Practical Placement

Time is flying so fast. We have been doing our practical placements about three weeks now. Hospital, where our placements are, is called South Tyneside District Hospital. It is placed in South Shields and we are living in Newcastle so we had to buy metro cards to get there. (They cost about 150 pounds!) Way to work takes about one hour. Sini is doing her long term illnesses placement in Oncology and Ansku is doing her paediatric nursing in children´s Emergency Care. Both placements last about 5 weeks.

Employees have been really friendly and nice to us. I think that people are here more easy-going and happy than in Finland. (I mean when they are working). Just last night in emergency care doctors and nurses were singing Beatles for trauma patient. I think this is great!

Our Hospital

Our Hospital

We got our working clothes from Northumbria University. They are nice! Pants are black and tops are white. We are allowed to keep them, but we have to cut Northumbria´s loco away if we are planning to take them to Finland. Reputedly, that we cannot show oneself as northumbria students. 
Here is a wierd policy, that everybody wash their own working clothes at home. (What about all the bacterias?!?!)
 
Practical placement has been really interesting and educational, but also quite hard. The language barrier and long days are tiring. It is frustrating when you can´t express yourself like you want. Every day is a new challenge! :D

So this is the beginning of our exchange although it has been already two weeks since we arrived here (Newcastle)! Travelling to NE was hard 'cause we had huge suitcases to drag from Joensuu to Helsinki; from Helsinki to London. We took a bus to NE what was the dumbest thing to do! It took about seven hours to get here and after that (it was like 11pm) we had to find our hostel (already booked). So there were party people everywhere and we just drag our suitcases and asked for directions (and most of it was misleading). But as u know the only way to find out is to ASK! :) Finally we found the place and after this adventure we were so exhausted!

We spent a couple of days in the hostel and then had our accommodation. We share the flat with four other girls, of course we have our own rooms. Two of our flatmates are from France, other two from Spain. It is a great opportunity to get to know and explore other cultures. And we will!

Originally the plan was that we start in our practise placements 6th of Feb but just before that we got a call from our University that starting will be postponed. The main reason was that they had to checkup our health; so we went to occupational health department on Monday (supposed placement starting day). It was guite a bizarre that they took some same tests what we already had in Finland. ALSO have report and statement from it. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do! Last Wednesday we finally started our placements in hospital.

Overall it has been a very busy start, also tiring. We´ll check back with stories from practise placements!