Recommendation for further education for health care staff. Helsinki, 2004. 82pp. (Handbooks of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland; ISSN 1236-116X; 2004:3) ISBN 952-00-1478-0

Health care personnel shall follow ethical principles and approved methods of work. Health care professionals are obliged by legislation to maintain and develop their professional skills (Act 559/1994). It is common that employees obtain education on their own initiative.

The development of professional skills and knowledge is necessitated by people’s in-creased demands and changed working life and operating environment. In the field of health care the importance of further education is emphasised in particular because care practices are changing continuously with the rapid development of medicine, biosciences, health sciences and technology. The effectiveness of care chains and development of workplace communities presuppose organising further education for the entire staff.

There is plenty of further education available in the field of health care. There is however a lot of shortcomings in the organisation, co-ordination and realisation of education pro-vision. A major problem is that the planning of further education is only seldom integrated into the strategic management of an organisation, and employees’ individual needs are not taken into account sufficiently. Neither has the efficiency of further education al-ways been taken into account. Inadequate financing and opportunities for participation constitute an obstacle to the realisation of high-quality further education.

With a view to the enforcement of the Government Resolution of 11 April 2002 on se-curing the future of health care, provisions on further education were prepared within the further education subproject of the National Health Project to be included in the Primary Health Care Act and the Specialised Medical Care Act (992/2003 and 993/2003), as well as a related Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, which all took effect on 1 January 2004. Furthermore, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health set up on 1 April 2003 a working group to prepare national recommendations for health care units.

In this recommendation the aim of further education is to maintain, develop and deepen the professional skills and knowledge of heath care personnel based on their education needs and the fundamental task and development of the operations of the organisation. The recommendation concerns health care professionals and other employees working in health care units. Particular attention should be paid to the provision of further education and training within primary health care. Increased regional and sub-regional co-operation will support the development of modes of operation and intensify the use of the available resources.

In the recommendation, further education means systematic, need-specific short- or long-term education and training aiming to maintain, update and improve employees’ professional skills and knowledge in both immediate and indirect work with patients and clients.

The recommendations are meant to support the maintenance of the skills and knowledge of health care personnel, the development of health care services and good care of patients. The recommendations apply to the planning, realisation, monitoring and evaluation of further education at the individual, work unit and establishment level in both regional and sub-regional co-operation.

In most cases the employer is responsible for providing and financing further education and training. The employees are responsible for assessing their need for further education and for participation in further education serving their own job tasks and organisation.

Key words : education and training, health care staff, health care work, health policy, recommendation, vocational education