Episode 3: Triumphs of bilingual nursing

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Eunice: Welcome to Journeys in bilingual nursing education, the podcast where voices from across culture and languages come together to share stories of growth, resilience and purpose. I’m your host Eunice, a trainee at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, and in each episode, we explore the lived experiences of nursing students navigating the unique bilingual pathway in TOKASA, where Finnish and English blend into a rich journey of becoming a nurse in a multicultural world. Let’s dive in in today’s conversation. In this episode, we meet Evelin Delic, a third year student who reflects on the academic and emotional highs and lows of studying nursing in bilingual program. Hello, Evelin. 

Evelin: Hi Eunice. So as Eunice said, I’m Evelin Delic and I come from Croatia. I’m a third-year nursing student here at Metropolia. 

Eunice: Thank you for coming, Evelyn. From theory to practice from imposter syndrome to empowerment, your story is a candid, inspiring look into how bilingual education shapes not just careers, but character. Let’s begin. How did you feel on your first day of bilingual nursing program?

Evelin: Oh, I still remember our first day. It was actually an online meeting where we were introducing ourselves because not all of us were in Finland at the moment. I was supposed to be one of the first ones to introduce myself, but I had some technical difficulties, so I was left to be the last one. But in the meanwhile, I had an opportunity to listen to my colleagues’ introductions. And to be honest, [laughs] I felt quite intimidated because most of my classmates already had a previous education, previous degrees. Many of them also had a master’s degrees. So when I kept hearing that, oh, I have engineering degree, I have doctor’s degree, I have all of these degrees, and this is my first ever university experience, I honestly felt like a baby [laughter]. But despite all of that, I have made a lot of friends in my class, and it has been a wonderful experience. And after that, our first actual day at the campus, the orientation day, I was just in awe. This Metropolia campus, Myllypuro campus, it is fairly new. It was built only a couple years ago, and it is wonderful. It has so many learning spaces. It has so many simulation rooms. It’s amazing. It was really a good feeling. It was really thrilling to be there, to be part of it, to be part of the pilot group starting this whole project. 

Eunice: Well, that’s something that many of us can relate to. I remember my own first day [laughs] of coming to Metropolia. I mean, this is an amazing university. And yeah, I hear you. How do you feel now? 

Evelin: I feel like I have changed a lot. I feel like I grew a lot. Definitely, I’m not the same person I was when I started this study. I’m almost at my graduation date. I’m in my last year. So it has been a journey. 

Eunice: Building on that, what has been the most rewarding part of your nursing studies so far?

Evelin: I think it’s when I realised I can do something that I wasn’t able to do before my studies when I’m at the work or the practical placement or just in the everyday life. And then I can pick some knowledge, what I have learned in school and be like, oh, I know how to do this. I’ve got this. 

Eunice: Exactly.

Evelin: Same for the nursing part, but also the whole language part when I’m able to just see something and, oh, I know how to read this. I know what it means. It’s those small victories has been just such a rewarding part of this whole journey.

Eunice: I like that you mentioned that small rewards, small steps. Somebody was telling me about the small steps and small victories. How do you manage the balance between coursework, clinical practice and personal life? 

Evelin: It has been quite challenging. As I said, this is my first university, so I don’t have a previous university experience, but I believe every university is challenging in its own way. But the whole nursing studies and on top of that, the whole new language learning, it has been at times incredibly challenging. I feel like the nursing part, I was able to sometimes leave at school, leave at home, leave at the practical placement, and when I come home, just not think about it, take my time to relax. But when it comes to the Finnish part, it just follows me everywhere. 

Eunice: Exactly. [laughter]

Evelin: It’s at school, it’s at work, it’s at practical placement, it’s at home. It just never stops. And at the time that can be quite exhausting. I would say that I’m still struggling finding that balance. And if someone else is struggling, I just want to say that that’s okay. Take your time. It does get better. Metropolia also offers the counselling services if you need someone to talk to. I believe that the friends that I have made in TOKASA also are incredibly helpful when it becomes too much. You’re not alone. And it gets difficult. That’s true. But you’ve got this. 

Eunice: Having said that, I mean, I definitely resonate with what you say that there are times when you feel all you’re hearing is Finnish. Because the other aspects of our studies as a nurse, the coursework, you leave it at school, if you have assignments, yes, but then the Finnish language is in everything we do. 

Evelin: Yes.

Eunice: Instructions at the grocery store, everywhere…

Evelin: Absolutely.

Eunice: …around you. So this is something that I feel it’s something that each person has got their own journey. Your journey is very unique. How you balance in all these things that you do. So I really agree with you, and I resonate with what you’re saying. So can you share an experience where you really felt you were becoming a nurse? 

