Curriculum 2008 – SHB08SN (in English)

LAUREA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

Degree Programme in Nursing (Laurea Hyvinkää, sote), SHB08SN

CURRICULUMS AT LAUREA

Learning Concept at Laurea

Universities of applied sciences have three tasks set by law: research and development, regional development, and
pedagogy. The integration of these tasks has led Laurea to seek solutions that optimise our ability to respond to
challenges. The aim is to produce graduates and who are investigative developers of their work and of the
workplace. We also hope to produce research-based development initiatives for the competence required at work,
with visible effects in our operating environments.
As members of an information society, we are caught in a flood of information. Information no longer has to be
provided; the most important thing is to learn to process and filter it to obtain important data to use and apply to
one’s own learning and development projects. Laurea also places importance on ensuring that students grow into
skilled experts. Participation in development projects allows students to handle real work processes and to learn to
use tools as concepts and skills. The work-oriented development projects provide learning for individuals and for the
target community. They also generate new knowledge for developing and reforming the labour market.


As members of an information society, we are caught in a flood of information. Information no longer has to be
provided; the most important thing is to learn to process and filter it to obtain important data to use and apply to
one’s own learning and development projects. Laurea also places importance on ensuring that students grow into
skilled experts. Participation in development projects allows students to handle real work processes and to learn to
use tools as concepts and skills. The work-oriented development projects provide learning for individuals and for the
target community. They also generate new knowledge for developing and reforming the labour market.

Learning environment

Laurea’s learning environment facilitates competence development for learners, organizations, region and partners.
The learning environment is a physical and psychological space that expresses the current culture, nature, time,
community and practices of development work. Thus, it forms a comprehensive operating environment for
competence development. The aim of the learning environment is to facilitate the achievement of learning results
while supporting the generation of new know-how and interaction within the operating environment. The learning
environment is an implementation of Laurea’s target-oriented development.
The learning environment utilizes internal and external networks and is in constant interaction with the world of work.
New knowledge and skills are acquired in authentic problem-solving and development tasks, which make the
complexity of the real world an object for competence development. Regional influence increases through enriching
communities and the networks that they form. Students use projects to learn the basics of networking, social skills
and communication with experts in the field. The meeting points between the industry and the study units are
significant in terms of the growth of expertise and competence development. Students grow into developers by
carrying out development tasks and by interacting in competence networks.


Students make use of diverse information sources and tools in their studies. Interactive learning environments are
used to create a framework for structuring learning so that it offers situations, challenges and tools that help learners
to utilize their own thought resources. The learning process becomes a continuous problem-solving process, with a
focus on research, development and generating new competence. Conscious and systematic development work is
used to formulate ideas and practices that boost development, and to generate new know-how. The result is a
creation, a new operating method, a model or a product.

The creation of innovative processes is easier in structures that allow space for informal creativity, innovation and
the promotion of things that motivate different participants internally. This work is characterised by communality and
a socio-cultural environment for learning. It is important to create a spirit of development.
Development work takes place in projects that combine competences from various fields of study. Project teams
consist of students, trainees, lecturers and workplace experts whose competences interact at the practical level.
Students use projects to complete study units, job placements or theses. Lecturers do not organize and set targets
for the project teams’ activities in advance; instead, the team members take joint responsibility for this. Students
receive experience of the culture of expertise and of working as equal experts. They increase their self-management
and set their own targets. Thus projects facilitate an unlimited learning process, where no glass ceilings are set by
curricula, textbooks or instruction. Learning by Developing enables individuality in learning.
Practical applications of innovative learning environments include initiatives and projects carried out as innovative
environments in networks, as well as various operating spaces designed for learning and development, skill hubs
and development labs. Work consists of collaboration based on shared expertise, which is supported by methods of
sharing competence, such as tutoring, lecturing sessions, demonstrations, team meetings, feedback events and
seminars.


Students

In Laurea’s work-oriented research and development projects, the concept of partnership implies cooperation
between lecturers, experts from the labour market and students. The cooperation is based on responsible
commitment to the project. All participants are seen as learners, because the development projects aim to produce
change and generate new things. Partnership also means mutual respect and appreciation for diverse skills. The
progress of the development project depends on sharing competence and building new competence out of different
areas of expertise. Students participate as partners who increase their competence by learning how to use new
tools and by taking part in various research and development initiatives. Competence is founded on research-based
knowledge, understanding the professional context, handling the necessary tasks and managing various workplace
situations, to the extent that these skills are needed for each student’s degree. In the development projects,
students learn as individuals while also participating in shared learning and in producing new know-how.

Lecturers

The role of lecturers in development projects can be described as that of an expert, a participant and a pedagogical
leader, who facilitates the students’ growth and development into experts in their fields. Laurea’s lecturers are in
other words researchers and developers, influential players in regional development and teachers.

Published reports by those teachers that work as researchers demonstrate the effectiveness of development
projects as reformers and developers of competence in the labour market. Some teacher act as developer and are
responsible for identifying and refining the processes of development projects. The third role of lecturers is in
workshops, which transmit and share cultural knowledge, and provide students with tools. Lecturership also involves
partnerships with the labour market. The industry experts participating in development projects contribute the
knowledge contained in workplace competence, while lecturers ensure that evidence-based data are available for
explaining this competence. They join forces to produce new know-how for developing and reforming the labour
market.

Competence evaluation

The evaluation of competence in Learning by Developing directs future choices and demonstrates how well targets
have been met. Competence is seen on the one hand as knowledge of information, skills and values, and on the
other hand as experiential competence, which includes individuals’ and their community’s know-how. Evaluation in a
development project looks at individuals’ and the project community’s learning, the progress and significance of
different processes, and the results achieved.
Evaluation is based on the objectives provided in the competence-based curriculum. These objectives define the
requirements that students have to meet to achieve their degrees. The generic competences describe the
competences shared by all Laurea students as meta-competence placed in a professional context. Themes, on the
other hand, define the substance of subject-specific competence, which is deepened by the generic competences.
The generic competences build a level of education needed at a higher education institution and at work;
meanwhile, the themes build competence needed for employment. The generic competences are defined on three
levels. Students choose the level they wish to achieve in each generic competence together with their tutors, and
these desired levels are used as a basis for the study plan. Progress in the generic competences is measured
qualitatively through portfolios. The study units are graded on a scale of 1 to 5. These grades are shown on the
students’ degree certificates.


LAUREA´S GENERIC COMPETENCES
Laurea´s generic competences

In addition to core competence in the field, five general areas have been defined at Laurea which are important for
professionals in all areas to master. These are called generic competences. The generic competences are
developed during the studies, and the level of competence is also evaluated. The curriculum’s generic competences
have been determined by analysing shared competences needed in different employment sectors in the future.
The shared generic competences for all degree programmes are:
· ethical competence
· globalisation competence
· innovative competence
· reflective competence
· network competence


Generic competences are closely linked to the contents of the study units.

The generic competences are structured through levels. Each competence has been categorized further, comprising
the personal competence level, organisational competence level and social reform level. The targeted generic
competence levels have been defined in the curriculum for each degree programme. All Laurea BA students must
reach at least the personal competence level in all generic competences. In the case of many generic competences,
the social reform level cannot be achieved until in connection with a Master’s degree.

Ethical competence

Morals refers to an individual’s conception of right and wrong, whereas ethics refers to moral choices to which the
individual is consciously committed. Ethics is a systematic attempt to understand moral conceptions. It consists of
ethical rules and principles, virtues and values. In the generic competence of ethical competence, morals and ethics
are fundamentally linked together, because students’ moral competence forms a basis for their ethical competence.
Ethical competence consists of four components: (1) ethical sensitivity; (2) ethical motivation; (3) moral-ethical
problem-solving; and (4) ethical implementation skills.

In order for student activities to be ethical, they must be sensitive to ethical problems contained in different
situations. Ethical sensitivity refers to the ability to recognise the special characteristics, needs, rights and
responsibilities of each party. It includes awareness of how one’s own actions affect other people’s well-being, and
involves envisaging and anticipating various action plans and their consequences for each party. Empathy and the
ability to put oneself in another’s position form the core of ethical sensitivity. Students also need knowledge of the
special characteristics of major customer groups and ethical problems in the sector. Ethical sensitivity is
characterised by professional interaction skills, which are a target for active development throughout each degree.

Ethical motivation refers to committing to moral-ethical values and taking responsibility for one’s own actions. The
students’ responsibility grows from the personal level to the communal and social levels. In order to develop their
ethical motivation, they must also know the value bases of their fields and participate in discussions on values.

