In the following you can read more about what it is like to work at Herlev Hospital. Two nurses, a doctor, a medical secretary and two healthcare assistants describe their perception of a working day at the hospital.
Lotte Rugaard Larsen, Nurse
“I’ve been working at Herlev Hospital for twenty years and chose to work here because the hospital was known as a new, modern hospital decorated with lots of colours. The colours mean a lot to the hospital’s ambience and working environment. Also the hospital was a renowned university hospital with lots of teaching.
“It’s easy to learn your way around the hospital in spite of its enormity. All the patient wards are in the high-rise and the treatment building is divided into lettered areas, which also makes it easy to get your bearings.
“One of the reasons I’ve been here so long is that Herlev Hospital makes a concerted effort to develop nursing care. The hospital is constantly implementing new, interesting initiatives to improve the care and treatment of our patients. That’s something I like.
“In my ward, the turnover of nurses is generally quite low. We have a good team spirit and patients tell us they think we’re good at helping each other. They notice we like working together.”
Helle Valgreen, Nurse
“My colleagues are the favourite part of my job, not to mention the opportunity to develop my professional skills through training, courses, etc. There is an excellent atmosphere here and we work well together. We’re good at discussing things, helping each other and good at giving each other praise and criticism.
“We also like helping the patients. There’s a positive atmosphere and we can fool about around with the patients even if the situation is serious. The patients appreciate this. It makes them feel that it’s possible to distance themselves a little from a serious illness.
“We know the patients and their families quite well. We treat chronic patients who come here several times a week. It’s nice to have this type of relationship with the patients.”
Louise Hansen, Doctor
“I’m delighted to work at a large hospital where so many specialised areas of medicine are gathered. In an emergency situation, you can often act right away because this is possible as the specialists required are on hand. “Our casualty ward and reception are efficient, and we also have a good triage which ensures the best possible process for the patient.
“Even though our daily atmosphere is busy, we work hard to inform patients and answer their questions. The better informed they are and the more they know about what’s going to happen, the better their treatment process will be. For the same reason, we earmark time in the afternoon for those patients who need to talk to a doctor.
“There’s a good atmosphere among the ward staff. We eat lunch together – both new and experienced doctors. We laugh a lot and watch out for each other. There is always someone who can help, if you’re busy. We’re on top of things and people take responsibility to make sure that problems get solved.
“New doctors receive fine support. We have a sound introduction programme both at the hospital and in my ward. There are good professional and administrative instructions to rely on.”
Maiken Svane, Medical Secretary
“There is generally a good atmosphere among the employees of Herlev Hospital. When I’m in touch with other departments or wards, people are very helpful. Even though the hospital is big, we can have personal relationships with each other across departments, which is nice.
“We have a good team spirit in my section. There are no boundaries between the various trade groups and no one feels better than anyone else. As I’m the only secretary here, it’s natural for me to work across job demarcations. My colleagues are good at praising and acknowledging your efforts, and that means a lot. They’re also always willing to lend a helping hand and ease your workload wherever they can. The good atmosphere rubs off on the patients. They can tell that this is a nice place to be.
“We care about creating a good atmosphere for new employees. For instance, we eat a light breakfast together and work hard to make people feel welcome and get off to a good start.”
Birgith Malmstrøm, Healthcare Assistant
“The good part about working at Herlev is you always meet people who are smiling. You rarely see sour looks. The many colours decorating the hospital also make people feel happy. They radiate warmth.
“We have a relaxed atmosphere and tone of voice with the patients here on the ward – without letting things get out of hand. It’s a balancing act. We think about how we address them and empathise with them, yet we also consider the fact that people are different.
“There’s also a good atmosphere among my co-workers. We don’t go around arguing or gossiping. When I started out at the department two years ago I received a warm welcome. As a new employee, you are given a training and competency programme, so I didn’t lack anything. I like the fact that it’s possible to develop all the time and the hospital also has a sharp focus on supplementary training.”
Marianne Nielsen, Healthcare Assistant
“We have many interesting challenges as healthcare assistants. For instance, we have flexible task performance which means that we take over some of the tasks from the nurses. That ensures that something new is happening all the time.
“The hospital makes a big effort to update the healthcare assistants’ knowledge and skills. We also have a local union branch for healthcare assistants here at the hospital where we get to know each other across departments and wards. That makes it much easier to work across wards when you’re a little more familiar with each other.
“As an employee, you have influence on a lot of what happens at the hospital because the various committees have staff representatives. Herlev Hospital also has a fine HR policy. If you get sick or injured, the hospital has some good offers.”