Evelin: [laughter] Well, I still don’t feel like a nurse, perhaps as a baby nurse. But I believe that I feel most like a nurse when my family and friends ask me for some medical advice. [laughter] Like when they send me some picture and ask me what to do about it, what this is. I would say that that’s the moment where I feel most like a nurse. 

Eunice: I feel the same way. When I started studying nursing, I began to see things that I never used to see. I feel like I need to diagnose someone. [laughter] Those are moments, like I have a daughter and when she’s sick, she’s like, oh, mommy, can you examine me. Those are moments when I feel like, okay, I’m becoming a nurse. So I hear you when you say…

Evelin: Yeah, your perspectives definitely change. 

Eunice: Exactly. That’s true. Building on that thought, have there been times when you questioned your ability to continue? How did you overcome that? 

Evelin: There has been a moment, to be very honest. I felt in the beginning I have lost myself. I believe I gave a little bit too much into all of my studies and trying to shape myself to be in a way more Finnish to feel more accepted. And in all of that, I have lost myself. But then after all of that, the whole this studying has been also the journey of finding myself. I have taken a course where I have had absolutely wonderful teacher whom I was able to talk about all of those things, and that teacher reminded me of who I am, where I come from and why is that important and why I should not lose all of that. So it has definitely been a very personal journey, these whole studies. And then on the other hand, it’s the whole aspects of the learning Finnish language that has challenged me in every single way. But I would say, especially when it comes to self-esteem and autonomy, being unable to express myself in a way I want to due to language limitations often made me feel small and stupid. And up to this day, and probably for a while longer, I’m not able to present parts of myself and my personality and ideas as freely as I can in English. Honestly, that sometimes made me feel unseen and incomplete. And in terms of the autonomy, well, just depending on the Finnish person next to you or phone translator, so many times during the day just when you want to read some recipe or when some letter arrives that’s only in Finnish and needing help in such simple daily stuff. Definitely feels like you cannot trust yourself anymore and rely on yourself. It’s taking that part of your independence. But having said all that, all of those things are the ones that I’m also reaching to for the inspiration to continue because it’s not impossible. And they scare you saying that Finnish language is one of the hardest languages to learn in the world. It maybe is, but it’s definitely such a rewarding feeling when you see your progress and moments like that. When I see my progress, when I see how far I have come, when I open some book or magazine and I’m able to just understand what they’re saying, those kind of things just make me go forward, and it helped me overcome all of those other challenges. 

Eunice: Wow, that’s very inspiring and thank you for sharing that. How do you think this bilingual programme has prepared you for work in the Finnish health care sector? 

Evelin: I believe it gave me a good basis to build my language further in everyday life and in clinical placements. I would say though that most of my language I have learned and developed in practical placements and in work outside of school. But that said, without the backbone of what I have learned in school and Finnish courses, I wouldn’t be able to build so easily in the everyday life. It has been incredibly helpful to already have a vocabulary of the words we are using as nurses, like the medical equipment, diseases, body parts. So when I came to my practice placements, I wasn’t struggling with those and I was able to just build more of the conversational Finnish and focus on the other things, focus on the grammar, focus on the fluency and of course, learn even more of the medical terms. So definitely it was all coming together, school and practical placements that were just incredible and important part of the whole language learning. It wouldn’t go without one another. You cannot learn language just in school, just in class, talking to your teacher and to your peers. But without that, I feel like you’re missing a lot of support in building your language. 

Eunice: That’s right. Language is something that is very important to a lot of us and looking at this bilingual program, I mean it’s preparing us to bridge the gap between academia and the industry. So as we are preparing ourselves to go and work in the health care sector, I mean we are in Finland, we need to learn how to communicate in Finnish. 

Evelin: Absolutely.

Eunice: How can you do that if you do not throw yourself out there and practice at every corner. So I really like that you mentioned that this is something that you constantly do because then these two things cannot be apart. One cannot exist without the other. So yeah, I really like that you stated that. 

Evelin: And I believe that the point where my language truly progressed was when I just accepted that I’m going to make mistakes. I’m not going to be able to just learn everything in my head and speak perfect Finnish straight away, just from my head without practicing. But it did feel embarrassed at the moment when I would make a mistake and everyone would laugh and I would not be able to make a sentence. But once when I have just accepted that, okay, that is what it is. I’m at this point. I’m going to get better. I’m going to laugh. After that, it has really gotten better. 

Eunice: That’s nice.

Evelin: Even today, I’m making a lot of grammar mistakes speaking Finnish, but I’m able to have a conversation in Finnish, and I believe that that’s a win. 

