Professional Connections' Testimonials
Information on Saudi-Arabia and KAMC hospital
Letter from Tommi Valkama
Travelled to KAMC Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in April 2008 through Profco
Getting ready for the trip
You should take with you short socks, underwear, light clothes (for women it doesn’t matter what you wear under the abbaya), sneakers for work (preferably white, but some people have Crocs and other shoes, there is lots of walking), sandals, flip-flops, camera, laptop (but you can cheap computer here also), sportswear. Women need to have a one-piece swimsuit at the compound pool, but on the private beach they can wear bikinis. Men need to have long swimming shorts that go down to the knees.
On the compound everyone can wear for example shorts or skirts that are down to your knees and a t-shirt. You can’t wear a sleeveless shirt. Outside the compound men should wear long pants and a t-shirt. Women need to wear the abbaya outside the compound and keep a scarf with them in case someone asks them to cover their hair.
In the apartment there are 2 bath towels, 2 small towels and two sets of sheets.
Hint for women: You should bring tampons and cotton underwear if you want from your hone country, as they are hard to find here.
Air Cargo for luggage over 20 kg
Remember that if your luggage is over 20 kg, you need to send the rest by Air Cargo. KAMC hospital pays the Air Cargo for up to 20 kg (but they don’t pay the airport taxes naturally). I had almost 20 kg in the Air Cargo. I paid about 191 € for it and got back about 167€. You need to bring the bags to the Air Cargo at least a day before your own flight. Don’t put anything in the cargo bag you might need within a week.
The hospital will assist you in retrieving the air cargo bags. The Customs will inspect your bag thoroughly; so don’t put any material that might offend their religion, like CDs, books, movies, and pictures. Be prepared for a customs payment, which was 20 SAR.
Arriving to Saudi Arabia and the apartment
On the Jeddah airport, there was someone to meet me from the hospital’s Meet & Greet department. He will help you through the airport and bring you to the driver who will drive you to the hospital compound.
The personnel of the hospital live on two separate areas. The other is very close to the hospital and the other about 50 minutes away by car. Walls surround the hospital compound and guards are at the gate 24/7.
Most of the houses look the same. Our building has 6 rooms, kitchen, balcony, toilet and a separate bathroom. There are three people living here. There are also smaller apartments. The kitchen has a dishwasher, laundry machine, dryer, big fridge/freezer and an oven. My room has air-conditioning, 160cm wide bed, 2 nightstands, lot of closet space, table, 2 chairs, shelf and a mirror. The room and the apartment are a nice size.
It’s possible to get Internet to the apartment, which is really slow because the whole building uses the same line. But they are planning on getting a faster Internet connection on the compound. A wireless option is good, which we got from company called Mobily. The connection worked right away. It costs about 170-200€. Next monthly payments will depend on the speed of the connection. I took the unlimited version and it costs 60€ a month. A basic connection is 35€ a month.
Local cell phone subscription I got from the Mobily also. It’s prepaid and it costs 75 SAR. Local text messages cost about 0,25 SAR per message. A short call is cheaper than a message. To Finland a text message is 0,5 SAR.
From my apartment it’s about 800m to the hospital, 90m to the fire station, 40m to the bus station, 100m to the grocery store, 70m to a restaurant, coffee shop, jewelry store, game room, where they have a Playstation, pool table an a ping pong table. 40m to the tennis courts, 40m to the minifootball court, 120m to the pool (50meters), 100m to the big gym. So all the services are near. On the compound the women, men and families are on the same area. We live in the same houses too.
Jeddah is more open-minded than Riyadh. Here for example a man and a woman can go by themselves with a taxi to eat in a local restaurant and walk on the streets and nobody looks at you badly. Women don’t need to cover their hair anywhere, unless you’re really unlucky and somebody demands it. That’s why it’s good to have a scarf with you always.
The hospital
King Abdulaziz Medical City – Jeddah (KAMC-J) or King Khalid National Guard Hospital (KKNGH), or National Guard Hospital are all names you can use from the hospital.
