From the Philippines to Finland: Nurses’ Expectations and Finnish Realities

Abstract

Nursing shortages are expected to increase dramatically in Europe as the population ages. Filipino nurses and the Philippine government have shown a growing interest in non-English speaking European countries as destinations. Finland is a recent entrant into the field of international nurse recruitment. Based on fieldwork conducted in the Philippines in November 2014, this article examines the expectations of Filipino nurses vis-à-vis the realities of Finnish social and health care. Data collection included a survey and interviews with Filipino nurses intending to migrate to work in Finland. For these nurses, working in Finland represents mainly instrumental value. Remittances and professional advancement appeared to be the main motivational factors. Their perceptions of free education and low-cost health care in Finland, as well as the clean environment, were other reasons that specifically drew them to Finland. In spite of the nurses’ career ambitions, their professional development in Finland is unsure because of the language barrier and difficulty in getting their qualifications recognized. To prevent skill wastage in Finland, efforts should be made to standardize vocational training and professional qualifications, and more emphasis should be placed on language training.