Zlín is not the first city you’d think of when you think about the Czech Republic. I wouldn’t even blame you if you said you had never heard of this city before, because I didn’t either. But Zlín, where only about 70.000 people live, is worldwide known for the Bata shoe-brand, of which the first factory had been founded there by Tomáš Baťa at the end of the 19th century. He basically put Zlín on the map, because of which many buildings, including the local hospital, university and a skyscraper, are named after him.
But enough about Tomáš Baťa, let’s talk about me. It’s been over 1 month here in Zlín for my 2 months nursing traineeship, and I still have a little under a month to go before going back to Tampere. My nursing traineeship is taking place at the Tomas Bata Regional Hospital, where me and my friend, who came on exchange with me, are visiting different wards almost every week. Our latest ward has been a gynaecology-maternity clinic, related to which we are also attending some meetings with midwife-students at the Tomas Bata University.
The main differences between working here in a Czech hospital, as opposed to a Finnish one, lie mainly in the work culture and attitudes of employees. First of all, at the Tomas Bata Regional Hospital, they only work in two shifts instead of three. They only have morning (6-18) and nightshifts (18-6), so they work 12-hours at a time, but only 3 days per week. After experiencing a few night shifts here, I can safely say it’s not something I would want in Finland. Another major different thing is that there is a clear hierarchy between the doctors and nurses in this hospital, especially when the doctors are a bit older and the nurses are younger. Nurses are more like “doctor’s helpers,” rather than equal contributors to a patient’s care plan. This is quite in line with how Czech Republic is more conservative than Finland, in general.
I usually spend my free time here either traveling to other places or hanging out with friends (i.e. go out for a beer or 3…) Of course, while I’m in Central Europe, I took advantage of the fact that I’m in a good position to travel to other places. Within the Czech Republic I have been to the cities of Prague, Brno and Ostrava, and will probably make a trip to Olomouc as well. I’ve also been to Vienna, Kraków and Oświęcim, in Austria and Poland respectively. Thanks to the local ESN organisation, I have been able to meet other exchange students and internationally-minded Czech students. I didn’t think I would make many friends in the two months that I would be here, but looks like I might have been mistaken. I might not miss Zlín too much in the future, but I will never forgot the people I have met here.
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