It is mainly a private hospital taking care of the National Guard and their families. We take care of an area of about 11 000 people. Because we are a private hospital the visitors are not patients, but customers. The hospital was opened 14.9.1982. It has 350 beds. There are about 3600 to 4500 patients a month in the emergency ward. There are about 900 nurses in the hospital.
Moving around in Jeddah
Bus transport between the hospital and the apartments goes every 20 minutes. But by foot you will get there faster or in the same time. In the morning it is still cool ( 25C) for now, so it’s nice to walk to work. In the middle of the day it is already 40C.
The hospital arranges busses to the city every morning and night. It’s easier to use the hospital’s own “taxi service”. With a car you can get downtown much faster and you can get back when you want. One-way it is 25-50SAR which is under 5-10€ per car. If there are many people going at the same time, the prize is not a lot at all.
Orientation
On the first day you need to fill all kinds of papers, you get your ID card, your uniform and you get a personal code for the phones, with which they charge all your land line phone calls. In the afternoon you meet the nurse managers and open a bank account, where your salary will be paid. Getting an ATM card takes about 10 days. There are two ATM machines in the hospital and one at the compound gate.
On the second day the actual 4-day orientation begins. It includes visions, quality, drug calculations (the test is easy and you practice a lot for it), the rights of the patient and their family, measuring blood sugar, examining the patient, managing the pain, moving the patient ergonomically, training of nurses in Saudi, medications, pharmacy, using the medical library, infection control, wound care and so on. You will have some vaccinations, new blood tests, tuberculosis test and they check your height and weight.
The next week includes learning Arabic language and culture. You learn some numbers, and useful words, lost of interesting things about the culture.
Other useful information
If you join the Social Club that has an office next to the compound gym, you get some discounts from different places, you can freely use the gym, pool, tennis courts etc. The Club arranges trips and events. It costs about 25 SAR/month, which is about 4,3€.
Here the weekend is on Thursday and Friday. Their calendar Hijri, is different from our Gregorian calendar. They live in the year 1429 here. The hospital uses the Gregorian calendar also.
You can hear the prayers from the towers five times a day. The closest mosque is 30m from our building. Luckily it’s on the other side. But it doesn’t bother you. And the speakers are not so loud because there are family apartments near.
The cost of life is much less here. I bought 4 bags of groceries and it cost less than 40€.
In one day the food costs are about 4€ altogether (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Depending on what you eat at night. But you can’t spend 10 € in one day at least on the compound. The hospital’s basic lunch is 10 SAR= 1,7€. Juice/soda/water is 0,17€/each. It is usually fish, chicken or vegetarian food. Rice, potatoes, pasta, vegetables, deserts and fruits. You won’t be hungry here. If you go to a nice restaurant it costs more, depending on what you take, about 7-17€.
All necessary things are in order in about three weeks, like permanent Iqama, Internet connection and the ATM card.
You will hear a lot of “go with the flow”, and it’s a good advice. Things are not like in Finland, but you can deal with it with the right attitude.
Contact profco to get you here
Greetings,
Tommi
SN-1
Emergency & accident department
Hello Satu
I got here fine, everyone is really friendly not just the compound but at work as well. I am enjoying my work even though it is different to what I am used to, it is more of an admin position and I still have alot to learn here, but I will get there, and everyone goes out of their way to help you and make you feel welcome. The weather is ridiculously hot, it is in its 40's at the moment, and the summer has yet to come. It does take time to adjust to the climate especially when you are out shopping, and believe you me there are plenty of shopping malls to visit, this place is so diverse and not as strict as everyone seems to think that it is. I have been to a few parties already and have some good contacts at the different Compounds.
The workplace is very professional, everyone does speak english, better than what I expected.
