Finally sitting down to write my final evaluation of the project.
I like some others had no idea of what to expect of the MINE project despite having it explained to us several weeks before we had left and most likely because I never really think of what I'm doing until I'm in the middle of it. Even though the questions were provided for us, the framework, timing and delivery was to be decided entirely by us. As simple as it sounds I came to realise very quickly that I had never worked in this way before. I had produced presentations in a group but never had I worked on such a scale with all decisions to be made by those taking part. In saying that I very much enjoyed the challenge and found it easier than our new continental friends may have done as the entire project was in English (thankfully).
On reflection (theres the magic word) I have enjoyed every moment of my time on the project and have learnt so much that I was previously ignorant to. Not just the differences and similarities between nursing in the UK and mainland Europe but the lives of people from other cultures and how we all manage to find a common ground and work together. I even came to realise that despite living in different countries with different languages and different systems of working there are always the same type of people in the groups. The more vocal people, the quiet people, the natural leader and the team player to name a few and I found that the challenges of working were not to be found in the different cultures but in the same conflict of personalities that can be found in any group.
To conclude, this was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The Finnish people are friendly and their country one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I have experienced things that I have loved yet hope to never do again (jump in a frozen lake and singing Jerusalem) and I hope to remain friends with all of the fantastic people I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with.
Special thanks go to Mirja and her group of elves who organised the superb events and succeeding in making my waste line 3 inches bigger.
mandag den 5. marts 2012
søndag den 12. februar 2012
Second Blog
Here it goes for the second blog.
Finishing off the first week and as well as having a great time getting to know everyone from the different countries we're getting to grips with the level of work that needs to be completed.
At the beginning (after a lengthy delay in Helsinki) we were introduced to everyone, the programme, our hosts and the beautiful SAMK university (serves great meatloaf). We were shown the campus and the facilities that are available to us including the gym and pool as well as the classrooms and library.
The University jaunt then led into our tour of Satakunta Hospital which gave me my first glimpse into how the Finnish system varies from the British. Patient comfort appears to be of paramount importance to the Finns and whereas on all of the wards I have worked on do have a day room they generally only consist of some hard chairs a television or serve as storage for the physiotherapists. In Satakunta however they contain homely furnishings, books, comfortable chairs and even musical instruments. This is obviously a financial issue for the NHS but it did lead me to wonder if time spent as an inpatient can be reduced if people are able to feel more at home and normal.
The next day we were further exposed to the Countries and the people with whom we will be working in the guise of video stories and the food market. The stories gave great insight not only into the nation itself and where students study but also into the pride of the people filming regarding their homeland. Danmark making several references to their beloved H.C. Anderson and their royal family's long lineage, Italia's images of renaissance Finreze and Malta's exquisitely beautiful San Anton gardens. The food market was a great opportunity to indulge ourselves in the fine cuisine of each nation. various types of cheese, bread and meat were the staple at all tables with one or two less palatable items making an appearance at the British stall. I fear we won't be exporting pork pies, pickle and marmite (which is illegal in Denmark) on a huge scale to our european neighbours.
It may have been the strong Czech liquor but the market created a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere where upon reflection (the word had to be mentioned of course) I realised for the first time how easy it was for the British to communicate with everyone else and the effort that the Europeans had to put in when talking to each other. I had never appreciated how hard thinking in one's own language and then translating it into an English that could be understood by another non native speaker could be, with the exception of Glen who has a wider vocabulary than I have hence why I am using words like 'exquisite' and 'hence' in my blog.
Finishing off the first week and as well as having a great time getting to know everyone from the different countries we're getting to grips with the level of work that needs to be completed.
At the beginning (after a lengthy delay in Helsinki) we were introduced to everyone, the programme, our hosts and the beautiful SAMK university (serves great meatloaf). We were shown the campus and the facilities that are available to us including the gym and pool as well as the classrooms and library.
The University jaunt then led into our tour of Satakunta Hospital which gave me my first glimpse into how the Finnish system varies from the British. Patient comfort appears to be of paramount importance to the Finns and whereas on all of the wards I have worked on do have a day room they generally only consist of some hard chairs a television or serve as storage for the physiotherapists. In Satakunta however they contain homely furnishings, books, comfortable chairs and even musical instruments. This is obviously a financial issue for the NHS but it did lead me to wonder if time spent as an inpatient can be reduced if people are able to feel more at home and normal.
The next day we were further exposed to the Countries and the people with whom we will be working in the guise of video stories and the food market. The stories gave great insight not only into the nation itself and where students study but also into the pride of the people filming regarding their homeland. Danmark making several references to their beloved H.C. Anderson and their royal family's long lineage, Italia's images of renaissance Finreze and Malta's exquisitely beautiful San Anton gardens. The food market was a great opportunity to indulge ourselves in the fine cuisine of each nation. various types of cheese, bread and meat were the staple at all tables with one or two less palatable items making an appearance at the British stall. I fear we won't be exporting pork pies, pickle and marmite (which is illegal in Denmark) on a huge scale to our european neighbours.
It may have been the strong Czech liquor but the market created a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere where upon reflection (the word had to be mentioned of course) I realised for the first time how easy it was for the British to communicate with everyone else and the effort that the Europeans had to put in when talking to each other. I had never appreciated how hard thinking in one's own language and then translating it into an English that could be understood by another non native speaker could be, with the exception of Glen who has a wider vocabulary than I have hence why I am using words like 'exquisite' and 'hence' in my blog.
søndag den 22. januar 2012
Hei, Aw, Ahoj, Ciao, Hej
Sorry for the late post but I've never been a big fan of blogging, but in this instance I think it'll be a great way to introduce ourselves and like one of my colleagues said, very addictive.
I enjoyed looking through the wiki and found it very informative. It was good to be able to see how it all breaks down and what we can expect when travelling to each of them. It was evident that a lot of work had gone into each one.
My only criticism is that it would have been nice to have some common use phrases in each language as when British people travel abroad most people speak English and we get very little opportunity to learn the local niceties.
In certain cases it was also quite funny, it's very typically 'British' to have the price of 6 cans of Carlsberg along with bread and milk as a necessity of daily living. The authors of the 'applicable laws' section also saw fit to remind us to abide by local laws in a foreign country just in case we were all to turn into criminals the moment we set foot onto foreign soil.
Looking for ward to meeting you all
Sorry for the late post but I've never been a big fan of blogging, but in this instance I think it'll be a great way to introduce ourselves and like one of my colleagues said, very addictive.
I enjoyed looking through the wiki and found it very informative. It was good to be able to see how it all breaks down and what we can expect when travelling to each of them. It was evident that a lot of work had gone into each one.
My only criticism is that it would have been nice to have some common use phrases in each language as when British people travel abroad most people speak English and we get very little opportunity to learn the local niceties.
In certain cases it was also quite funny, it's very typically 'British' to have the price of 6 cans of Carlsberg along with bread and milk as a necessity of daily living. The authors of the 'applicable laws' section also saw fit to remind us to abide by local laws in a foreign country just in case we were all to turn into criminals the moment we set foot onto foreign soil.
Looking for ward to meeting you all
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