies in Finnish or English.
If you wish to complete your studies in Finnish, good Finnish skills are required (at least level YKI 3 in the national certificate of language proficiency, in which case ¾ of the subtests must be passed). It is possible that some of the studies will be implemented in English. Please note that if you decide to complete your studies in Finnish you don’t need to pay tuition fees.
If you want to study in English, you will need to have a good command of English. The student must demonstrate their English language skills either by taking an international language test or through previous studies. It is possible that some of your studies will be in Finnish, in which case good Finnish skills are required (at least level YKI 3 in the national certificate of language proficiency, and ¾ of the subtests must be passed).

Enrolment
Students will be accepted for path studies in the order of enrolment. Enrolment is binding, and the number of study places is limited. Original degree certificates will be checked when the studies begin.
Note: If you are unemployed, please identify the impact of studies on unemployment security beforehand from the TE services.

Studies
Path studies are primarily the first academic year’s studies. Studying takes place in groups of degree programme students according to timetables. For a more detailed description of the first year’s studies, see the course links below. Open University of Applied Sciences (Open UAS) students have the same study requirements as degree programme students.
A limited right to study will be granted for Open UAS studies. The right to study only applies to studies that are indicated in the description. When drawing up an individual study plan, previously acquired skills are identified and recognised.

Becoming a degree programme student
After you have completed the path studies (63 credits), you can apply for a degree programme student position at Lapland UAS through a separate application (Open UAS application). Credits from path studies completed at Open UAS can be transferred after you have submitted an application and been accepted as a degree programme student. As a degree programme student, you will usually continue your studies in the same group of students in Finnish or English nursing education. In an English degree programme, students may be subject to a tuition fee. More information: Tuition Fee at Lapland UAS - Lapland University of Applied Sciences. If you have any questions related to the tuition fees, please do not hesitate to contact globalschool@lapinamk.fi

Content of studies
The maximum duration of the path studies is 1.5 years. For more detailed study module information and content, click the name of the study module below.
More information on open studies is available at www.lapinamk.fi/en/Applicants/Open-University-of-Applied-Sciences, avoinamk@lapinamk.fi and sirpa.orajarvi@lapinamk.fi

Implementations included in path studies

Autumn 2025, 30 ECTS
Start your UAS Studies 5 ECTS
Evidence-based Competence in Nursing 5 ECTS
Professional Interaction and Communication in Multicultural Nursing 5 ECTS
Competence in Health Care and Social Service System 5 ECTS
Competency in the Fundamentals of Medication, Pharmaceutical Calculation and Pharmacology 5 ECTS
Nursing Finnish 5 ECTS

Spring 2026, 33 op
Safety in Nursing 5 ECTS
Patient Education and Health Promotion 5 ECTS
Anatomy and Physiology 5 ECTS
Guided Practice in Transforming Social and in Health Care Environments 8 ECTS
Guided Practice in Social and in Health Care Environments 10 ECTS

Ask more

avoinamk@lapinamk.fi

Contact us, we are happy to help!