Hina
Medical Secretary working in Jeddah
Hello,
I visit the Internet cafe a few times a week. It is 5 saudi rials per hour which is about 1 euro. The Internet café is in the Recreation Centre right next to the Hospital. Tabuk is a pleasant and a beautiful city. There is a free bus transportation to go shopping to the Souks. It is hot here, it has been over 40 degrees of Celsius for a few days now. There are 280,000 inhabitants here. Work is quite hectic so be prepared for that. I am working at the "Baby Clinic" which is the same as "Neuvola" in Finland. People are very friendly and smile all the time. When travelling I recommend you wear - at least I wore – a long skirt, a loose blouse and a scarf. Long trousers get very hot once arriving to the airport in Saudi. You should not buy a expensive abaya from Europe as you can buy it cheap from here at arrival. You should read about the local custom and the culture and be prepared to act in accordance to them. Just keep a humble, open-minded and positive attitude and everything will go well. I think wearing the abaya is only a good thing as I do not need to think of what to wear every day and it protects from the sun and heat as well even though it is fully black. It is good to bring a hat with a brim and a swimming cap for the pool. My hobbies include aikido, circuit training, etc. The apartment has basics: coffee maker, pots, a little bit of food, etc. It is no use bringing cutlery and plates from home. Maybe a couple of good beach towels though. Everything here is very cheap. Work shoes must be closed shoes. I bought Merell shoes on the day after arrival for less than 40 euros.
The orientation week is very good as they tell us a vast amount of things. Medication calculation is very important here and there is a quite a demanding test about it as well but you get a practice book before hand. It is good to learn the formula, the drip speeds, etc. You will need to calculate. They teach about the culture and religion a little bit as well and even some Arabic. Now I still have the i.v work shop. For all the new comers: photos are very expensive at least in Finland so you can have more of them taken here. Just get the necessary ones taken back home. It is also good to exchange some Saudi Riyals already in Europe, not dollars as it is quite hard to get to the bank quickly. Also, you get pre-salary straight away here. I had the medication calculation test yesterday and I passed it. People are very friendly, helpful and give advise easily with a smile on their faces.
Tarja Nurse from Finland
May 2007
Hello
Ok Saudi?.... Well I've only been here for 4 months but all in all I really enjoy it here.
Me... well I came to Saudi Arabia as I wanted a new challenge, I get bored easily and like to be challenged in my career and life. I'm only 23 and felt this was the best time for me to do this.I wanted to gain more experience in my field (ICU), develop further as a person and travel. Oh and obviously the money was a huge bonus! The culture...I had heard so many different stories on what Saudi was like before I came that I completely did not know what to expect when I arrived. But its not at all what I expected, its really not as strict as I imagined. Yes women can't drive and we have to cover but its really not that bad. You get driven everywhere and soon get used to being driven about everywhere. The taxis are cheap but as nurses you always use the hospitals limousine service (its not a limo, which is what I first thought, just a car, but with blacked out windows for us) you soon find a driver you feel comfortable with, then you have his mobile and they become your personal driver.Quite cool really. You only have to where the abbaya when out of the hospital compound. the abbaya is harmless though, just like a long coat, quite good on days your feeling not your best!
The nursing...it is difficult, as is the whole thing of being here for the first couple of months. It just takes time to get used to things. Its hard. you find 'well at home we' is used a lot. its normal and I did this lots, its easy to go with what you already know I suppose,. but soon enough you realise its just so much easier to go with the flow. The work depends on where your used to. The nursing in general is quite easy. The American system is a little behind the British system, although the equipment etc is the best, nursing is a little behind. You really don't notice this once you get used to the system though. The social life... this was not at all what I expected it to be. I had an image of detox and lots of reading! well its very much the opposite, but this depends on what you prefer to do in your social life of course. If you choose to there's a party every weekend, there are shopping malls (too many) all shops are up to date with style and seasons etc. Top Shop, River Island, Debenhams, Mango, Zara etc. There's loads of good food restraunts too so its nice to go out with a group of friends for meals every now and again. Its very much a close nit community. Everybody knows everybody, there's always a shoulder to cry on. I have made so many friends here. So many different people from all over the world with such different experiences, its fantastic.
The travel...the opportunities to travel here are vast. You get 54 days annual leave. You are central to so many different places. Middle East- Red Sea diving in Jeddah, Dubai, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, South East Asia, India there are lots to do and to see.
All in all my experience here so far has been excellent. No regrets. There's ups and downs as there is with everywhere you go in life, but definitely a good choice to make.
