Education Minister says doctors' training programme for nurses to be reassessed in 2006

Tuula Haatainen

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Education Minister Tuula Haatainen (SDP) says that the present scheme, under which some nurses are undergoing training to become doctors, will be reassessed next year.
      The training programme, originally mapped out for 2003-2006, was aimed at helping to ease Finland's shortage of doctors by offering qualified nurses fast-track medical training. On Wednesday Haatainen said that she sees no need to change the training programme, even though only 11 of the 75 applicants were found to have the necessary qualifications for the course which began last autumn. The course had a capacity for 25 students.
      However, she indicated that some changes in the programme might be implemented.
     
Haatainen said that she felt that it is strange that the programme is only available at the University of Turku. "I feel that doctors' training for nurses should be available at other universities with medical schools."
      She noted that there have already been extensive changes to the training programme, which was initiated in 2003.
      Nurses now apply for medical school on the same basis as other students. The only difference is that there is an assessment of what parts of nurses' training and on-the-job experience can be counted to their credit.
     
The training programme has been seen as too long. It lasts 5.5 years, which is just half a year less than normal medical school.
      The original plan was for nurses to become qualified doctors in just three years. However, this had to be stretched out in order to meet the criteria of European Union directives.
      Doctors' organisations were very critical of the plan when it was initiated.
      Some criticism has also been voiced by Centre Party ministers who see it as a waste of economic resources for people to study nursing for four years, and then spend another 5.5 years studying to be a doctor.
      However, Haatainen points out that there are ministers, including herself, who have two academic degrees. "Education never goes to waste", she says.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Applicants wait eagerly for entrance examination results for fast-track nurse-to-doctor training programme (23.9.2003)
  Special medical school entrance exams planned for nurses (28.2.2003)

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