Moral-ethical problem-solving refers to the ability to solve ethical problems through critical argumentation. It requires
consideration of various possible solutions, as well as knowledge and application of the ethical norms and
approaches of the field. Continuously developing competence includes the skill to solve problems in interpersonal
relationships, work communities, communities and the global environment, and the ability to justify these solutions.

Moral implementation skills refer to the ability to take target-oriented action to solve ethical problems (negotiation
and conflict-solving skills), as well as the courage to act in accordance with ethical values, even in complex
situations. In order for professional activities to be ethically sustainable, competence must be developed in all these
areas of ethical competence..

Levels of ethical competence

At the personal competence level, students are able to:
•    reflect on their own values and the consequences of their actions on other people’s well-being
•    work with a basis in the profession’s values, following ethical principles
•    apply the field’s ethical norms to problem-solving
•   examine situations from different parties’ perspectives
•   work in a tolerant and understanding way in multicultural networks
•   apply ethical principles to R&D projects


At the organisational development level, students are able to:
•    take into account the special characteristics, needs and rights of major customer groups in their work
•    build customer-oriented interactions and work dialogically
•    assume responsibility for the welfare of the community and the ethics of the work done
•    examine ethical issues from the point of view of the organisation and the community
•    develop fair methods of proceeding in their work


At the social reform level, students are able to:
•    critically reflect on their own attitudes and prejudices
•    actively participate in social debates on values
•    assume responsibility at social and global levels
•    make arguments in favour of fair social and global changes
•    solve conflicts and influence issues


Globalisation competence

Globalisation refers to series of events and processes that cause the world to merge into a single, all-encompassing
social system. In other words, globalisation refers to the processes by which things acquire worldwide scope.
‘Globalised’ refers to worldwide phenomena and the results of the globalisation process: a fully integrated world.
Sustainable development in relation to globalisation is a globalised political programme, whose aim is to increase
welfare with environmental responsibility, within the limits of environmental capacity.

Global interaction can be classified as financial, cultural, political or social interaction. The science of
globalisation also includes questions of ecology and biology. Sustainable development brings all these dimensions
together, with the aim of observing economic growth, cultural diversity, social welfare and ecology in politics and
practice.

Levels of globalisation competence:

At the personal competence level, students are able to:
•    make use of international sources of information in the field
•    take into account the effects and opportunities of multiculturalism and internationalisation on their fields
•    recognise the significance of their professional actions in relation to global interactions and sustainable
     development
•    evaluate their own value bases from the point of view of sustainable development and globalisation, and apply
     them to their work


At the organisational development level, students are able to:
•    take into account the effects of their own sector and its organisations on sustainable development, responsibility
     and international connections
•    promote the values of environmental and social responsibility in organisations in the sector, taking into account
     global interactions
•    apply responsibility for sustainable development to an organisation in the sector
•    work in international networks


At the social reform level, students are able to:
•    recognise the global nature of social issues and the characteristics of sustainable development
•    critically evaluate social values and practices from the point of view of sustainable development, taking into
     account global interactions
•   make arguments at social level, applying the principles of sustainable development and taking into account
    global effects


Innovative competence

All of the processes of our modern society are undergoing constant changes. Laurea has followed the examples of
the EU and Finland in choosing a positive attitude towards change as one of its strategic operating methods. The
aim is not just to cope with change but also to see it as an opportunity, which requires constant innovation in order
to be embraced. According to these strategies, future professionals must have abilities in innovation, so it is
essential to include innovative competence in Laurea’s generic competences.

Innovation refers to a novelty that is implemented to generate added value productively. There are three separate
elements to this definition: 1) novelty; 2) implementation; and 3) added value. In other words, an idea by itself is not
an innovation, nor does a wealth of ideas make a person an innovator.

The innovation process can be divided into three stages: continuous evaluation of the situation; generating
innovative ideas; and carrying out an implementation project. Innovation can take place on five levels: individual,
team, organisation, network and societal level.

At the personal innovation competence level, students learn to be innovative reformers at individual and
professional group levels. In addition, they should be able to participate in the implementation of change initiatives in
their immediate work environments.

At the organisational innovator level, students can start up innovation work in their own teams and use all the
innovation tools that exist in the organisation’s framework. In the increasingly network-oriented operating models of
the future, organisational innovators should also support active reforms as part of an informal network.

At the social innovator level, students can complete the tasks of the previous levels as well as continuously monitor
and analyse the operation of networks and the society. They can take larger frameworks into account in all change
processes and motivate people to work towards shared goals.

Levels of innovative competence:

At the personal competence level, students are able to:
•    analyse their own thought processes, knowledge and actions
•    plan, organise and develop their own work
•    set targets and turn them into appropriate, concrete actions
•    come up with new ideas, working creatively, expressing their thoughts and convincing others to participate in
     developing them
•    use various ideation methods
•    manage themselves, work during change and in diverse projects
•    conduct intermediate and final evaluations of a project


At the organisational development level, students are able to:
•    monitor and analyse an organisation’s work processes and results
•    use benchmarking in developing their work
•    use diverse teamwork methods
•    lead projects, processes and networks or participate in leading them in ways that inspire commitment in others
•    link innovation to an organisation’s strategic targets
•    take into account the nature and demands of innovation work


At the social reform level, students are able to:
•    gather ideas from a network, convince others of them and link them to the social framework
•    ensure that participants in innovation work are sufficiently committed (guidance, encouragement)
•    create and commercialise innovations
•    participate productively in innovation networks, and identify and investigate innovation mechanisms
Reflective competence




Reflection constitutes critical analysis of the principles, starting points and consequences of one’s actions.
Reflection can target the present moment or the past.

In the reflection of earlier experiences, an individual gives meaning to events. A new meaning makes development
possible. As cognitive skills and concepts develop, an individual is able to deal with broader entities, differentiate
phenomena and observe new ones more clearly.

In reflection of the present moment, simple, previously unconscious routine actions become conscious activity. In
critical reflection, an individual’s whole meaning-producing perspective changes as tacit knowledge becomes visible,
transforming learned matters into action. Critical reflection implies a relationship with communities, concepts and
theories.

Thus reflection is a thought process. Reflection is dialogue and problem-solving based on proven arguments. In
open dialogue between people, different perspectives provide new challenges. Learners participating in dialogue
can look at different perspectives in order to create shared meanings. Deep thought gives time and space for
solving encountered problems by examining and investigating them using research methods.

In order to extend their understanding of themselves in relation to other students, customers, work communities or
writers, students need skills in self-examination, critical peer evaluation and analysis of their own resources. Self-
management emphasises communality and shared participation. Critical awareness helps students to identify their
own learning opportunities and the factors that affect them. Shared reflection on their own activities allows students
to test their thoughts and share them with others. Reflection means professional growth and competence led by
human metacognitive abilities. In the process of becoming an expert, reflection forms part of an investigative and
developmental approach towards work.

Levels of reflective competence:

At the personal competence level, students are able to:
•    evaluate their own learning and competence and formulate a personal development plan
•    identify development challenges and understand problems
•    develop their competence independently and with others, and share what they have learnt in a work community
•    assume a role in a group/team
•    acquire and analyse information systematically


At the organisational development level, students are able to:
•    work dialogically, collaboratively and with self-evaluation
•    evaluate their self-management and professional competence as part of a community
•    evaluate their own work as part of a group, community or professional field
•    work during change, identifying and making use of various opportunities for learning and action
•    critically justify the principles of their work
•    apply the concepts of development challenges appropriately


At the social reform level, students are able to:
•    analyse their own actions in relation to social and historical backgrounds
•    evaluate and develop the functionality of regional operating methods and models
•    evaluate systematic information that has been structured, produced and written, and develop social activities on
     the basis of it


Network competence
The generic competence of network competence encompasses a broad range of competences, from individual
communication skills to organisation networking and strategic network leadership. Communication is essential to
communality and a functioning society. Only with communication can we create shared meanings. Networking and
the development of network processes are fuelled by interpersonal and interorganisational communication. In order
for social and economic structures to become networked, new kinds of skills and attitudes are needed in the
network’s participants. Dialogue and interaction are essential resources of a networked society. Laurea’s aim is to
promote and develop its students’ network competence in diverse ways, creating innovative network competence
models.

Network competence refers to time-based management of internal and external efficiency in order to significantly
increase the efficiency of common practices. Network competence can include networking and network leadership.
Network competence and strategic networks are often synonymous. Networking, on the other hand, is a
cooperation model for companies and organisations, and may involve operators from various fields. Network
leadership is the model used to manage a network.

