NURSING STUDENTS APPALLED BY MINISTER'S CALL TO EXPEL SUBSTANCE ABUSERS

A proposal by Minister of Education Sari Sarkomaa (Nat. Coalition
Party) to expel students who have substance abuse problems from social
and health care institutions of education has shocked Finnish nursing
students.

The minister says that schools should be able to expel students whose
dependence on intoxicants might endanger patient safety when they are
at work.

The students feel that denying those students who have a substance
abuse problem the right to study would be short-sighted, and would
only sweep problems under the rug.

"Wouldn't there be an obligation to guide a student with a bad
substance abuse problem into treatment?" Aki Rautiainen, a student at
the Helsinki City College of Social and Health Care (HESOTE) asks.

Under the law, a student in vocational training can lose the right to
study if he or she is incapable of working in the profession itself.
In practice, this rule is applied only to musicians and air traffic
controllers, but Sarkomaa wants to extend the practice.

At present, educational institutions cannot test a student for drugs
without the student's permission. Referrals to treatment are possible
only if the student is intoxicated at school. On the practical level,
counsellors try to encourage students who are not considered suitable
for the profession to drop out.

"Expulsion would be resorted to only when all other means are used.
Referral to treatment continues to be the primary option. But if a
student behaves violently, for instance, this method needs to be
available", Sarkomaa observes.

Timo Lankinen, head of the vocational education unit of the Ministry
of Education, says that even in the future, expulsion would require
solid evidence - in practice, a drug test.

At HESOTE, there were few students on Thursday who would have come
across substance abuse problems in their study or work
environments.

One 20-year-old woman mentioned a nursing school in another city where
she had worked, where a nurse had stolen morphine from the work place
and lost all possibilities of working in that city.

"Use of intoxicants is not suitable for this work. At this job you
have to be especially clear-headed, but who is to say who has a drug
problem and who hasn't", says Mirka, 24.

There has been no research into the extent of drug problems among
nursing students. At large institutions individual students are sent
to get treatment every year.

However, the National Authority for Medicolegal Affairs (TEO) is
occasionally approached about how to deal with students with an
apparent substance abuse problem, says TEO Director-General Jukka Mannisto.

Concerned teachers have asked TEO if there are ways of getting rid of
students who are not suitable for the profession.

"As supervisory officials we cannot take issue with the suitability of
a student who has not graduated."

The educational institutions could end up with the decisive role.
However, they would not necessarily relish the prospect of taking on
the role of a judge.

"Although some people are never cured, many do get better, and are
good workers after that. Shutting them out of the profession is
excessive", says Irmeli Mannisto of the Oulu Vocational College.

"Often these people notice themselves that studying is not working,
and they end it themselves. If these kinds of people were to be
expelled, they should at least be guaranteed further treatment."

Hilkka Mustonen, a guidance counsellor at the Helsinki City College
of Social and Health Care notes that intoxicants are not the only
problem. Students also suffer from mental health problems which make
study more difficult.