Metropolia receives a four-year certificate for Stoma Care education from World Council of Enterostomal Therapists

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences’s continuing education in stoma care received an international certification in February 2024. The certification was granted by WCET, World Council of Enterostomal Therapists. The council aims to ensure that specialized stoma care is available worldwide for individuals with ostomy, wound, or incontinence needs.

Canadian Kimberly LeBlanc - part of the expert panel of the WCET educational organization - conducted a site visit to Metropolia’s Myllypuro Campus in October 2023 for certification purposes. She is part of the expert panel that assesses whether the education meets the criteria's content requirements to attain international recognition for the training program. LeBlanc’s background is comprehensive for evaluation purposes. She holds a PhD degree and is also an active member in several associations, e.g. FCAN Academic Chair, Wound, Ostomy and Continence Institute and Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada.

LeBlanc sees as Metropolia’s strengths excellent and innovative hands-on workshops, simulation exercises with stoma patients and excellent access to library resources. In addition, the ET association benefits from dedicated coaches and a closely-knit finish.

Metropolia’s new certification serves as proof of the high quality of the education. Metropolia’s educational program was evaluated to ensure compliance with the quality criteria established by WCET. This ensures that individuals worldwide with ostomy, wound, or incontinence needs receive this high-quality care from healthcare professionals, specifically ostomy nurses, that are trained according to the criteria.

Metropolia at the forefront in high-quality Stoma Care training

Metropolia is currently the only higher education institution in Finland with certified stoma care training. The current certification for the program is valid until 2027.

Metropolia’s senior lecturers Vivien Nagy-Wikstedt and Terhi Lehtonen are satisfied with the achievement and highlight that the certificate is a significant achievement. However, it has required effort and hasn't come easily.

“We have put in a lot of work to meet the content, arrangements, and criteria of the training. The certification demonstrates that our education complies with the criteria and that the teaching is of high quality. We could also create customized training or expand our range of education possibly beyond Finland, as our program aligns with the criteria of an international umbrella organization”, ponders Nagy-Wikstedt.

Nagy-Wikstedt states that education is assessed comprehensively for certification purposes. The education should include both theory and practice. Furthermore, for the certification purposes the university must outline what each course covers, the literature used, and the assessment methods employed. During LeBlanc’s site visit, Metropolia’s principal lecturers presented Metropolia’s education content, discussed the situation in Finland concerning ostomy patients, assessed the educational needs.

“We also visited the operations at the Helsinki University Hospital's abdominal center where some participants of our training will undergo practical training for ostomy nursing, hold a joint meeting with companies supplying ostomy products, the Finnish Ostomy Nurses Association, and the association of ostomy patients who are involved in collaboration with our training. LeBlanc also had a chance to meet the students participating in the education and take part in our on-site teaching day, observing the classes”, explains Lehtonen.

High-quality care for unique patient group

Lehtonen considers high-quality education crucial, as the number of ostomy surgeries in Finland is projected to increase significantly in the future. She states that Metropolia is determined to impact the high-quality care for this unique patient group in Finland. This can be ensured when the education maintains high standards and meets international criteria. This unique patient group's quality of care and quality of life in our country depend on both the quality of education and its adherence to international standards.

Nagy-Wikstedt and Lehtonen see the diploma as valuable for those who have graduated from the training at Metropolia. "The WCET® certification, which all our participants receive, holds significance both for working as an ostomy nurse in Finland and when seeking employment in an international environment. Simultaneously, it serves as international recognition and indicates to participating students that the education meets high-quality standards and operates according to the established criteria."

Further information

Terhi Lehtonen
Senior lecturer
terhi.lehtonen [at] metropolia.fi (terhi[dot]lehtonen[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
+358503292565

Vivien Nagy-Wikstedt
Senior lecturer
Vivien.Nagy-Wikstedt [at] metropolia.fi (Vivien[dot]Nagy-Wikstedt[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
+358504718072