Network competence is largely based on the communication skills of the people participating in the networks in
question. Without communication and interaction, there can be no functioning networks. Organisations must be able
to operate flexibly in a changing operating environment and also to influence the development of the environment. A
learning organisation has communication and interaction skills as a central tool for creating functioning networks and
developing network competence.

The generic competence examines network competence on three levels. The personal competence level (basic
level) focuses on developing communication skills and participation in networks. This is the basic level of network
competence, which must be mastered by all Laurea students. It is important for students to obtain good
communication skills in order to communicate effectively in various situations. Students must also be able to take on
active, target-oriented roles in networks.

The organisational developer level (intermediate level) centres on understanding the strategic significance of
network competence and partnerships, as well as on analysing and reflecting on his or her own actions from the
point of view of the company. Graduates must be able to identify strategic partnerships, promote the organisation’s
networking with their actions and create new network relationships. The most important thing is a proactive,
developmental approach towards network operations.

The social reformer level (advanced level) requires the ability to analyse the operation of entire strategic networks
in relation to their environment. This level is achieved by top experts in network competence. Graduates have the
ability to lead strategic networks (orchestration) and to anticipate complex social development trends (visioning).

Levels of network competence:

At the personal competence level, students are able to:
•    present things in writing, verbally and visually using various communication styles
•    act in situations requiring professional communication and interaction
•    identify various team work models and work in teams
•    participate collaboratively and actively in a network
•    take into account cultural differences and work with people with different cultural backgrounds


At the organisational development level, students are able to:
•    participate in and manage negotiations
•    participate in group communications
•    communicate on topics related to their specialist fields to a lay audience
•    develop the networked operations of a professional organisation
•    take initiatives in developing a network


At the social reform level, students are able to:
•    work as experts in communication situations
•    plan communications from a strategic point of view, and work with the media
•   initiate networked operations and lead a strategic network
•   adopt a developmental and predictive approach to work, and influence the work environment
•   monitor and analyse networks’ operating models


European higher education area

LAUREA´S COMPETENCE-BASED CURRICULUM FORMS PART OF THE EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION
AREA

Finnish higher education institutions have reformed their curricula in accordance with the Bologna Process, i.e., the
creation of the European Higher Education Area. The EU’s strategic targets for education also apply to Finnish
education. Each country has its own education system; this diversity is still taken into account, but cooperation and
mobility are also needed to allow the citizens of different countries to benefit from the diversity, rather than turning it
into a restriction. The Bologna Process started in 1999 at a conference of ministers responsible for higher education.
After that, Ministerial Conferences have been arranged regularly, with the latest one in Leuven in 2009. Currently
the process involves 46 countries, some from outside the EU. The aim of the Bologna Process is to establish a
consistent, compatible and attractive Higher Education Area in Europe by 2010.

The objectives of the process are:
• adoption of easily readable degree structures
• adoption of comparable degree structures
• establishment of a system of credits
• promotion of European cooperation in quality assurance
• increasing mobility
• participation of higher education and students
• lifelong learning
• promotion of European dimensions in higher education
• cooperation between higher education and research


To promote the adoption of easily readable, comparable degrees, the process has created a system based on two
main cycles: undergraduate (Bachelor level) and graduate (Master level). Finland has adapted its degree structure
to align it with this European objective. In universities of applied sciences, the two-cycle degree is implemented in a
way that students obtain a Bachelor’s degree, after which they have the opportunity of obtaining a Master’s degree.
The requirement for Master’s degrees is an undergraduate degree plus three years’ work experience. The long-term
objective is that approximately 20 per cent of Bachelor’s-degree graduates will take a Master’s degree.

The establishment of a system of credits refers to the ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).
Most European countries are adopting this credit system based on the amount of work in each academic year. In
the ECTS, one year of study produces 60 credits. The ECTS was adopted more than ten years ago; initially it
applied primarily to student exchanges, but now all credit accumulation (previously transfer) measurements are
made according to the system. Finnish universities of applied sciences adopted ECTS credits in 2005.

The ECTS is a student-centric system, based on the student workload needed to achieve the targets set for each
degree. The students’ learning process is intended to be the focal point of curricula, which define learning outcomes
and competences. Curricula should move away from a focus on individual subjects and the starting points of
teaching towards a model that observes the holistic development of students and supports professional growth. This
model is referred to as the competence-based curriculum.

From the point of view of promoting mobility, curricula must be internationally understandable. The aim of
standardising the structures and learning targets of degrees is to improve the conditions for mobility within and
between higher education institutions during the studies, and also in the workplace, after graduation. In terms of the
recognition and comparability of degrees taken in different countries, it is important to link learning outcomes to
concrete competence requirements and definitions in the labour market. These are the objectives of the “Tuning
Educational Structures in Europe” project. It has defined a number of shared generic competences that are
independent of subjects and fields of study, as well as subject-specific (professional) competences for certain
degrees.
Laurea’s competence-based curriculum takes into account the demands of the Common European Framework.
Studies are accumulated in the form of credits, while study units are larger entities. Competence is defined in terms
of the students’ learning outcomes. The generic competences defined at Laurea correspond with the national and
European learning outcomes considering the generic competencies and the objectives set for Bachelor-level
degrees in the “Joint Quality Initiative” -network. Comparisons have shown globalisation and innovative competence
in particular to be unique, so they are well suited to describing the competence produced at Laurea from the point of
view of an international university of applied sciences specialising in service innovations. Laurea’s innovative efforts
in relation to the competence-based core curriculum are a proactive response to the challenges of international
competitiveness in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Currently resources are being directed towards further enhancing
the quality of the curriculum’s implementations in generating new competence and innovations for Laura’s operating
environment.

Bologna Process
http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/Koulutus/artikkelit/bologna/index.html

Tuning Educational Structures in Europe
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/educ/tuning/tuning_en.html

Operating environment

Background factors affecting health are integrated into a society’s activities and development. Investments in health
produce positive results on all levels. The significance of health to a functioning and growing economy is marked
throughout society. The public sector, businesses, work communities and individual employees are all responsible
for health – for developing and creating content and methods to promote health, well-being and safety.

In order for health care operating environments to be cost-effective, efficient and influential, the knowledge and
compe-tence they contain must be reliable, up to date and high in quality. We can promote the health of the
population and of individuals by developing competence and opportunities, carrying out research and improving
operating methods, com-munication and health literacy. The nursing operating environment and staff competence
are regulated by Finnish and European legislation, which aim to ensure equal opportunities for health and well-
being. Cooperation between universities of applied sciences and various players from the operating environment
promotes networked partnerships, which contribute to customer-oriented services and generate innovative service
competence. Learning in the Degree Programme in Nursing takes place through research and development projects
carried out in cooperation with representatives of the employment market as well as other partners and players.

Welfare and health care services are produced by public and private organisations as well as the third sector.
Operating environments include customers’ homes, health care service communities, basic health centres,
specialist medical units, private companies, associations, organisations, and ICT and other welfare networks.
Electronic data systems, guidance and counselling services, service processes, as well as good practices and
operating models are all requirements for seamless customer-oriented service chains. A continuing challenge for
health care operating environments is the development of interactive welfare competence using ICT. Networking
between various experts, service providers and customers creates new, proactive kinds of cooperation, welfare
services and products. The integrative learning environments of a university of applied sciences can be used to test,
develop and evaluate various products, service models and practices related to welfare, before they are transferred
to real operating environments. Active participation in real-life projects and operating environments fosters the
development of service expertise.

The internationalisation of the operating environment is evident in meetings with customers with different cultural
backgrounds, in information searches, in the use of empirical data and in networking done using ICT. Various
players and partners in work communities also deepen internationalisation, its use and its opportunities.

Learning in the Degree Programme in Nursing takes place through research and development projects implemented
in cooperation with employers. Graduates of the Degree Programme in Nursing can obtain employment as service
experts in a changing, globalised operating environment.

Expertise

The Degree Programme in Nursing is described in a competence-based curriculum. Each generic competence is
examined in detail in the content of specific themes. The themes of the Degree Programme in Nursing (210 cr) are:
Investigating and Developing Nursing in Projects (30 cr), Humans and the Human Environment (30 cr),
Encountering Clients and Empowerment (30 cr), Nursing Interventions in Health Promotion (30 cr), Guidance and
Consulting Methods in Health Promotion (20 cr), Client-Oriented Nursing (25 cr), Innovation and Expertise in
Welfare Service Provision (30 cr) and Elective Studies (15 cr).