Eunice: That’s true. You just reminded me of one incident that I met a certain person who was asking me so many questions. This is a student in the bilingual programme. They were really freaking out. Like when you go to practice, I’m going to my first practice. What am I supposed to do? Do you speak Finnish all the time? Yeah, so I was just calming them down, like, you know what, it’s one step at a time. 

Evelin: Absolutely.

Eunice: You will make those mistakes and especially the grammar. I mean, Finnish words mean different things at a different point. [laughter]

Evelin: Yeah, and everyone learns at their own pace. 

Eunice: Yes, that’s true. Okay, moving forward. What support systems have been crucial for you for your success?

Evelin: First of all, I would like to mention my boyfriend and his family. They are all Finnish and I call them my Finnish family. They have just been incredible from the very first day I have arrived to Finland. They made me feel like a part of the family. They made me feel so welcome and so included in all of the happenings included in the family. They spoke English at me at first and then slowly switched to Finnish, and all the time they were so patient with me, teaching me Finnish. And now we are having calls and we are talking in Finnish, but they were just so incredible as a support and I wouldn’t be able to do without them. Second of all, all the supervisors in my practice placements. They played an incredible role in my Finnish language and also in the self-esteem as a nurse. In every single practical placement that I have been, I would have one main supervisor, but then if my main supervisor was not available, I would be assigned under supervision of one of the colleagues. I have to be honest, when that colleague would not volunteer for a role, that was felt. I cannot blame anyone. I believe that nurses as it is have a lot on their plate already and not everyone is cut to teach, and if someone is having a bad day or a bad moment in life, it can be quite challenging to take a part of your already busy day to devote it to the student. But overall, my experience with the supervisors has been incredible, not just with the supervisors, but with the whole practical placement environment. I still remember when one of the workers asked me what is my favourite colour and I said green, not thinking much about it, and then later in the day, on the door of the office where I was, there was my name printed out and the green decorations. It made me feel so seen and so included. Or the other time when one of the colleagues asked what is my name and she was not my supervisor, but she really wanted to know my name. And when she calls for me, that it’s not just, oh, get the student or ask the student or where is the student, but she actually wanted to know my name, which was incredibly touching. All of the patients from my supervisor, I’m going to be repaying it throughout my whole career, the way that they have mentored me, the way they have guided me, the way they have spoken to me in Finnish, more than just about the nursing work, but also all of the aspects of the Finnish culture that I’m missing out on. It has just been such an incredible support. I don’t believe I would have been able to do without that. And just all of the patients, they have given me when I would need to write the report in Finnish, I’m writing still quite slow, so they would give me time to do it, and then they would go through it with me and correct the mistakes that I have made, show me how I can do better for the next time. Or when we would have a meeting with the client and we would have a debriefing after that in English, so they made sure that I understood what was actually happening. It has just been such an incredible support. And last but not least, all of my teachers in the school, my Finnish teachers, thank you so much. [laughter] You are the best. Thank you so much for dealing with me and for being so patient with me. In the beginning when I would speak in English and then they would switch me to English, I was so frustrated, but thank you so much. That was incredible. Thank you for doing that. And I cannot forget about all of my friends that I have made, not just in TOKASA, but in the whole school and through the tutoring programs. All of them has been such an incredible part of support. I don’t think I would be able to go as far as I have without any of those parts of support that I have now mentioned. They were all just incredible together. 

Eunice: Oh, that’s incredible. You’ve given us a lot to reflect on. Your story is truly inspiring. On the last note, if you could describe your journey in three words, what would they be and why?

Evelin: [laughs] I would say a whole lot of resilience, a whole lot of kindness and a whole lot of spite, to be honest. [laughter] You kind of need that one too. 

Eunice: I know.

Evelin: And for anyone who wants to apply for this TOKASA program and is feeling unsure about it, I would say to give it a go. If you want to be a nurse and the language part is the part that scares you, just apply and try. It’s challenging, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. You can do it. Just go for it. 

Eunice: Thank you so much, Evelin, for sharing your story with us, and thank you for joining us on the Journeys in bilingual nursing education podcast. Thank you, Evelyn, again. Thank you. 

Evelin: Thank you, Eunice. 

Eunice: You’re welcome. It’s been an inspiring journey hearing your story and how you are navigating language, culture and care with such courage and purpose. To our listeners, thank you for listening and for walking alongside us through these stories. This podcast is produced by Metropolia as part of the TOKASA Initiative, fostering inclusive and innovative nursing education. Until next time. Stay inspired and keep bridging the culture in healthcare. Thank you. 

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