Students master the Finnish language in bilingual nursing programme

”Käsidesi, poikkilakana, puhdas [hand sanitizer, fitted sheet, clean].” This is how students from Nepal, Vietnam, and China respond when Tanja Tsokkinen, a nursing instructor, asks them about the new Finnish words they’ve learned during the day.

The aseptic techniques workshop is coming to an end, where students have practiced hand hygiene and aseptic work procedures, among other things. The students, who arrived in Finland and began their studies just over a month ago, are fluently putting the nursing vocabulary they’ve just learned into practice.

Students from Nepal, Vietnam, and China

Learning Finnish is a key factor in international students’ employment in the healthcare sector in Finland. Without sufficient language skills, one cannot work as a nurse. At the same time, language skills play a major role in students’ integration into Finnish society and, more broadly, in their motivation to stay in Finland after completing their studies.

One response to this challenge is the development of functionally bilingual education (TOKAKO). The model, which originated in the TOKASA project that concluded in 2025, is now being piloted at Laurea, and in March, a group of 50 students began their functionally bilingual nursing studies. The students in the group come from Nepal, Vietnam, and China.

Language learning integrated into coursework

In the TOKAKO model, language instruction is integrated into nursing studies right from the very beginning. This ensures that Finnish language learning gets off to an active start immediately, and an S2 teacher (teacher of Finnish as a second language) assigned to the group supports Finnish language learning throughout the entire program.  Implementing the TOKAKO model requires a new kind of close collaboration between the Finnish language teacher and the subject matter teacher.

“Finnish isn’t just learned from a textbook; it’s learned by doing, listening, and repeating in authentic nursing situations. When students can immediately apply new words and phrases to real-life situations, learning becomes meaningful and lasting,” explains S2 teacher Saara Helander.

Although the program is taught in English, Finnish language learning is integrated into every core course. The goal is to strengthen students’ Finnish language skills, thereby enabling them to complete the program’s required clinical placements and find employment in Finland. 

The TOKAKO educational model and language learning are supported by collaboration with Finnish-speaking nursing student groups.

“International students have noted in their feedback that integrating with Finnish students and building social networks is challenging. That is why we strive to organize joint workshops with Finnish- and English-speaking groups, which have been found by both sides to be extremely useful learning opportunities,” says Development Manager Paula Yliluoma.

Internships require strong language skills

Improving language skills takes time, and the TOKAKO program gives students the space to focus on developing both their nursing skills and their Finnish language skills. Students do not begin their first internship until their second academic year, when their Finnish language skills have developed sufficiently.

The Finnish language proficiency requirements for the first internship periods are high, which hinders the progress of international students’ studies

“It is precisely during the internship that students are able to build the interpersonal and professional language skills that are often expected of them in advance,” emphasizes S2 teacher Helander.

Favorite word is ‘sairaanhoitaja’

“Learning Finnish has been a lot of work, since we started learning the language from scratch. Luckily, our teachers help us a lot,” say Alisha Bhattrai and Rakshya Dhakal from Nepal, who began their nursing studies at Laurea in March.

“The first things we learned in Finnish were numbers and ‘my name is…’. My favorite word in Finnish is ‘sairaanhoitaja’ [nurse],” they continue.

In addition to aseptic techniques, the initial phase of studies has included, among other things, first aid training. During April, the TOKAKO group will also visit, for example, the nursing home of Laurea’s key partner, the Betesda Foundation, to learn about the daily routine of Finnish nursing care.

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