TAMK - Tampere University

Today I have spend some time at the University. It is called TAMK:

TAMK entrance

I think this shows what TAMK stands for!!!

I was joining another programme that is being run here at TAMK for this week. Teachers and some students from across Europe and also from Kenya have come to the Tampere University of Applied Science to share experiences with each other under the theme of "Family Nursing and Cultural Diversity of Nursing". I had discovered that there would be a teacher from Chester too. We met in the main lecture theatre and I found my English counterpart, Chris. She arrived last night and is travelling back at 3am Friday morning! She lectures in paediatrics. I also met a very nice girl from the Czech Republic (she was a bit embarrassed to be in Finland following her countries win over Finland in the ice hockey yesterday!) - Dagmar is a midwifery lecturer. she came to England as an au pair and worked in King's Langley. Small world! - This is very near to where we used to live in Watford.

We had an introductory lecture about the university. There are 3 main universities in Tampere - the university of applied science; Tampere University of Technology; Tampere University. She is going to send her presentation through so I may come back to this. She gave us a good overview of the Finnish education and there is a really good slide showing this. I have emailed asking for this and will put it in at some stage. Basically children can start school at aged 6 years but this is voluntary. Compulsory schooling starts at age 7.  Even starting comparatively late to England Finland have the highest achievements overall in Europe for Sciences and Maths and are second for reading! Students remain in compulsory education for 9 years until they are 16 and then they choose to go to the Upper secondary education which is more academic or the vocational education for the next 3 years. Those in the secondary stream can opt to do a 4th year in the vocational. Students can then go on to do a Bachelor degree - for applied sciences this takes 3 and a half to four and a half years and is state funded. All nurses would follow this path.

An art work depicting a bacterium!

Pia - head of degree programme, Gitte lecturer and international
  programme organiser, Sanna another lecturer

Tampere is the second largest applied science university after Helsinki. There are a total of 10,000 students of whom 1,500 are nurses. There are about 70-80 nurse teachers. When starting nursing studies students have to chose between nursing / midwifery / Public health / emergency care. These are between 3 and a half and four and a half year courses. They aim for 20% of their students to participate in an exchange programme. This is also endorsed by the Ministry of Education - it's aims include sharing expertise and supporting a multicultural society. Students can come to TAMK for 3 months in each semester being funded by the Erasmus programme. It is difficult for En glish students to participate in this partly due to the NMC regulations not recognising many international training schemes but also due to funding.

We were then taken on a tour of the department and shown their skills rooms and simulation room. 

one of the clinical skills rooms complete with model patients!

The simulation suite was quite amazing - there was a room with a mannequin which could be programmed to have different symptoms by the lecturer in the control room. Some students would then have to manage the patient whilst another group would watch them from another room on a screen. I realised that it has all come a long way since I did my basic training!!

It was at this point that my camera announced the memory card was full again! I shall definitely have to buy another card, particularly if we go to Estonia this weekend. Dian and Lorraine who are at Jyväskylä, are trying to arrange for us to travel back to Helsinki and then get the ferry across to Estonia and visit Tallinn. We have to be in Helsinki for the Sunday evening so it sounds like a great idea. Lorraine is still trying to arrange for us to go to Lapland. It does look quite expensive - about 284 euros plus our travel to Helsinki and the airport. I had suggested that if that didn't work out they could come here to Tamper and the I could go back with them and see Jyväskylä. I don't know what to do now! Pirjo has really kindly offered to take us all around on the Saturday, Lorraine really wants to go to Lapland, Dian can't afford to go to Lapland - help!!!!

I have had a few free hours this afternoon and so have finalised my presentation for tomorrow - I am presenting to the TAMK group and the Finnish nursing students (so should be about 100 people !). I am going to talk to them about my work in Nottingham. I have 45 minutes which really isn't long to explain briefly about the NHS, the local situation in Nottingham and the work of community matrons and district nurses!

Tonight Pirjo is picking me up and I am going, with her 3 children - Toomas, Sonja and Vilpo (no ideas really on spellings!) to see The Dictator so I thought I would do my blog earlier today as I had some free time and wanted to write up my visit to TAMK.

Tomorrow I have a full day without even a lunch break. Pirjo felt very bad about this but it was the only time that the Chief Executive could rearrange. I am with TAMK in the morning, starting at 8.30am and then spending some of the afternoon at the Pirkanmaa Hospice. In the evening I am going on a dinner cruise with the TAMK group on the southern lake so that should be a really nice end to a long day.