After she returned to Finland, she was elected to Parliament in 1933, representing Turku Province North as a member of the National Coalition Party.

Pohjala worked on healthcare and welfare issues during her time in Parliament, but grew interested in foreign policy during and after World War II.

[1] She ran and won the election to represent the Turku Province North constituency (now Satakunta), taking office on 1 September 1933.

[4] As a member of Parliament, Pohjala frequently focused on healthcare and welfare issues, informed by her experiences as a nurse.

[1] Pohjala was strongly opposed to the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty at the conclusion of the Winter War with the Soviet Union in 1940.

She received an invitation from United States President Herbert Hoover and traveled to the U.S. where she met with Finnish American groups and was eventually able to return to her country.

[1] During the Continuation War, Pohjala was a member of Suomen Huolto [fi], an organization that provided aid to civilians.

When Karjalainen's term ended on 18 December 1963 due to the resignations of ministers who were sympathetic to the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions, Pohjala retired from politics.