The theoretical basis of the Degree Programme in Nursing is multidisciplinary. The knowledge base lies in
information produced in health sciences, particularly nursing science. Scientific data are produced to explain, and
where possible to predict, states of health and changes in them, which means that they aim to identify causal
relationships and their principles. A development theory approach is applied when examining human health and
change periods from the points of view of the individual, the family and the society. The purpose of scien-tific data
based on a humanistic conception of knowledge is to understand and interpret the subjective and empirical state of
health and interaction of individuals, groups and communities. A critical conception of knowledge aims to produce,
generate and renew developmental operating models for health promotion. Phenomena related to nursing in
different operating environments and contexts are examined using an investigative and developmental approach.
The knowledge base used for learning lies in proven scientific data. The starting point is the Learning by Developing
method (LbD).

Competences

Competence in the Degree Programme in Nursing is focused on the perspective of health promotion. According to
the 1986 Ottawa Declaration, health promotion is based on the values of health care and municipal policy, which
aim to increase the health of the population and to reduce inequalities in the health of different population groups.
The declaration was approved at the WHO Global Conference on Health Promotion, organised in Bangkok in 2005.
This means that health promotion constitutes protecting, maintaining and fostering human health using various
measures. It includes increasing people’s control over their own state of health and its background factors. Health
promotion also involves preventing and treating illness and accidents.

Some of the professional competences of nurses are expertise in responsible nursing, knowledge-based and skill-
based professional competence in the field, ethical competence, health promotion competence, teaching and
guidance competence, cooperation skills, research and development competence, innovative service competence,
leadership competence, anticipation of the future of the sector and society, and welfare technology competence.

Competence development process

Professional competence comprises broad-based practical knowledge and skills for acting as an expert in the field
of choice (Polytechnics Act 351/2003, Section 4). Nursing and public health nursing experts have a broad
understanding of the position and significance of their field in society, as well as in national and international
employment contexts. They know the most important practical tasks of nursing, and are able to work independently
in tasks requiring expertise in the field (Polytechnics Decree 352/2003). Directive 2005/36/EC of the European
Parliament and Council regulates the professional competence of nurses and the education received by nurses in
charge of general practice nursing.


The development of a student into a nurse is a professional growth process which begins before the student applies
for education – at the time the career choice is made – and continues throughout the student’s career. Each
student’s growth and development to become a nurse forms part of his/her growth as a person. Professional growth
and development form a process in which the individual’s skills, knowledge, beliefs and values develop and change.
Through the professional growth process, students learn to carry out practical nursing tasks and deepen their
knowledge and abilities in relation to the substance of the profession. This development is closely linked to the time,
the nursing culture and the social situation. The knowledge-based and skill-based professional competences
describe the professional growth process in three levels of development: basic competence, intermediate
competence and advanced competence. The levels of competence are examined from the points of view of expert
orientation, method orientation, customer orientation and developer orientation.

Description of the Degree Programme

The core competences of the Degree Programme in Nursing are described as knowledge-based and skill-based
professional competence. In the curriculum for the Degree Programme in Nursing, the knowledge-based and skill-
based professional competences are grouped into themes of 20-30 credits each. The themes consist of study units
of 5-20 credits each. There are five generic competences common to all degree programmes; ethical, globalisation,
innovative, reflective and network competences. Generic competences are closely connected to themes and study
units. The common generic competencies and their levels are described in the common part of the curriculum.

Learning in the Degree Programme in Nursing progresses by themes. In their professional growth, students learn to
apply Learning by Developing and investigative work methods. Each student produces a thesis as part of a
development project. Students prove their professional competence by creating a portfolio, in which they
demonstrate their professional growth and development in nursing expertise in line with the degree programme’s
objectives. They deepen their expertise in nursing, selecting advanced learning environments that support their
personal study plans. The students’ service competence lies in customer-oriented, evidence-based and innovative
nursing



PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN PRACTICE

Practical studies (90 cr) are used in the Degree Programme in Nursing to foster competence in accordance with EU
directives. Practical studies consist of learning and a thesis carried out in accordance with each student’s personal
study plan in Laurea’s learning environments, work-shops and various kinds of social service and health care
operating environments. Innovative learning environments are used to foster learning by development in various
projects during the degree. In the Degree Programme in Nursing, job placements are carried out with links to
different kinds of welfare operating environments and players. Customer relationships form the core of learning. In
nursing, the viewpoints of the individual, the group and the community are all significant. Skills are acquired in
nursing as well as assistance and guidance methods through workshops and practical work in various operating
environments. Students complete most of their learning in basic health care, specialist medical care and third sector
operating environments. They practise working in multidisciplinary networks throughout the learning process.
Practical studies are also carried out in international student exchanges.

A true basis in the real world of work and network partnerships support the linkage between practical studies, the
thesis process and learning. From the start of their studies, students gradually commit to planning, implementing
and evaluating their own learning with a basis in projects. Practical studies are planned in relation to the content of
the themes. Learning evaluation is based on the competence level descriptions.

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING SPECIALISATION OPTION

The Public Health Nurse option is based on the Nursing programme and qualifies graduates to work as public health
nurses or ordinary nurses. The degree programme in Public Health Nursing, 240 cr, includes studies in Nursing and
Public Health Nursing. The professional studies leading to the Public Health Nursing degree are 60 credits in scope,
of which 30 cr are professional studies included in the Nursing degree. The degree in Public Health Nursing must
fulfil the requirements set for the Bachelor of Health Care in the field of social services and health care. Students
who have completed this specialisation option qualify as Nurses and Public Health Nurses. The specialisation
studies comply with the requirements set for nursing in Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council.
                                                     1. year       2. year       3. year       4. year
OP      STUDIES                                            60            60            60            30
118     INVESTIGATING AND DEVELOPING NURSING
        IN PROJECTS
00051   Learning by Developing                             10
00052   Tools for the Investigative Process                10
00053   Client Relationship Competence                     10
025     HUMANS AND THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT
00054   Foundations of Nursing                             10
00055   Health-Promoting Environment                       10
00056   Professional Development in Practice I             10
026     ENCOUNTERING CLIENTS AND
        EMPOWERMENT
00058   Professional Ethics                                                  5
00059   Interaction and Cooperation Skills                                   5
00060   Professional Development in Practice II                          15
00474   Nursing English                                                      5
027     NURSING INTERVENTIONS IN HEALTH
        PROMOTION
00062   Nursing Interventions                                                5
00445   Nursing Interventions, practice                                      5
00063   Supporting Client Resources in Transitions                       10
00064   Professional Development in Practice III                         10
028     GUIDANCE AND CONSULTING METHODS IN
        HEALTH PROMOTION
00065   Guidance and Consulting Competence                                                 5
00073   Welfare Entrepreneurship                                                           5
00066   Professional Development in Practice IV                                        10
029     CLIENT-ORIENTED NURSING
00068   Intensive Studies in Nursing                                                       5
00476   Leadership in Nursing                                                              5
00069   Professional Development in Practice V                                         10
00791   Nursing in Swedish                                                   5
00634   Oral skills in Swedish                                               0
00635   Written skills in Swedish                                            0
00446   Finnish Language                                                                   5
00636   Written skills in Finnish                                                          0
00637   Oral skills in Finnish                                                             0
030     INNOVATION AND EXPERTISE IN WELFARE
        SERVICE PROVISION
00043   Thesis                                                           15
00074   Developing Service Innovations, Practise                                           5
00071   Professional Development in Practice VI                                                      10
125     ELECTIVE STUDIES
00203   Initial Test in Swedish Skills                         0
00202   Initial Test in English Skills                         0
00397        Initial Test in Mathematics                                   0
00521        Initial Test in Finnish                                       0
00195        Preparatory Studies in Swedish                                3
00194        Preparatory Studies in English                                3
00388        Preparatory Studies in Finnish (as Mother tongue)             3
00189        Preparatory Studies in Mathematics                            3
00805        The Prevention and Care of Diabetes
00806        Drama as Health Promotion Tool
00811        Multicultural Nursing
00812        Neurology Nursing
00813        Maintaining Work and Functional Ability
00814        Care for Patients with Severe Mental
             Disturbances
00877        Getting closer from far away - Connections in the
             Environment of Caring TV
                                                                          60        60           60           30

Annual themes and competences
Study                                                            Extent        Competences
00051              Learning by Developing                        10            Reflective competence (H)
00055              Health-Promoting Environment                  10            Globalisation competence (H)
00056              Professional Development in Practice I        10            Ammatillistaidollinen
                                                                               osaaminen (H),
                                                                               Ammatillistiedollinen
                                                                               osaaminen (H)
00058              Professional Ethics                           5             Ethical competence (H)
00063              Supporting Client Resources in Transitions    10            Globalisation competence (O)
00065              Guidance and Consulting Competence            5             Network competence (H)
00073              Welfare Entrepreneurship                      5             Innovative competence (H)
00068              Intensive Studies in Nursing                  5             Reflective competence (O)
00476              Leadership in Nursing                         5             Network competence (O)
00069              Professional Development in Practice V        10            Ammatillistaidollinen
                                                                               osaaminen (O),
                                                                               Ammatillistiedollinen
                                                                               osaaminen (O)
00074              Developing Service Innovations, Practise      5             Innovative competence (O)
H - Personal competence level
O - Organisational development level
Y - Social reform level
118 INVESTIGATING AND DEVELOPING NURSING IN PROJECTS, 30 cr

Description:
Students become familiar with higher education and learning environments. Competence is based on the students’
commitment to planning, implementing and evaluating their own learning. LbD is used to direct the students’ path to
competence and professional growth. Service expertise is closely linked to knowledge and recognition of customer
relationships.

