Recruiting healthcare staff

Recruiting healthcare staff is a central challenge in Finland’s healthcare system, facing a growing patient number and resource pressures. Therefore, it is vital that well-being regions, the City of Helsinki, the HUS consortium and recruitment companies collaborate strategically and innovatively to attract and retain qualified healthcare staff.
Recruitment of healthcare staff in Finland
The first step in effective recruitment is identifying the needs and specific requirements of healthcare institutions. This means understanding individual requirements, such as specialized skills, language proficiency and experience. Additionally, it’s important to recognize the cultural and social demands of the workplace, which can affect employee satisfaction and commitment.
Another key factor is active and targeted marketing. Recruitment companies should utilize a multi-channel approach, including digital marketing, social media, professional fairs and direct search. Particularly, strengthening digital presence and developing an effective employer brand are key in attracting younger generations to the healthcare field.
Understanding
Thirdly, international recruitment offers a significant opportunity to fill open positions. However, this requires a thorough understanding of immigration policies, language training and integration processes, essential for the successful adaptation of foreign workers in Finland.
Trust and transparency
Moreover, transparency and ethics in the recruitment process are crucial. Ethical practices, such as transparency in employment terms and fair treatment, are key factors in creating trust and long-term relationships with job applicants.
Education and skill maintenance
Finally, ongoing education and development opportunities are key factors in attracting and retaining healthcare staff. Well-being regions and recruitment companies should work in collaboration with healthcare institutions to offer continuous training programs that support professional development and meet the constantly changing requirements of the field.
In summary, recruiting healthcare staff in Finland requires a comprehensive approach that combines understanding individual and professional needs, multi-channel marketing, expertise in international recruitment and a commitment to ethical and transparent recruitment practices. These elements can strengthen Finland’s healthcare capacity and ensure the availability of high-quality care in the future.
Valvira supervises work in the social and healthcare sector in Finland.
Valvira is the central government agency under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, supervising the appropriateness of social and health care, early childhood education, the alcohol industry and environmental health care. Valvira grants licenses in the social and health care administrative sector and guides regional state administrative agencies.
Working in the social and health care profession in Finland often requires a license granted by Valvira. Valvira grants the right to practice a social and health care profession based on an application, for both domestically and foreign-trained professionals.
Application instructions vary depending on whether your education was completed in Finland, within the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) member states, or outside the EU or EEA. From Valvira’s website, you can find application instructions by first selecting the professional right you’re applying for and where you completed your relevant education.
The competency requirements for healthcare staff, such as nurses and practical nurses in Finland, are multifaceted and demand both a broad set of skills and a deep commitment to promoting patient well-being. It’s important in the recruitment process to recognize and value these requirements to ensure the provision of high-level care.
Nurses’ competency requirements
Nurses are highly educated professionals whose education in Finland lasts about 3.5 years, culminating in a polytechnic degree. Their competency requirements include:
- Broad health knowledge: Nurses must understand the complexity of health and diseases and manage the patient care process holistically.
- Clinical skills: This encompasses the ability to perform a variety of care procedures, such as medication management, wound care, and monitoring patient vital signs.
- Decision-making ability: Nurses must be able to make independent decisions in patient care and act quickly in changing situations.
- Interaction and communication skills: Important for working with patients, their families, and other healthcare professionals.
- Ethical principles: Nurses must act according to professional ethics, respecting patients’ autonomy and privacy.
Practical Nurses’ competency requirements
Practical nurses are an essential part of Finland’s healthcare system, with their education lasting about 2.5 years, leading to a vocational qualification. Their competency requirements include:
- Basic care skills: The ability to take care of patients’ daily basic needs, such as personal hygiene, eating, and mobility.
- Illness and disability care: Practical nurses must be able to assist in medical procedures and provide support in illness care.
- Rehabilitative approach: To promote patients’ functionality and independence as part of the care team.
- Social skills: The ability to create a sense of trust and safety for patients, especially important in elderly care and disability work.
- Multicultural competence: Understanding and sensitivity towards different cultural backgrounds, increasingly important in Finland’s diversifying society.
Common competency requirements
Both nurses and practical nurses must continuously update their skills through education and work experience to meet the changing demands of healthcare. Additionally, both must have a good command of the Finnish or Swedish language.
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