Work

Working as a Public Health Nurse in Finland

Public health nurses work across a wide range of environments, including maternity and child health clinics, family planning clinics, schools, student and occupational health services, as well as primary and community health care. Their expertise is also applied in diverse settings such as NGOs, public health projects, and independent practice.

Public health nurses perform demanding expert work. However, workloads are high, and in many regions there are too few public health nurses in relation to population size and service needs. In recent years, the shortage of public health nurses has worsened. In the coming years, a significant number will retire, and this must be taken into account in regional health policy.

Public health nursing services are widely valued, and the profession itself is regarded as meaningful by those working in it. However, working conditions vary significantly, including the extent to which person-centred care can be delivered and professional expertise fully utilised.

In the public sector, the salaries of public health nurses correspond to the level of responsibility and expertise required of a specialist role.

Public health nurses are strongly committed to lifelong learning, which is reflected in their diverse and flexible career paths. A wide range of further education opportunities is available.

Continuing education is offered by universities of applied sciences and universities, including Master’s and doctoral programmes.