Finnish Student´s Experience of Work-Placement Traineeships
2. October 2024Having the chance of a work placement or study period abroad is a unique benefit for students during their time at university. The Erasmus+ programme offers these opportunities reciprocally to individuals from abroad who wish to gain such professional and personal development in this country.
Joonas and Kaipo, general nursing students from Finland, jumped at the chance of invaluable traineeships at Tomas Bata Regional Hospital when on a course at the Faculty of Humanities. This period of work experience helped them broaden their skill sets in certain specialist areas, from dealing with emergencies to gynaecology. Consequently, the prior knowledge they had of the Finnish health system has been enhanced by the valuable time spent at a Czech hospital. Although they believe the healthcare arrangements of the two countries are comparable in many respects,
several crucial differences exist, such as a higher level of digitization in Finland and free provision of such care in the Czech Republic.
They faced several challenges at the hospital, not least the language barrier between them and patients, as not everyone spoke English. However, thanks to the support of their mentor and local medical staff, they managed to overcome it and appreciated the friendly atmosphere at the workplace. They also enjoyed the character of Zlín and the sense of calm it possesses. Kaipo commented: “There is a great balance between the city’s districts and surrounding
countryside, and we really like that everything is within a walking distance.”
According to Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Petr Snopek, cooperation with the Hospital has proven successful. He said that“For example, French students underwent a similar traineeship lastautumn, and we’ve seen enormous interest for upcoming semester.
Interview:
What would you like to become in the future?
– We would like to be nursing professionals in the future, part of a multidisciplinary team and we want to help people and contribute to society.
What do you study in Finland?
– We study General Nursing at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Joonas studies in the Finnish programme while Kaipo studies in a bilingual (English/Finnish) one.
Why did you choose Zlín for your study intership?
Zlín happened to be one of the few European countries of the Erasmus+ organisation where the only language requirement was English. The Czech Republic, as a country, piqued our interest and it was therefore our preferred choice.
Was it difficult to get an internship in the Czech Republic?
It was out of our hands, but the application process was not difficult and everything went smoothly once we were told that we had been accepted. We received clear and good instructions from the International Office at the Tomas Bata University.
What was your first impression of the working environment at Baťa Hospital? Have you faced any unexpected challenges?
Our first impression of the local hospital was good. We were impressed by the Czech health care. All the staff has been very helpful and friendly despite the language barrier. The biggest challenge was of course our lack of Czech language skills, but that was also somewhat expected. We wouldn’t say it was a challenge, but 12-hour shifts took some getting used too, as we don’t have those in Finland.
What have you already managed to try in Baťa Hospital? Have you had any new experiences? If so, what did you like the most?
We managed to practice some skills that needed improvement, such as catheterisation and blood-sample taking. We haven’t experienced the type of wards we visited at Bata Hospital at a hospital in Finland yet, so it was interesting getting a first impression here in Zlin. It was interesting seeing different working methods and attitudes from the nurses in the different wards. A few of our favourite new experiences was attending a couple of surgeries in the operating theatres, one of which was a robot surgery, and another where we literally looked over the surgeon’s shoulder.
Can you see any differences between Finnish and Czech healthcare system?
In general they are pretty similar; They both have the same services and equipment. If we’re looking from a more administrative perspective, the Finnish healthcare system is more digitalised, but we were told that, at least at Bata Hospital, it is also slowly getting more digital. One surprising thing that we learnt was that healthcare in the Czech Republic is mostly free, while you must pay a certain amount in Finland.
Can you feel a language barrier at work here?
Definitely yes. We speak very little Czech and both the staff and patients speak very little English. We’d like to interact more with the patients, but not being able to convey our emotions and be a good nurse due to our lack of Czech language skills, makes it near impossible.
How would you describe cultural differences between Finland and the Czech Republic?
There are actually no shocking cultural differences between Finland and the Czech Republic. We jokingly say that Finland has a meat-and-potato culture, and it’s pretty much the same here. Of course, due to the Czech Republic’s geographic location, it is culturally more in touch with its neighbouring countries, while Finland is kind of isolated up north.
What would you recommend to students who are considering an internship in Baťa Hospital?
It is good to remember that most people in the Czech Republic, especially in smaller cities such as Zlin, are less likely to speak English. So we would recommend to follow an introductory Czech language course, either before or during your internship, or just learn a few key phrases. Even if you don’t understand anything anyone says, we feel like both staff and patients appreciate it that you try to speak their language.
What activities or places in Zlín and its surroundings did you attracted the most?
We like the peaceful, small city atmosphere in Zlin. There is a good balance between urban areas and nature, and we like that most things are in walking distance. The public transport system is very good if you need to get to places a bit further away from the city centre. Zlin is also in a surprisingly good location that you can take long-distance transport to other major cities within Central Europe.
What are your impressions of Czech cuisine or culture? Did you manage to taste some typical Czech food?
Like we said before, Czech cuisine and culture is very much the same type of meat-and-potato type as Finland, and therefore we like it. We also very much like the beer culture, and we can safely say that Czech beer is far superior than Finnish beer. Despite what Czech people have said about certain Czech brands, it all tastes good to us. But if we had to choose, our personal favourite would be Pilsner Urquell. Some typical Czech food that we have tasted so far is Svickova and some Klobasa sausages.
Did you make any new friendship here?
Yes! Through ESN Zlin, we met some really nice fellow students, both international exchange students like us and local Czech students.