The student will be able to:
• plan, implement and evaluate his/her learning process and competence
• apply the tools of Learning by Developing in his/her studies
•apply research and development work methods to development initiatives and projects
• find information and evaluate it critically
• write clear reports
• identify phenomena connected to customership and service competence


00051 Learning by Developing, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• work in Laurea’s learning environment
• use the tools of Learning by Developing in their studies
• understand the research and development project as a learning environment
• formulate a personal study plan
• work independently and in various groups, and share their knowledge
• evaluate their own and others’ competence and use received feedback developmentally

Contents of the study unit:
• Learning by Developing (LbD)
• tools of LbD such as the personal study plan, business writing, project plans, networks, information literacy,
libraries
• Laurea’s IT learning environment
• virtual learning environment and software tools
• curriculum
• orientation towards skill-based and knowledge-based professional competence
• professional growth and development
• Personal Study Plan
• personal learning agreement
• portfolio
• tutoring

Study unit description:
The framework for the study unit consists of the Learning by Developing model, where an essential factor in the
students’ progress is the mastery of LbD tools in development projects carried out for employers and in their own
learning. Student evaluates his/her learning and skills, and prepares own development plan, develops acquired
skills independently and with others, and share the learned skills with the work community, takes a role in a group
and team.

Previous studies:
Students describe their own starting levels at the beginning of the study unit.


00052 Tools for the Investigative Process, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• recognise philosophical and ethical concepts related to science
• define the main elements of the research and development process
• identify the differences between qualitative and quantitative approaches
• develop their critical thinking
• understand the significance of an investigative approach in their fields
• acquire information critically from various sources
• understand the basics of various analysis methods
• read and report research data
• apply their competence to research and development projects

Contents of the study unit:
• philosophy and ethics of science
• research and development process
• research and development work methods
• qualitative and quantitative research
• qualitative material analyse
• statistical methods
• information gathering and investigative writing

Study unit description:
The study unit is based on developing skills in investigative thinking, investigative action and problem-solving
methods. The most important characteristic is an ethical and critical approach to work. The study unit looks closely
at development processes and practices in information gathering, data analysis, investigative writing and reporting.
The study unit gives the basic tools for working in projects and acts as a foundation for later research method
studies specific to each field of study. The students increase their research methodology competence in R&D
activities such as the thesis.


00053 Client Relationship Competence, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• recognise phenomena related to customer relationships and service expertise in welfare
• recognise diverse customer-encounter situations in companies’ and organisations’ various functions
• work in customer-oriented ways in varying situations, and evaluate and develop their customer work
• determine which factors produce customer satisfaction at different stages of the life cycle, and develop their work
accordingly
• monitor, manage, document and report customer information

Contents of the study unit:
• concept of humanity
• holistic being
• customer relationships as a concept, and the significance of customer information in a customer-oriented approach
• target customer groups
• customer encounters at different stages of life within the functions of a company’s or organisation’s service system
• customer encounters in the functions of a company’s or organisation’s service system
• customer satisfaction
• welfare service system, laws and ethics
• other sciences integrated (e.g. biology, anatomy, physiology, developmental psychology, sociology)
• first aid and medical care in exceptional circumstances

Study unit description:
Students learn the basic concepts of customer relationships, become familiar with customer-oriented thinking and
learn to work in projects in the welfare sector. The competence gained in the study unit relates to understanding the
significance of various customer groups for the operations and development of a welfare business or organisation. It
becomes evident in systematic information gathering and customer information analysis, which are used to
determine development objectives and to push operations forward.


025 HUMANS AND THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT, 30 cr

Description:
Students know how to promote people’s interests, health and a healthy environment in a globalising operating
environment. They can assume responsibility for the health support methods they have chosen and justify their
choices by considering the ethical consequences of their actions.
The student will be able to:
investigate the resources related to a person and his/her environment
• support customers’ resources and participation in health promotion
• plan, implement and evaluate nursing in a customer-oriented way


00054 Foundations of Nursing, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• recognise the stages of development in nursing
• determine the nature of nursing information generated through different scientific approaches
• justify their actions in accordance with the ethical principles of nursing
• plan, implement and evaluate nursing in a customer-oriented way
• use the best and most up-to-date information in decision-making and work
• draw up a nursing plan use good recording practices
• make use of computers and data networks as personal tools in recording customers’ and patients’ planned care
• take into account the content and significance of data protection and privacy legislation, rules and instructions

Contents of the study unit:
• central concepts of nursing (human, health, environment and nursing)
• history of nursing, future challenges and competence
• scientific-philosophical approaches
• philosophical approaches to nursing
• resource-centred approach in nursing
• individual-centred nursing, family nursing and community-focused nursing
• decision-making
• evidence-based nursing
• nursing interventions
• aseptics, ergonomics
• medical treatment and medical mathematics
• nursing process and documentation
• health care information management
• data protection and privacy
• medical science integrated (e.g. internal medicine, clinical physiology, gerontology, geriatrics)

Study unit description:
Competence is based on the philosophical and scientific principles and values of nursing, and on the legislation and
rules of the profession. The competence gained is evident as a planned, patient-oriented approach to nursing, and
as the ability to record nursing work and make use of information technology and data networks.


00055 Health-Promoting Environment, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• identify factors affecting health and the environment
• combine the significance of social and health care policy and national as well as international health care
programmes to promote the customer’s health
• use health promotion models in choosing health promotion methods
• assume responsibility for developing the health and safety of the environment
• evaluate their own value bases from the point of view of sustainable development and globalisation, and apply
them to their professional activities

Contents of the study unit:
• health, environment and health promotion as a concept
• social service and health care policy and service system; main control systems
• national and international health care action plans (e.g. Health 2015 public health programme)
• promoting the health of people of different ages
• environmental health effects
• preventing national diseases
• global challenges to health promotion
• other sciences integrated (e.g. public health science, epidemiology, microbiology, infectious diseases)

Study unit description:
The competence gained in the study unit relates to managing health promotion in various human communities and
environments. The focus is on influencing the environment’s physical, social and symbolic elements


00056 Professional Development in Practice I, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• promoting the health of humans and the environment at different stages of life in national public health
communities and environments
• information gathering and observation methods
• nursing interventions
• safe medical treatment
• aseptics and ergonomics
• documentation

Contents of the study unit:
• promoting the health of humans and the environment at different stages of life in national public health
communities and environments
• information gathering and observation methods
• nursing interventions
• safe medical treatment
• aseptics and ergonomics
• documentation

Study unit description:
The competence acquired in the study is an ability to support the health of individuals, families and communities.
The competence is based on an operating model that focuses on health-based and family-based resources.

Knowledge-based and skill-based professional competences are integrated into the health care environment and
the students’ skills are evident in their professional growth and development. Students evaluate their own learning
and skills and prepare personal development plans. The job placement is supervised, and support for professional
development comes from self-evaluation, peer evaluation and supervisors’ evaluation.

The job placements to promote professional development take place in Laurea’s learning environments and
projects, as well as in public social and health care units and private nursing and care units.

Previous studies:
Students must have completed the studies promoting professional development set in the personal study plan
before the job placement.


026 ENCOUNTERING CLIENTS AND EMPOWERMENT, 30 cr

Description:
Students learn to work in nursing with a basis in the values, objectives and principles of the field. They can interact
professionally in diverse operating environments.