I hope this helps you the reader to make a choice whether to come to Saudi Arabia or not. Professional Connections (nurses@profco.com) will help you every step of the way. I hope this doesn't sound to much like a holiday brochure! ha ha. If you have any specific questions feel free to get back to me and ask away Professional Connections will give you my e mail address.
Sarah Nurse from UK working in Riyadh
Time flies by here, I have not had time to write for a while. Everything is great.
When I decided to work in Riyadh, I contacted Professional Connections a Healthcare Recruitment Agency in Finland. They advised and assisted me to decide where to work and assisted me through the whole recruitment process. They put me in touch with another Finnish nurse working at the hospital and this was very valuable.
Upon arrival you can see how well prepared they are at KFSH& RC for new employees. Someone from the hospital meets you at the airport and takes you to the accommodation where you find a package of food, enough for the first few days. If you don't get along with your flat mate or if there is something wrong with the flat you can move, this is usually not a problem. You will also be handed a schedule with information on what will take place over the first days. No need to worry about what to do and when, there are clear instructions on what to do each and every day. Some patient is needed, as you need to follow the programme.
The General Nursing Orientation (GNO) is good and necessary. It prepares you for the duties ahead of you. It might feel frustrating and there is too much information, but if you remember to be patient and not even try to learn everything you will be ok. Everything is familiar, at times you feel like you're back in school. Due to the fact that nurses from all over the world and from different cultures arrive at the same time for the GNO they want to make sure everyone has the necessary knowledge with regard to the policies and procedures at KFSH& RC. There is a test at the end of the GNO this includes some drug calculations and some written tasks. You can use your calculator,' if you fail can always try again. It really is quite easy!
We all face a new culture this is a shock even though we might not notice it at first. You may be tired all the time, having problems sleeping, eating all the time or something equivalent. It passes. The culture really is different. You must keep the prayer times in mind when going to the store, you need to wear the black abaya (you get used to this easily). At the hospital grounds you can wear your own clothes, preferably something conservative.
There is a wide variety of recreational facilities and the social life is active. You can do pretty much everything: go to the gym, play tennis, squash, diving, desert trips, travelling and of course shop. There are shops for every taste.
The climate is wonderful. You should keep in mind that it might get chilly during the winter months, especially in the mornings and late at night. The class rooms are either cold or hot, during the orientation you sit a lot, it's not nice to be cold for several hours!
The accommodation is are air-conditioned, no shortage of warm or cold water. You have all the necessary domestic appliances: stove, dish washer, micro, toaster etc. Linen, kitchen utilities and everything else necessary is provided."
- Mervi Nurse from Finland working in Riyadh
February 2006
"Living and working in Saudi Arabia is a once in a lifetime experience. The culture in this country makes an immediate impression and it is fascinating to see how it is evolving. Due to the strict laws it is impossible to avoid embracing the culture which can be challenging and rewarding. The dress code is one of the most obvious chances for women living in the Kingdom but soon the abaya just becomes normal and you won't even think twice about it. One of the other differences for women is not being able to drive, but to me this is not a disadvantage as the drivers are so crazy here! The social restrictions can sound like a really negative part of this culture but there is a large expatriates community and many activities to provide a social life.
Due to the culture and the way of life here the friendships I have made have been very strong. There are so many people from different countries and backgrounds that I have mixed with a much wider variety than I would back home. I think this is what makes it such a unique experience.
Working in a multicultural environment is a challenging and rewarding experience. It has been interesting to learn from colleagues from all around the world. There is also a lot to learn not only from the foreign nurses but the variety of patients that Saudi Arabia offers.
Saudi Arabia itself is a very interesting country with lots to see and do. Weekend trips around the Kingdom are relatively cheap and easy. It is a privilege to see these places as not many people other than people who live here can get to see them. Not many other people can say that they can go scuba diving in the Red Sea at Jeddah for a weekend break! It is also easy to travel outside the Kingdom, with Bahrain and Dubai being popular for shorter breaks. For longer breaks, Saudi is central to so many excellent travel destinations.
Traveling, working and living in Saudi Arabia are a unique experience that will only be undertaken by the minority of people. Taking and making the most of this opportunity means that so much can be gained which will be remembered forever."
- Carolyn Nurse from England
