Joint forces against the pandemic

Senior lecturer in healthcare during the day, nurse and vaccinator in the evening. That is how Anu Nyberg describes her last few weeks in a recent post on social media. She and several other Arcada employees have chosen to volunteer and vaccinate alongside their teaching job. Nyberg has vaccinated both in the evenings and during her winter vacation, just like her colleague Annika Skogster.

- I have been involved since the vaccinations started a year ago. I have been both vaccinating and answering calls from time to time. The work also includes preparing the vaccine and documenting the vaccinations, says Skogster, senior lecturer in care.

Senior lecturer in care Annika Skogster together with Arcada's students Lia Lehtinen and Janina Blomqvist and alumna Ann-Jeanette Simonsén.

The coronavirus vaccine both protects against the disease and helps prevent the spread of infection. The Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) considers the vaccine as one of the most important tools in the fight against the pandemic. The shortage of healthcare staff qualified to vaccinate has been great so volunteers have come to play an important role. Petra Ekman, senior lecturer in healthcare, will soon have a year of vaccination work behind her.

- We are a team of volunteers who work alongside the regular staff. It is important that all volunteers are competent and knowledgeable. It is after all not just about sticking a needle into another person. You must have knowledge and an understanding of the whole process itself and know how to guide the patient. In addition, you must be aware of all directives regarding the vaccine, she explains.

The aim of vaccinations in Finland is to reduce the disease burden caused by the virus, prevent deaths and ensure the capacity of healthcare.

Christine Stockmann-Broo and Anu Nyberg during a shift at a vaccintion point in Helsinki.

- By volunteering, I do my share to get out of this pandemic. If we who have the competence to volunteer do so, we can hopefully avoid calling in conscripts who are not trained in the field, says senior lecturer in healthcare Christine Stockmann-Broo.

Many of those who make an important contribution to the fight against the pandemic and ensure that the vaccination rate is kept high are Arcada alumni and students.