Bachelor of Health Care | Public Health Nurse

Public Health Nurse – a promoter of public health

Do you want to study in Finland to become a Registered Nurse and a Public Health Nurse?

As a Public Health Nurse, you can promote the health, functional capacity, and well-being of people and families of different ages in a wide range of areas. You know the field's theory and nursing practices, and how to apply them in varying client situations. You can identify clients and their families who are part of risk groups. You support and help them and guide them to the necessary help resources. 

As a Public Health Nurse, your future job opportunities will be wide. You can work with individuals and families while promoting the health of the entire population. Additionally, as a Registered Nurse, you can work in all areas of medical care.

To work as a nurse in Finland, you must learn the Finnish language. The main language of your studies is English, but we provide several Finnish language courses during your studies. In addition to this, our big student community and clinical practice placements offer you a good opportunity to practice the Finnish language. 

Feel free to join our big community of international students and acquire wide-ranging skills for the duties of a future Public Health Nurse!

Where can graduates work?

Based on theoretical learning and clinical training, a Public Health Nurse is a versatile expert in public health nursing, general nursing, and preventive health care. The bachelor's degree programme in Public Health Nursing qualifies you to work as a Registered Nurse (RN) and a Public Health Nurse throughout the European Union.

You can work, for example, in maternity and children's counselling, health care for school-aged children and adolescents, occupational health care, or home nursing care. You can also apply for nursing positions in both public and private medical care units and organisations. The education provides excellent skills for working abroad and the opportunity to work as an entrepreneur.

Job requirements for public health nurses

As a public health nurse, you must know how to act independently and collaborate with multidisciplinary and multi-professional teams. At work, you must be ready to make independent decisions based on researched information and treatment instructions.

Working as a public health nurse requires sufficient mental and physical health, and functional ability because you face changing situations in your work and are responsible for patient safety.

What do the studies include?

As a public health nursing student at LAB University of Applied Sciences, you will develop your professional skills, building upon existing knowledge. LAB's nurse training emphasises strong practical skills and patient safety, which are strengthened throughout the programme in our modern simulation centre. The scope of the studies is 240 ECTS credits.

• Common studies 13 ECTS
• Professional core competence 82 ECTS
• Clinical training 80 ECTS
• Complementary studies (public health nursing) 50 ECTS
• Thesis 15 ECTS

During the first year of study, you will familiarise yourself with safe and ethical nursing practices through theoretical learning, practical exercises, and real customer and patient situations. Additionally, you will enhance your information acquisition and communication skills. Theoretical studies are in English. Finnish and English are used in clinical training.

Clinical training

A large part of Registered Nurse and Public Health Nurse studies is clinical training in a genuine nursing environment. You will do clinical practice in hospitals, sheltered housing, schools, mental health services, maternity clinics, etc. During the clinical training, you will gain skills for promoting equality in work with individuals and work communities. Clinical training requires you to study full-time. 

You may not be able to find all your clinical placements in Lappeenranta. You might need to move to another city for a few weeks. These costs are not included in the academic year fee, so you must pay them yourself.