Medical education is available in five Finnish universities: Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Kuopio and Oulu. While the core of physiology is shared and well defined in all units, greater academic freedom flourishes in the practice of teaching. In Helsinki, physiology (12.5 ECTS) is learned concurrently with anatomy, developmental biology, biochemistry and pharmacology. Some of the courses are integrated (”Introduction to medicine”), but most of them are not, e.g. ”Neurobiology”. Major learning method is problem-based learning (PBL; 42 h) along with self-learning. Traditional (39 h) and interactive lectures on specific topics (6 h) are given and there are nine hands-on practicals (27 h) included in the curriculum. For effective self-learning, a facility (”Bazaar”), equipped with computers and a library with recommended and supplementary literature, is available all hours. Graduate courses (15 ECTS) on functions of steroids in hormone-dependent cancers, sleep physiology, neurophysiological research on memory, attention, and pain, are offered. Currently, physiology has only one professor and two senior lecturers for 160 medical and dental students/year. In Kuopio, there is a 10.5-ECTS course, divided into nine subcourses representing different fields of general physiology. Each course starts with a case introduced by a clinician and ends with the case closure. An integrated 6-ECTS course is given in neurosciences. Learning methods include lectures (135 h), group work and hands-on practicals (17 h). Special importance is given to self-learning which is supported by a multimedia studio equipped with the latest technology (”Medistudia”). Evaluations show that self-learning facilities are in especially active use. There are two professors and five senior lecturers for 140 students/year. In Oulu, physiology proper is a 14-ECTS course. At the beginning of the term, there is an orientation period during which the students visit health centres. The level of integration with other preclinical disciplines is low. Lectures (108 h) and traditional hands-on practicals are emphasised as teaching methods. Oulu differs from the other units by teaching scientific writing and requiring two research papers on major physiology topics (2 ECTS). There are two professors and three senior lecturers per 180 students/year who comprise medical, dental and medical engineering students. In the ”Tampere-model”, physiology is fully integrated with other medical studies, thus being unique among Finnish medical faculties. As patient contacts are ”allowed” only after preclinical studies in the more conventional curriculi, these are included in Tampere already at the beginning of the studies. PBL is the major learning method (150 cases) accompanied by self-learning, lectures (42 h), several kinds of group work (14 h) and evaluations. Physiology has its share in eleven multidisciplinary courses (e.g. ”Movement” and ”Chest pain and shortness of breath”). There are two professors and two senior lecturers for 105 students/year. In Turku, physiology is learned in three courses. All of these have a different level of integration with other medical studies. Teaching comprises PBL (24 h), group work, seminars (5 h) and health centre visits. Depending on the course, either lectures (119 h totally) or PBL is favoured. Special importance is given to hands-on practicals (42 h). Turku also offers elective and graduate courses, some of them in English. There are three professors and several senior lecturers teaching physiology to 170 medical and dental students/year. Taken together, physiology education is comparable at all medical faculties in Finland. With the exceptions of Helsinki and Tampere, lectures comprise about 100 hours. Major hands-on practicals deal with blood pressure, electrocardiography, auscultation, spirometry, physical exercise, sensory physiology and electroencephalography. Student feedback has an important role in assessment of teaching. The major differences are seen in the integration of physiology with other disciplines, and in the use of PBL and early patient contacts as teaching methods. Students find physiology very useful and they have experienced the integration to clinical physiology in particular very inspiring. It seems, however, that integration and new technology have not changed the outcome of evaluations for better. In Finland, there are seven recommended physiology books for self-learning. All institutions have web sites.