Finnish nurse KAMC JeddahThis is a transcript from a video recording taken Summer 2011

Tell us a little bit about the hospital, how long you've been there, and your plans for the future?

I originally qualified as a nurse in Finland, and worked there as a paramedic. I'm now at the Emergency Department of the National Guard Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I've been here just over three years so far, and hopefully will continue to be for several more.

The hospital itself is fairly large and busy, the ward is always full, and there's a constant stream of patients coming into the department. The hospital provides plenty of opportunities to develop your skills, including courses such as ACLS, NRP etc. Some of these courses are compulsory, others are voluntary.

The hospital's wards normally have 4 to 5 nurses per shift with ward managers present during the day, and there are about 20 to 30 beds per ward. Our ward currently has about 20 beds and 15 nurses, with a ward manager and two assistant ward managers. We work hard, and if you're not afraid of work it's a pretty good place to be employed.

The pay here is good, the sun shines, there's rain about once a year, as you may have already read on the internet or elsewhere. There are lots of opportunities for recreation in Jeddah, especially the sea, the coast, diving... If you enjoy diving, snorkeling or corals, or just boat trips in general, all these are  possible as it's a coastal town. Last winter it was relatively cold with a low of 16 Celsius (61 Fahrenheit), but the previous Winter it was 21 C (70 F), and in the Summer it's 40 - 45 C (104 - 113 F). The climate is damp but warm, and it's continually warm. The sea is 27 C (81 F) in Winter and 30 C (86 F) in the Summer. I go diving, and it's a good place to do it as there aren't really any tourists in the water with you.

We have four week rotas, which consist of fifteen shifts and 12.5 hour days. After fifteen shifts we have 13 days off, which usually works out as two weeks of day shifts, two weeks of night shifts and then the 13 days leave. So yes, you do get a lot of time to do stuff, especially in Jeddah

Accommodation?

MC1 compound.

MC1 has 50 metre (50 yard) swimming pools, a good gym, a restaurant, a corner shop, a tennis court, a basketball court and a futsal pitch. There are two buses a day to the city centre, to shopping centres and supermarkets.  MC1 has accommodation for families and male shared flats. Last time I was there I lived with three other people, we had six rooms and a kitchen.

Then there's a slightly smaller compound  which you will probably only see if you're a woman. They also have a swimming pool, a gym and (at least according to the sign outside, I have never been there) a sauna too. The compound has villas which accommodate 1 to 3 people, with two floors each.

Then there's MC X which is MC1's neighbouring compound. The flats there are typically for two people, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a shared kitchen.

 If you're sociable there's plenty to do in the compounds, or you can go riding, parachute jumping, surfing, waterskiing, jetskiing. The sea is a huge plus point, and Jeddah has shopping centres and shops to suit all needs. You shouldn't think Jeddah is some kind of backwater, because it has every major retailer you could imagine, from McDonald's to Virgin Music Store, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Boss... everything you could need.

We get 54 days holiday per year, which is quite a big advantage over nursing in Finland. Of course it's good to plan your holiday in advance, and split your leave into two or three. When you're in the Middle East it's easy to get to Thailand, and Egypt is a two hour flight. If you want to visit Africa, it's right there just across the sea. The travel possibilities are very good, and the connections, especially via Dubai or Bahrain, are excellent.

Tell us a bit about the culture. What did you think of life in an Islamic country?

Well, the first thing that strikes you are the prayers. Every shop shuts for prayers, so you may have to think about how you time your shopping trips, but as prayers usually only last about 15 to 30 minutes it's not such a big problem

Islam is quite visible as Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, and home to the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Islam is a part of everyday life, part of the culture, and it is the country's raison d'être. 100% of the local population is Muslim. If you approach this way of life with an open mind, especially if you want to get to know the local culture and try to speak with people, you should be able to cope with it.

It won't be as big a shock as you might think based on the image the media gives of Muslims (in Saudi). Saudi is a good place, the King donates quite a lot of money to education, nursing, hospitals, building clinics and universities, and they are developing very very quickly. It could still take time for them to reach a Western standard of living, but they are off to a good start. I've been there three years and I've already seen them make good progress

Thank you for this excellent and informative introduction to nursing in Saudi Arabia. Could I just ask, what would you say to Finnish nurses planning to move there?

Well, if you keep an open mind and have some specific goals, and if you remember that you're a good nurse who knows what they're doing, then you should cope fine with it.

You shouldn't run into any major problems as long as you remember that a foreign culture is always a foreign culture, and you can't just behave the way you would in Finland. Keep an open mind.

There are 360 days of sunshine a year, the climate is pleasant, the sea is warm.

If you're trying to save up or pay off your debts, this is a good place to do it as the cost of living is so cheap. One litre of 95 octane petrol costs about EUR0.08, and in general prices in Saudi Arabia are about a fifth of prices in Finland. Travel is definitely cheap, and it's easy to go with friends to Egypt or wherever.

It's is a pretty good place to work, I've enjoyed being there and I'll be there for a few more years. I would encourage people to try it, to see a new culture, to learn a new language and to keep an open mind.

Summer 2011