The student will be able to:
• recognise ethical sensitivity in their professional growth
• use their interaction and cooperation skills when interacting with customers


00058 Professional Ethics, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• work in nursing with a basis in the values, objectives and principles of the field
• recognise and analyse their own ethical thinking and its manifestations when working with customers, families and
work colleagues
• discuss ethical problems in the work community
• examine ethical issues from the point of view of the organisation and the society

Contents of the study unit:
• ethics and morals
• professional ethics in nursing
• ethical principles of nursing
• ethical questions in nursing
• ethical questions in medical treatment
• ethical problem-solving and decision-making

Study unit description:
Competence arises as well-grounded nursing work based on the values and principles of nursing. Students
demonstrate awareness of the aims of nursing and can follow up on the consequences of their actions as part of
nursing as a whole. Work is directed by the ethical norms and principles of nursing, which are concretised into an
ethical approach to work. Competence is based on developing one’s own ethics and examining it consciously in
relation to professional ethics in nursing.


00059 Interaction and Cooperation Skills, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• interact professionally with customers, groups and communities
• be truly present in cooperation with other people
• develop their verbal and non-verbal communication skills in encountering customers
• utilise and apply welfare technology
• analyse and reflect on their own actions and their consequences

Contents of the study unit:
• professional interaction and cooperation
• dialogue in cooperation relationships
• communication in a work community, health-related communications
• welfare technology

Study unit description:
The competence gained in the study unit relates to interacting naturally and professionally with patients, groups and
communities. The emphasis is on encountering and understanding other people, on being truly present in
encounters and on adopting a resource-supporting approach.


00060 Professional Development in Practice II, 15 cr

The student is able to:
• interact and cooperate professionally with individuals, families and communities
• recognise the internal and external resources of individuals, families and communities
• plan, implement and evaluate nursing
• recognise and analyse ethical problem situations and find ethically adequate solutions
• provide safe medical treatment
• take into account laws, decrees, recommendations and other official documents

Contents of the study unit:
• professional interaction
• ethical decision-making, evidence-based nursing
• laws, statutes, decrees and recommendations concerning the profession
• planning, implementing and evaluating nursing
• nursing interventions in different environments
• safe medical treatment
• multidisciplinary team work
Study unit description:
Knowledge-based and skill-based professional competences are integrated into the health care environment and
the students’ skills become evident in their professional growth and development. Students evaluate their learning
and skills and prepare personal development plans. Job placements are supervised, and support for professional
development comes from self-evaluation, peer evaluation and the supervisors’ evaluation

The job placements to promote professional development take place in Laurea’s learning environments and
projects, as well as in basic public health centres, special health care units, private companies, associations,
organisations and ICT networks or other welfare networks.

Previous studies:
Students must have completed the studies promoting professional development set in their personal study plans
before Job Placement II.


00474 Nursing English, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• communicate in English in their work communities and in a multicultural environment
• participate in a community of experts, effectively using acquired communication skills
• communicate on the topics of their fields of expertise using various channels
• apply information gathered from foreign–language sources


Contents of the study unit:
• oral and written professional communication
• main nursing terminology
• job searching; introducing oneself and one’s educational background and work experience

Study unit description:
The competence gained in the study unit is that of an opinion leader who can use different communication methods.
The framework for competence development is formed by organisations that use Finnish and English as their
working languages. Students attain at least skill level B2 as defined in the Common European Framework.


027 NURSING INTERVENTIONS IN HEALTH PROMOTION, 30 cr

Description:
Students will be able to select and implement nursing interventions in a customer-oriented way to promote and
support customers’ health. The learn to reinforce individuals’, families’ and communities’ resources during change.

The student will be able to:
• support individuals, families and communities in maintaining and promoting resources and abilities, and in
rehabilitation
• plan, implement and assess the state of health of acutely and long-term ill patients


00062 Nursing Interventions, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• describe the nursing process of patients who are acutely ill, chronically ill or awaiting surgery
• plan, implement and evaluate nursing
• choose and implement nursing interventions in a customer-oriented way in order to promote and support the
customer’s health and well-being
• help and support patients and their relatives through palliative nursing
• justify chosen assistance methods using evidence-based data
• use welfare technology in choosing the correct assistance method for each situation
• plan, implement and evaluate medical treatment professionally, taking into account the customer’s and their own
safety
• use medical knowledge in health care

Contents of the study unit:
• nursing process of acutely ill and chronically ill patients and patients awaiting surgery
• assistance and support
• diagnostics and observation
• welfare technology
• aseptics
• medical treatment
• pain relief
• medicine and other sciences integrated (e.g. neurology, surgery, anaesthesiology, method visualisation)

Study unit description:
Methodological competence in nursing based on research data. Assistance methods are selected in a customer-
oriented way to promote and support customers’ health and well-being. Medical competence is founded in safety,
accuracy and asepsis.


00445 Nursing Interventions, practice, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• describe the nursing process of patients who are acutely ill, chronically ill or awaiting surgery
• plan, implement and evaluate nursing
• choose and implement nursing interventions in a customer-oriented way in order to promote and support the
customer’s health and well-being
• help and support patients and their relatives through palliative nursing
• justify chosen assistance methods using evidence-based data
• use welfare technology in choosing the correct assistance method for each situation
• plan, implement and evaluate medical treatment professionally, taking into account the customer’s and their own
safety
• use medical knowledge in health care

Contents of the study unit:
• nursing process of acutely ill and chronically ill patients and patients awaiting surgery
• assistance and support
• diagnostics and observation
• welfare technology
• aseptics
• medical treatment
• pain relief
• medicine and other sciences integrated (e.g. neurology, surgery, anaesthesiology, method visualisation)

Study unit description:
Methodological competence in nursing based on research data. Assistance methods are selected in a customer-
oriented way to promote and support customers’ health and well-being. Medical competence is founded in safety,
accuracy and asepsis.


00063 Supporting Client Resources in Transitions, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• encounter individuals, families and communities at different stages of life
• plan, implement and evaluate customer-oriented family nursing, mental health, crisis and addiction assistance,
rehabilitation-promoting nursing, and culture-conscious nursing
• support patients and their families and friends in terminal care

Contents of the study unit:
• internal and external resources of individuals, families and communities, and related stress factors
• change periods for individuals, families and communities
• planning, implementing and evaluating family nursing
• planning, implementing and evaluating mental health, crisis and substance abuse assistance
• rehabilitation and the rehabilitation-fostering approach in nursing
• culture-conscious nursing
• terminal care
• medical treatment
• medical science and other sciences integrated (e.g. paediatrics, gynaecology and obstetrics, oncology, psychiatry
and clinical psychology)

Study unit description:
This study unit applies methodological skills in nursing to supporting customers’ own resources in various life
situations. The study unit emphasises multicultural approaches to nursing and encountering customers with different
cultural backgrounds.

Previous studies:
kokeiluteksti


00064 Professional Development in Practice III, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• plan, implement and evaluate nursing in order to promote customers’ health and well-being in life’s turning points
• adapt the latest evidence-based knowledge of nursing, medicine and other sciences to nursing and to justifying
their actions

Contents of the study unit:
• planning, implementing and evaluating nursing in order to promote customers’ health and well-being in life’s
turning points
• planning, implementing and evaluating palliative nursing
• planning, implementing and evaluating terminal care
• multiculturalism and cultural nursing
• rehabilitation-promoting approach to work

Study unit description:
Knowledge-based and skill-based professional competences are integrated into the health care environment and
the students’ skills become evident in their professional growth and development. Students evaluate their learning
and skills and prepare personal development plans. Job placements are supervised, and support for professional
development comes from self-evaluation, peer evaluation and the supervisors’ evaluation
The job placements to promote professional development take place in Laurea’s learning environments and
projects, as well as in basic public health centres, special health care units, private companies, associations,
organisations and ICT networks or other welfare networks.


Previous studies:
Students must have completed the studies promoting professional development set in their personal study plans
before Job Placement III.


028 GUIDANCE AND CONSULTING METHODS IN HEALTH PROMOTION, 20 cr

Description:
Students learn to plan, implement and evaluate customer-oriented guidance, and can consult experts in various
fields. They can work as reformers of welfare service development projects.

