What is the Anamnesis?

Pronunciation: an-am-n-ss
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ne·ses /-sz/
1 : a recalling to mind
2 : a preliminary case history of a medical or psychiatric patient

- Medline medical dictionary.

Alright. This is my very first Blog entry. I shall do myself the honour and pat my shoulder and say, good job: I have officially given the Internet my little finger.

Well, aside from Internet and phalanges, I should share some more information about the setting of this manuscript: A dark and gloomy afternoon, in a distant and far away mystery city that few within the geographical range of North America have knowledge of. Snow is falling outside slowly to the wet ground and I rather appreciate the warm comfort of the four walls in my student flat. I am in Helsinki, enrolled in my second year at the Helsinki polytechnic in the English degree programme in Nursing. So far, my classmates and I have completed two clinical practices, the first being basics in clinical nursing, and the second in Internal medicine. My medical nursing practice I completed in a Neurological ward in the Helsinki University Central Hospital, Meilahti. My summer was spent at the very same ward, working as a practical nurse. Hence, I have developed a particular fondness for neurology.

Right now we are finishing off courses in Surgical and Perioperative nursing, research and development, Internal medicine and Pharmacology II (neurology), Drug and pain management III (Intra venous medication), Professional English and health promotion. I can’t think of what else there is. Everyone is excited about the oncoming surgical practices that will be happening next January. The surgical placements available to us are in Orthopaedics, Urology, Gastroenterology, Oncology particularly Mastectomy surgical units…and the rest I cannot remember either.

Life as a nursing student at the moment is not very easy, because I and many of my other class mates are working while studying. Most of us who work, do bank nursing in many different hospitals and nursing homes. I personally find it very useful to work as a bank nurse because I find it connects the theory of the class rooms with the practical part of nursing more easily. Our practices are so short and as soon as you feel you know how the ward works, you have to leave.

Then again, in bank nursing it is not any better. I have worked in a different ward every single time, and each shift has begun with the questions: ‘May I please have a report?’ (the nurses who receive me don’t usually have the intelligence to think that I would need to know what is going on before I can change those diapers), followed by ‘What is the rhythm of *that particular shift*?’ (different places serve food at different times) and then inevitably: ‘Where do I find *this or that particular item*?’

For some stupid reason, I decided to be absolutely mad and I did four shifts within five school days. This was because I panicked when I saw my dentist bills and phone bills, and the prognosis of the upcoming nurse’s strike… I did not realise that what I was doing was detrimental to my well being until my last shift on Wednesday. It was not a particularly enjoyable evening shift because of the following events:

I arrived there just in time. It took a while for a member of the staff to react to my introduction and my question as to where I could change. When I was changed and ready to engage my skills, no body knew who I was (or that I was supposed to be there) and they looked at me with confounded expressions. I was taken to the ward manager, who was embarrassed and did not know where I was supposed to work. A few phone calls later (I phoned my recruiting agency), it became evident that I was at the right place, and that I was to replace TWO people who cancelled their shifts. I was to work in two units, hopping to and fro, in a ward that I have never worked in before. When I presented myself to the nurses, no one wanted to give me a report because I missed the general one while the manager was trying to figure out my presence at the ward… Yes, I came home tired and grumpy. And I was tired and grumpy the next day during the early morning lectures.

Then there is the issue of this aforementioned strike. Yes, the nurses in Finland are very disgruntled about their salaries, and after a demonstration and negotiations, almost 12000 Nurses have signed a piece of paper (or rather several pieces of paper) stating that they will resign from their current employment by 19th November, if the government does not yield to their demands. Because I am a member of the Health worker’s union TEHY, I am not allowed to work when the said strike will take place. The ministers are all running around like headless chickens and the nurses are shouting ‘more money! more money!’ while patients are probably going to die, and I will become a poor sod who’s daily diet will consist of oat porridge and have bills piling up. Now that is the pessimistic view of the situation, I have to admit, but I cannot help it because my brain is probably saturated with melatonin. I just blame this whole mess on Scandinavian winter conditions and ignorant politicians (seriously, if you ever aspire to being the most unpopular person in your country, you should really consider politics).

Maybe the way to solve this would be to buy one of those bright lamp thingies that radiate UV light and, maybe, just maybe, we here will be a little less depressed and we can all go back to work, changing diapers and being unpopular.

Actually, I would not mind getting a better pay check after the long and arduous effort of my studies. So, I say ‘yay!’ to TEHY, and ‘yay!’ to Ms Nightingale too, for if it were not for her, there would not be the career of Nursing as we know it. I can hardly say ‘yay!’ to our politicians, for they have really had enough time to think about our salaries.

That was my opinion-riddled Anamnesis of Nursing in Finland today. Thank goodness Normal Saline comes in 1000ml bottles.

Peace!

Health tip: Avoid eating yellow tinted snow.