Oamk’s Floro Cubelo reaps accolades for his work

Floro Cubelo has been recognised both as a finalist in an ideas competition and as a recipient of an international leadership award. Moving to Finland was the best decision he has ever made.

Floro Cubelo is a real superhero in the nursing sciences. In his day job in Oamk’s Nursing Programme, he is a lecturer and Head of the Degree, leading his degree programme strongly forward. At the same time, he is working on his PhD in Health Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. Floro has also recently been recognized with an international leadership award, a prestigious nursing award and a finalist place in a nurses’ innovation competition.

–  I’m just a regular working guy, really. I enjoy being in the forest and travelling, Floro smiles.

Floro is from the Philippines, where many nurses migrate to work in the Nordic countries. This was the case for Floro, who ended up in Finland in 2013.

–  All I knew about Finland then was Nokia and Santa Claus, Floro laughs. 

Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences organised entrance exams for their degree programme, for which Floro travelled to Vietnam. In the end, he was one of hundreds of applicants selected to obtain a nursing qualification in Finland.

– Moving to Finland was the best decision I have ever made.

After graduation,  Floro worked as a nurse in different parts of Finland and continued to study at the same time. Two years ago, he noticed that Oamk was looking for a Head of Degree for a new English-language programme.

– There were other job options, but I chose Oamk because there was a real opportunity to develop the degree programme, Floro says.

The English-language degree programme started in 2022, but the development has not stopped there. The degree programme is kept up to date, for example by working with the Pohde Hospital District and by following the latest guidelines from government agencies. The curriculum also takes into account the principles of sustainable development.

– We put sustainability into practice in our studies: from how to recycle the sterile gloves used by nurses, for example.

The majority of students in the English-language Nursing programme are immigrants. One tip Floro would like to share to all students who are moving to Finland:

– You should start learning Finnish immediately. Many people think that this means forgetting their own culture, but on the contrary: you can cultivate both cultures side by side.

In addition to his work at Oamk, Floro is also active as President of the Nordic Association of Filipino Nurses. He was recently awarded the LOANI (Ladies of All Nations International) International Leadership Award. Floro was particularly recognized for the work he has done as President for nurses working in the Nordic countries.

– I think that the recognition was not only for me, but for everyone I have worked with.

In December, Floro was awared with another international award, the Fellowship status of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and membership of the Faculty of Nursing. These awards reflect Floro’s active work for the rights of nurses recruited from abroad and his significant research work.

– Fellowship status is one of the most prestigious professional qualifications for nurses and midwives, says Floro, explaining the significance of the recognition.

Recognitions do not stop there. Floro was also selected as a finalist for the Queen Silvia Awards in November. He applied for the competition with his idea “The Memory Passport is a concept”. The Memory Passport is a tool developed by Floro to monitor and improve the well-being of elderly people with memory problems.

– I myself have noticed in the field that the social and psychological dimension of care is often neglected. The Memory Passport is a client-oriented way to bring these dimensions into the care, says Floro.

The results of the competition will not be published until the end of December, but Floro is not nervous about it:

– Even being a finalist was a great achievement, winning is just a plus.