The student will be able to:
• plan, implement and evaluate customer-focused guidance
• apply guidance and consulting methods in caring for individuals, families and communities
• promote customers’ self-care
• become networked and participate in networks
• work in a team and state justified views as nursing experts in multidisciplinary teams
• act as reformers in welfare service development projects
00065 Guidance and Consulting Competence, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• plan, implement and evaluate customer-focused guidance
• guide customers in using social and health care services and electronic tools and communications
• promote customers’ self-care
• provide consulting and orientation in relation to maintaining and developing expertise
• guide and teach students and staff

Contents of the study unit:
• planning, implementing and evaluating customer-focused teaching and guidance
• promoting self-care from the point of view of guidance
• consulting in nursing
• work supervision
• welfare technologies and IT networks in guidance
• other sciences integrated (e.g. pedagogy, nutrition, dietetics, pharmacology)

Study unit description:
The study unit looks at guidance and consulting competence from the point of view of customers’ self-care and the
continuity of treatments in various social service and health care organisations, third-sector environments and
customers’ homes. Cooperation with customers and participation in multidisciplinary teams helps to further
networking.


00073 Welfare Entrepreneurship, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• recognise their own strengths as entrepreneurs
• recognise customer potential for an operating environment which uses an investigative, innovative approach
• predict opportunities arising in the operating environment
• create a realistic, customer-oriented, profitable business plan

Contents of the study unit:
• operating environment analyses
• internal company analyses
• business ideas and business plans
• planning the finances and funding of a start-up company
• choosing a form of enterprise and the rules steering business activities

Study unit description:
The study unit looks at entrepreneurship from the point of view of service competence. Welfare entrepreneurship
and opportunities latent in the operating environment. Designing a welfare service business.


00066 Professional Development in Practice IV, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• plan, implement and evaluate customer-oriented guidance and counselling
• direct customers to self-care
• make use of welfare technologies and IT networks in guidance
• use consulting methods
• participate in networks

Contents of the study unit:
• planning, implementing and evaluating customer-focused guidance and consulting
• use of welfare technology and data networks in guiding customers; electronic assistance
• consulting methods
• networked cooperation
Study unit description:
Knowledge-based and skill-based professional competences are integrated into the health care environment and
the students’ skills become evident in their professional growth and development. Students evaluate their learning
and skills and prepare personal development plans. Job placements are supervised, and support for professional
development comes from self-evaluation, peer evaluation and the supervisors’ evaluation

The job placements to promote professional development take place in Laurea’s learning environments and
projects, as well as in basic public health centres, special health care units, private companies, associations,
organisations and ICT networks or other welfare networks.

Previous studies:
Students must have completed the studies promoting professional development set in their personal study plans
before Job Placement IV.


029 CLIENT-ORIENTED NURSING, 25 cr

Description:
Students deepen their expertise in nursing by reflecting on and critically evaluating their approaches, arguments and
activities as part of the operation of a group, community or professional field.

The student will be able to:
• deepen their expertise in nursing within their chosen nursing environments
• make ethical arguments related to social and global changes – and their effects – in development projects
• coordinate the cooperation between their own work and a work group
• identify areas of development and future challenges in nursing


00068 Intensive Studies in Nursing, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• deepen their expertise in nursing in their chosen nursing environments
• make decisions as experts in nursing and as patients’ advocates, together with the patients and those participating
in their care
• coordinate the cooperation between their own work and a work group
• identify areas of development and future challenges in nursing

Contents of the study unit:
• deepening nursing expertise and professional decision-making
• evaluating one’s own activities as part of the operation of a group, community or professional field
• social participation
• future of nursing and nursing science
• nursing expertise in medical care
• specific medical issues

Study unit description:
The study unit produces expertise for future nursing. Development challenges are related to critically evaluating
activities as part of the operation of a group, community or professional field.

Previous studies:
Themes 1-4 or equivalent knowledge.


00476 Leadership in Nursing, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• develop interaction and negotiation skills
• act as responsible members of a work community and network in various situations
• evaluate the culture and values of an organisation
• diversely develop their own and their work communities’ well-being
• adapt the norms of labour legislation and collective labour agreements in practice as employees, managers and/or
entrepreneurs
• identify the phenomena of shared leadership and act in expertise networks

Contents of the study unit:

• organisational culture and values
• well-being at work and how to develop it
• management and leadership, day-to-day management
• interaction and emotional intelligence in management communication
• human resource management
• recruiting, orientation and guidance, rewarding and competence development
• labour legislation and employment issues
• network development
• improving the quality of nursing
• modelling processes

Study unit description:
The study unit creates competences which are reflected as the mastery of central tools in management and as
responsible behaviour in typical management situations. Competence is based on understanding an organisation’s
operational structure, goals and profitability. The viewpoint is the students’ own roles and responsibilities in an
organisation and its development.


00069 Professional Development in Practice V, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• deepen their competence in the chosen nursing environments
• critically evaluate the development of their own expertise and the ethics of their actions
• use modelling processes in nursing for recognising areas of quality development in nursing
• act as responsible team members and as team leaders

Contents of the study unit:
• nursing expertise in various operating environments
• professional decision-making
• high-quality customer-oriented nursing
• team leadership
• communicating in discussions and group situations

Study unit description:
Knowledge-based and skill-based professional competences are integrated into a multidisciplinary work group in a
nursing environment. The students deepen their reflective and network competence.

The job placements to promote professional development take place in Laurea’s learning environments and
projects, as well as in basic public health centres, special health care units, private companies, associations,
organisations and ICT networks or other welfare networks.

Previous studies:
Students must have completed the studies promoting professional development set in their personal study plans
before Job Placement V.


00791 Nursing in Swedish, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• communicate in Swedish in his/her work community
• participate in a community of experts, effectively using acquired communication skills
• communicate on the topics of his /her field of expertise using various channels
• apply information gathered from sources in a foreign language
Contents of the study unit:
• oral and written professional communication
• main nursing terminology
• jog searching, introducing oneself, one´s educational background and work experience

Study unit description:
Students attein at least skill level B1.2, as defined in the Commmon European Framework.In addition, students
receive grades of good or satisfactory in oral and written language skills in accordance with the languge skill
requirements of civil servants.


00634 Oral skills in Swedish, 0 cr

Study unit description:
This study unit is for evaluating oral skills in Swedish.


00635 Written skills in Swedish, 0 cr

Study unit description:
This study unit is for evaluating written skills in Swedish.


00446 Finnish Language, 5 cr


00636 Written skills in Finnish, 0 cr


00637 Oral skills in Finnish, 0 cr


030 INNOVATION AND EXPERTISE IN WELFARE SERVICE PROVISION, 30 cr

Description:
The objective of the theme’s content is to deepen the students’ service competence and to develop new problem-
solving and operating models.

The student will be able to:
• participate in development projects, applying the methods of Learning by Development and R&D and producing
new competence and innovations
• develop work in the field and their own competence through critical evaluation and by generating new information
as welfare experts


00043 Thesis, 15 cr

The student is able to:
• present well-grounded work development proposals
• conceptualise the phenomena of the workplace with a basis in research data
• use appropriate research and development methods for generating new data
• participate in development projects, working responsibly in a team with employers and other partners
• evaluate their own work and solutions critically
• manage the big picture, presenting their ideas logically and with justifications

Contents of the study unit:
• familiarisation with the thesis and development project process, and coming up with a subject
• thesis plan describing the background and objectives of the thesis, main data from previous research on the
subject, the research and development methods used and an implementation plan
• carrying out the work for the thesis
• reporting on and publishing the thesis
• maturity test

Study unit description:
Students learn to develop real work processes through research, producing new solutions in the form of products,
operating models or work cultures.


00074 Developing Service Innovations, Practise, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• describe development objectives from the perspectives of the labour market and regional development
• participate in a partnership network
• work effectively in a team and act as opinion leaders in a community of experts
• evaluate their own and others’ competence, work and results in accordance with development objectives
• use the tools and methods of applied R&D in development work
• carry out and report on an objective-oriented development project

Contents of the study unit:
• determining development needs
• creating a context and knowledge base
• planning, implementing and evaluating the development process
• working in a shared expertise group

Study unit description:
This study unit can be completed in Laurea learning environments or in workshops or job placements. It consists of
an object-oriented development project, where the competence gained is that of a developer using investigative
research methods.


00071 Professional Development in Practice VI, 10 cr

The student is able to:
• generate new, creative practices for developing nursing
• deepen their competence in the chosen nursing environments
• critically evaluate the development of their own expertise and the ethics of their actions

Contents of the study unit:
• nursing expertise in diverse operating environments
• professional decision-making
• innovative operations

Study unit description:
Knowledge-based and skill-based professional competences become integrated into nursing environments, leading
to innovative competence. The job placements to promote professional development take place in Laurea’s learning
environments and projects, as well as in basic public health centres, special health care units, private companies,
associations, organisations and ICT networks or other welfare networks.

