Psychiatry chose Hermanni Pulkkinen
Hermanni Pulkkinen became interested in psychiatry during his first traineeship in psychiatry in his nursing studies. Hermanni works as a deputy nurse manager in the Psychiatry Center’s Mood Disorder Ward, and two days a week he processes online-therapy referrals.
In his work, Hermanni Pulkkinen also processes online-therapy referrals. HUS offers opportunities for online therapy all over Finland.
When I graduated from high school, I didn't really know what I wanted to study. My sister was working as a nurse at the time and recommended nursing studies to me. I've always liked dealing with people, so I thought why not. At first, I thought I could become an ambulance driver, as the degree programs in emergency care had just started in the early 2000s. However, my first traineeship in psychiatry at Halikko Hospital turned my thoughts to psychiatry. The atmosphere during the training was a good experience all round. The instruction provided was good and it was nice to work with the patients. I could say that psychiatry as a specialty chose me, not the other way around.
Career and current tasks
During my career I have worked in the Halikko and Lapinlahti hospitals and Julkula Hospital in Kuopio University Hospital. Since 2008, I have worked as a deputy nurse manager in the Mood Disorder Ward at the Psychiatry Center. I was also a project manager in HUS IT Management for just under a year during the reform of the patient information system.
HUS has offered me a number of further training courses, such as supervisor training and Skilled Nurse training. They opened doors for me to IT Psychiatry and my current roles and responsibilities. I am involved in the national ERA network on ethical restraint, which aims to ensure safe and ethical practices in various restrictive measures in psychiatry.
Variety of tasks and working from home
My working days are varied and versatile. One morning I might be at a job interview recruiting new employees; and in the next evening shift, I may be working as a rooming-in nurse for a patient in poor condition or doing independent and responsible work in processing referrals.
In fact, 40% of my working time is spent working remotely to process online-therapy referrals. This meaningful work has diversified my job description. HUS provides online therapy nationwide, benefiting thousands of people every year to receive proven help fast and effectively.
I also participate in development work, such as the planning group for structured recording of data and the determination of the role of the nurse working as a shift supervisor.
The importance of the working atmosphere for coping at work
The work on our ward is research-driven, with the multidisciplinary team playing an important role. The diversity of patients and their life situations make the work challenging, but also meaningful. The atmosphere at work is open and I can discuss anything with my colleagues.
While we may not always agree on everything, the opinion of every employee is heard and valued.
I feel that in my own work, I don't have to compete with my colleagues because we work together toward a common goal. Of course, we also measure performance, but the interest is shared by the whole team.
Psychiatry offers a wide range of opportunities to work with very different patients in outpatient and inpatient settings. I believe that our specialty offers interesting work duties for every new nurse. On our ward, we value nursing students as our future colleagues and pay special attention to welcoming them.
Students are always welcomed by our nurse manager, who will help in on-boarding them during their first day. This is something that the students who have completed traineeships on our ward have told us they appreciate very much. I believe that the good feedback we have received in the quality surveys on the guidance of our students also reflects the working atmosphere in our unit.
HUS equals colleagues to me
To me, HUS is about all the people I get to work with. Even though there are all sorts of comments in the public debate, I enjoy my job very much. For me, HUS is not a faceless organization, but I see that it consists of myself and my colleagues, with whom I can work together and succeed in my tasks. In other words, HUS is to me like Harri, Johanna, Sampo, Henna, Jouko and all the many, many other colleagues I cherish.
If anything has changed for me during my career, it is that in the early years I admired and learned from the more experienced and older employees. Now, this has been reversed. I am constantly learning from the young and enthusiastic new employees, whose expertise in many areas continues to surprise me in a positive way. I would like to welcome all new talents to work at HUS!