I have been a nurse for 10 years and throughout that time in the intensive care or monitoring department. In the early days of the pandemic, I also served as a CPR and emergency instructor in the hospital district. The hospital district took the pandemic seriously right from its very beginning. In the worst case scenario, the capacity of intensive care would multiply and the need for care staff would increase. The first objective was to train five hundred new intensive care nurses. On a few days’ notice, we were given the assignment of putting together a training package that would cover the role of nurses in the intensive care unit as well as skill workshops where participants practiced such things as turning patients on their stomach.
The days were long and very intense. I once cried after a working day in the training centre’s storeroom because I was so tired and frustrated. We were asked about volunteering to work in the corona intensive care unit. I raised my hand, realized I was part of something really unique.
Last autumn, I decided to apply for work abroad. It’s time to go. The pandemic proved that even though our work is valued, it will never show in our pay. I want a salary that matches my skills. We have the best health care in the world. The world’s best professionals providing care. Finland will lose some of these multitalented experts to other sectors and other countries if there is no change.