Previous studies:
Students must have completed the studies promoting professional development set in their personal study plans
before Job Placement VI.


125 ELECTIVE STUDIES, 15 cr

Description:
Students use elective studies to deepen and broaden their competence in various themes and ge-neric
competences. Students should choose study units to align the content of their studies with their own personal
interests and career objectives.
Content:
Each curriculum contains a theme consisting of elective studies. In the students’ personal study plans, the theme
should be made up of the study units chosen by the student from Laurea’s language studies, Laurea’s shared
studies or another degree programme’s curriculum. Any studies completed at another higher education institution
(university of applied sciences, university, Online University of Applied Sciences, foreign institution) that cannot be
recognised for the degree programme but that the student wishes to include in the degree should be classified
under this theme. The number of credits from elective studies can be set separately for each degree programme,
tak-ing into account recommendations for the field of study. The aim is to have at least 15 cr of elective studies in
each degree programme


00203 Initial Test in Swedish Skills, 0 cr

Study unit description:
At the beginning of their studies, all students who have English and/or Swedish qualifications on prior certificates
required for studies at Laurea, or who have received previous instruction in English and/or Swedish take initial tests
in these languages. The initial tests are the same for all fields of study and may only be taken once. Students who
transfer between degrees within Laurea do not have to retake the test. The test is used to check the students’
starting level before language studies begin. Students who fail the test must take preparatory studies in the
language at the start of their studies. Having passed the preparatory studies, students obtain credits for inclusion in
elective studies.


00202 Initial Test in English Skills, 0 cr

Study unit description:
At the beginning of their studies, all students who have English and/or Swedish qualifications on prior certificates
required for studies at Laurea, or who have received previous instruction in English and/or Swedish take initial tests
in these languages. The initial tests are the same for all fields of study and may only be taken once. Students who
transfer between degrees within Laurea do not have to retake the test. The test is used to check the students’
starting level before language studies begin. Students who fail the test must take preparatory studies in the
language at the start of their studies. Having passed the preparatory studies, students obtain credits for inclusion in
elective studies.


00397 Initial Test in Mathematics, 0 cr

Study unit description:
Opintojen alkaessa kaikki opiskelijat osallistuvat matematiikan lähtötasotestiin. Lähtötasotestin voi suorittaa vain
kerran. Testin avulla varmennetaan opiskelijan valmiudet koulutusalansa matemaattisten sovellutusten
aloittamiseksi. Ellei opiskelija selviydy lähtötasotestistä, hän osallistuu matematiikan valmentavalle opintojaksolle
opintojen alkuvaiheessa. Suoritettuaan valmentavat opinnot hyväksyttävästi opiskelija saa opintopisteitä luettavaksi
vapaasti valittaviin opintoihin.


00521 Initial Test in Finnish, 0 cr


00195 Preparatory Studies in Swedish, 3 cr

The student is able to:
• master basic Swedish vocabulary and grammar
• use various methods for improving their language skills

Contents of the study unit:
• main structures of the Swedish language
• basic Swedish vocabulary

Study unit description:
Students improve their skills in communicating in Swedish as preparation for completing actual studies in the
language.


00194 Preparatory Studies in English, 3 cr

The student is able to:
• master basic English vocabulary and grammar
• use various methods for improving their language skills

Contents of the study unit:
• main structures of the English language
• basic English vocabulary

Study unit description:
Students improve their skills in communicating in English as preparation for completing actual studies in the
language.


00388 Preparatory Studies in Finnish (as Mother tongue), 3 cr

The student is able to:
• compose varied factual and functional texts
• make use of different writer's tools and grammar aid
• take on the communicative responses of team work

Contents of the study unit:
• creating a personal communicative profile
• using dictionaries and other tools for language aid
• providing the student for oral and written challenges of study time

Study unit description:
Students improve their skills in speech communication and writing in order to be able to succesfully complete their
studies in Laurea.


00189 Preparatory Studies in Mathematics, 3 cr

The student is able to:
• demonstrate the basic skills of mathematical applications required by his / her field of study

Contents of the study unit:
• recapitulation of upper secondary school mathematics

Study unit description:
Student practices his / her mathematic skills and develops preparedness to complete studies in
mathematical applications within the main courses.


00805 The Prevention and Care of Diabetes, 5 cr

The student is able to:
vvv


00806 Drama as Health Promotion Tool, 3 cr

The student is able to:
• use practical actions and solution-based models in order to prevent bullying at school
• understand own and others’ body language and non-verbal communication
• use drama as a health promotion tool

Contents of the study unit:
• practising own expressions, communication and interaction skills and developing them by using methods of theatre
• basics of theatretical expression
• drama-process work, improvisation, studying statuses and non-verbal communication, sharing experiences,
expressing feelings and ideas, practicing cooperation and listening to others

Study unit description:
Contact teaching. The study unit is offered in February. The exact times are agreed later. Teacher of the course is
Eija Peltonen.

During the contact teaching KIUSA-drama is rehearsed and it is performed in KUUTOS-HAPPENING, which is an
experiential workshop for project schools’ six grade students.


00811 Multicultural Nursing, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• carry out comprehensive multicultural nursing work
• encounter and support people from different cultural backgrounds, as well as their friends and family
• care for multicultural patients as members of a multiprofessional team and network

Contents of the study unit:
• different cultures and cultural nursing; special characteristics of cultural nursing
• instruction includes lectures by experts, various field trips, work at a multicultural centre and independent work.

Study unit description:
Students broaden their competence in multicultural nursing work. They receive skills in patient care, as well as in
encountering and supporting patients and their families.

Students evaluate their own learning and competence through independent work, develop their competence
independently and with others, and share what they have learnt with a team.


00812 Neurology Nursing, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• carry out comprehensive neurology nursing work
• encounter and support neurological patients and their friends and family
• care for neurological patients as members of a multiprofessional team and network

Contents of the study unit:
• special needs of patients and their families in evidence-based neurology nursing
• main examination and treatment procedures in caring for neurological patients
• instruction includes lectures by experts, various field trips and independent work

Study unit description:
Students broaden their competence in caring for neurological patients. They receive skills in patient care, as well as
in encountering and supporting patients and their families.

Students evaluate their own learning and competence through independent work, develop their competence
independently and with others, and share what they have learnt with a team.


00813 Maintaining Work and Functional Ability, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• use diverse methods and procedures for furthering and maintaining their own well-being and resources, as
individuals and members of a community

Contents of the study unit:
• diverse activities related to students’ empowerment and coping ability
• instruction includes lectures by experts, team exercises and independent work.

Study unit description:
Students maintain and improve their own well-being and increase their coping ability through creative activities,
instructor-led sports and fitness, and sharing.
Students evaluate their own learning and competence through independent work, develop their competence
independently and with others, and share what they have learnt with a team.

Previous studies:
Recommended for students at any level.


00814 Care for Patients with Severe Mental Disturbances, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• carry out comprehensive nursing of patients with severe mental disturbances
• encounter and support mental health patients and their friends and family
• provide comprehensive care and rehabilitation for mental health patients as members of a multiprofessional team
and network

Contents of the study unit:
• special needs of patients and their families in evidence-based mental health nursing and rehabilitation
• instruction includes lectures by experts, various field trips and independent work

Study unit description:
Students broaden their competence in the care and rehabilitation of mental health patients. They receive skills in
patient care, as well as in encountering and supporting patients and their families.

Students evaluate their own learning and competence through independent work, develop their competence
independently and with others, and share what they have learnt with a team.

Previous studies:
Recommended after completion of the Mental Health Assistance Methods study unit.


00877 Getting closer from far away - Connections in the Environment of Caring TV, 5 cr

The student is able to:
.promote the wellfare and coping of the clients life by using and developing Caring TV
. plan, implement and evaluate the prosess of program production by involving students.
. manage the process in Caring TV

Contents of the study unit:
. process personal and sharing creativity and innovation
. construct and enrichment of networks
. bring meaning and joy for humans life
. management

Study unit description:
The Purpose of the study unit is to develop and test the new ideas of the programme and production in the Caring
TV environ-ment and
give more responsibilities to students to manage and organise action in this environment.
The values of the study unit are:
Human love and care
Courage to try
Charity and joy
Sharing
Cultivating a positive athmosphere


Previous studies:
The Student describes his/her level of knowledge at the beginning of the course.