Tag Archives: Education

Education in Finland

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The future of higher education in the UK is destined to look quite different in comparison to how it does today. As education online gradually follows the footsteps of the USA and grows in popularity with full and part-time UK students, others are seeking to establish an open content higher education service that might eventually result in a high quality University of Europe. So what can we learn from the education system of Finland?

The reason for this short analysis of the Finnish education system came in the form of an article concerning Nokia in The Dallas Morning News today (February 9th). It seems that the mobile phone giant has established a headquarters at Espoo, not far from Helsinki, in an clever attempt to benefit from a higher education system that is, “skewed toward getting a master’s degree…It gives us conceptually strong students with a wealth of theory, specialization and a capacity to learn – the one real gem that this system gives better than any other I have seen.” (Heikki Norta.)

In fact, the Finnish education system has long been noted for the incredible proficiency of its students. In 2004, the BBC reported of the publication of findings by the Programme for International Student Assessment; Finland came top for overall mathematics proficiency, as well as achieving the best mean reading and science scores – ahead of Korea, Hong-Kong, and the Netherlands.

One of the key differences with Finnish education is the fact that after primary education, students are then allowed to focus on traditionally separate vocational (Trade School) or academic studies (Upper Secondary School). After students complete their secondary schooling, those from tertiary education are expected to enter the workplace, whilst those following the academic route are essentially taught in preparation for the certainty of higher or tertiary education.

Unlike the UK and USA, the Finnish education system causes the majority of its students to enroll in courses in quite different subjects such as engineering, computer science, and maths, whereas here and stateside, English, Graphics, and Media thrive pushing students to an already-saturated workplace. Simply, Finnish student are preparing themselves for jobs that are yet to be available. Conclusively, the success of a system such as this means that an open content University of Europe scenario will only be a good thing for the UK, presuming that the fins want to get involved.

MDs Need To Refer To Chiropractors

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Most people who suffer with acute or chronic back pain primarily will go to a medical doctor for help. Yet despite their best efforts, allopathic physicians fail to help most back pain suffers. M.D.’s utilize medications as their primary means to help people.However research has shown drugs to be best for acute, self-limiting musculoskeletal pain, not for chronic, ongoing problems. According to current scientific research, the most effective therapies for chronic back & neck pain is chiropractic adjustments combined with active care rehabilitation. Despite all of this, most M.D.’s still don’t refer their patients to chiropractors.So why is it that more M.D.’s done refer their back pain patients to chiropractors? If they truly care about the best interests of their patients, they would (or should). Historically, the primary reasons why M.D.’s would refuse to refer out to a chiropractor were:
They were forbidden by the AMA (American Medical Association) – the largest and most powerful political organization which represents the majority of medical doctors. The AMA exerts vast influence over insurance regulations and reimbursement schedules.
They were taught not to during their medical school training and during their residency. The basis for this is rooted in ignorance and professional bigotry.
Powerful political and lobbying efforts on the part of pharmaceutical companies tainted their opinions of alternative medicine approaches.
The chiropractic community has failed to sufficiently educate their medical colleagues about the features and benefits of chiropractic care. It can be a daunting challenge to meet and educate an M.D. on his turf and attempt to change the way they think about something. (I personally have done this, and sometimes it feels like talking to a brick wall).
M.D.’s can no longer hide behind the excuse that chiropractic isn’t scientific or that it’s not evidence based enough. There is an abundance of published research proving that chiropractic works, that it’s safe and that it’s more cost effective than drugs or surgery. M.D.’s need to abandon their prejudices and professional bigotry against chiropractic and start accepting and embracing it for the sake of their patient’s health. Regular referrals to chiropractors should be taught to medical students and practiced from residency through the duration of an M.D.’s career.The public needs to get informed about chiropractic. People need to actively approach their primary care physicians and educate them about their own experiences with chiropractic. They need to emphasize the value in a drug-free approach to living a pain-free lifestyle. And if the M.D. still stubbornly refuses to refer to a chiropractor, the patient needs to fire the M.D. and find somebody else who cares more about the well being of the patient than stubbornly clinging to their own bias.The time is now for M.D.’s to accept chiropractic care as an acceptable first line approach to helping people overcome chronic musculoskeletal pain. Chiropractic has an advantage over drugs in that it’s safer, less expensive and get’s superior results.