Summer employee stories 2024

See what our summer employees in 2024 have to say

Nicodemus Virtanen, facility maintenance employee, KYS

Nicodemus Virtanen, 23, works as a facility maintenance employee at the cancer ward of KYS. He started work at the beginning of June and will continue until the end of August.

– I’m studying biomedical science at the University of Eastern Finland, so this work isn’t quite in my own field. However, in biomedical science we do cancer research, so working in the cancer ward has been interesting and helps to better understand cancer diseases. I have also studied nutrition as a secondary subject and am very interested in nutrition in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Thanks to this summer job, I have gained a lot of new experience and knowledge about special diets, food hygiene and nutritional care, Nicodemus says.

The work tasks mainly include cleaning and food service, such as cleaning patient rooms and other premises, and helping with food distribution.

– I’ve worked a few shifts in other wards, but I’ve mainly worked in the cancer ward. We work in three shifts every day of the week, Nicodemus explains.

Nicodemus has enjoyed working as a facility maintenance employee. In his opinion, the best thing has been the team, interaction with patients and other staff, and the opportunity to challenge oneself.

– The team is fantastic. I am surprised at how well I have been received in this work community. Every day when I come to work, I’m happy about the fact that I get to work with these people. This work has also allowed me to utilise my own customer service spirit when interacting with patients and other staff. I have also been able to challenge myself. I have learned different protective measures and, for example, droplet precautions. It’s been really rewarding, says Nicodemus.

According to Nicodemus, the orientation to the work was good and it’s always possible to ask people for help.

– It’s definitely worth considering Servica’s summer jobs. I’ve learned a lot here and the work community is great, Nicodemus says.

Erkko Niemeläinen, warehouse employee

Erkko Niemeläinen, 23, works as a warehouse employee at the central warehouse on Saaristokatu. He first started a summer job at Servica in 2019, so this is his sixth summer. Usually, he has only worked for the summer, but in 2022 he worked from spring to December.

– My tasks include picking, packing and shipping orders from the central warehouse to the customer. The work is very independent. Sometimes I also work in reception, but mostly I pick orders, says Erkko.

Erkko works the morning and evening shifts from Monday to Friday. He will continue in his summer job until the end of August.

– The best thing is collecting large orders, such as orders for operating theatre equipment. It gives you a moment to focus on that one order and take your time. I have enjoyed my summer job here. My colleagues are lovely, and the working atmosphere here is great, Erkko says.

Helmi Anttila, food service employee Iso-Bertta

This summer, Helmi Anttila, 20, worked for the second time as a food service employee at Iso-Bertta’s central kitchen. This year, she spent a little more than a month working and spent the rest of the summer writing her Bachelor’s thesis. Last summer, she worked for a total of three months.

– I work in the central distribution of the main section, where food is served to the patient’s plate. I mostly serve main courses and diet foods. Sometimes I also do the dishes, says Helmi.

She studies nutrition at the University of Eastern Finland and heard about Servica’s summer jobs for the first time at the university.

– It has been interesting to see what is happening in a large kitchen on a practical level. You get to see the things that work well, as well as areas for development. It has been interesting to learn about the hospital’s food service operations, Helmi says.

Helmi says that she has managed to balance her work and leisure time well and that her shift wishes have been largely fulfilled.

– I applied for a summer job with Servica again because I was familiar with the work. I didn’t have to learn everything again as I was able to do more or less the same work as last year, and the orientation was good back then. I like the fact that summer jobs are relatively simple, so they don’t put a strain on me or come home with me after leaving work. They provide a good counterbalance to my studies. This summer job has also increased my understanding of food services, and I believe that the experience will also be useful for my studies, Helmi says.

Helmi thought beforehand that the job would be quite lonely but found it to be otherwise.

– I thought I wouldn’t see a lot of people in this job, but there is a lot of cooperation with different colleagues. This is a large work community, and we need to communicate a lot with different people, which is really nice, Helmi comments.

Valentina Grigoreva, facility maintenance employee, Iisalmi

Valentina Grigoreva works as a facility maintenance employee at Kampus Pulssi, Iisalmi. She started work at the beginning of May and will continue until the end of September.

– I’ve enjoyed my work very much, it’s really interesting and the people are lovely. I would like to continue working in the autumn alongside my studies. I am studying to become an animal tender at Ylä-Savo Vocational College, says Valentina.

Valentina works mainly on weekdays but has also worked a few weekends. The work is shift work that is carried out in three shifts from morning to evening. The Kampus Pulssi building houses an emergency room, laboratory, X-ray, procedure units and various clinics.

Noora Reponen, repair construction

Noora Reponen, 27, worked as a summer employee at the Ala-Pyörö School construction site from the beginning of June to the beginning of August. Her work tasks mainly included painting.

– I mainly did exterior painting and repair painting, as well as other small jobs if necessary. I painted windows, doors, walls and metal roofs, for example. At the end of the summer work, I also had the opportunity to do levelling work, says Noora.

Noora is studying to become a painter, so the tasks were enjoyable and very useful for her studies. She will start her second year of studies in the autumn.

– I applied for a summer job because of the last-minute changes to my plans. The advertisement didn’t mention anything about painting, so it was a really positive surprise that I could paint all summer. I’ve never done outdoor painting before, so I learned a lot of new things and got to practise in a variety of ways, says Noora.

Noora enjoyed her summer job a lot.

– This was the perfect summer job. I had the opportunity to work in my own field all summer and the team was really great. I was also able to work outdoors, which was especially nice when the weather was really good. The orientation was also good and comprehensive, says Noora.

Jussi Kinnunen, transport employee, KYS

Jussi Kinnunen, 29, works as a transport employee in in-house transport at KYS. The duties include transporting and delivering KYS’s internal mail, delivering warehouse order goods to different wards at Kaari Hospital, and a pharmacy shift where the medicines are transported from the hospital pharmacy to different wards. Work is carried out in weekday morning shifts.

– Our area includes practically all buildings that can be accessed from the inside, with the exception of the outdoor buildings of KYS (3, 4, 5, 6 and 10). Outdoor transport is handled separately. We have a certain rhythm in our working days, but changes can be made if necessary. I enjoy the fact that the days are varied, says Jussi.

It’s Jussi’s first time working for Servica and for KYS in general. He has been working at the University Hospital of Oulu for many years and says that it has been interesting to see how the hospitals differ from one another. He moved to Kuopio a year ago because of his studies.

– I moved from Oulu to Kuopio to study as an X-ray nurse. This summer job does not directly benefit the studies of an X-ray nurse, but the workplace provides a good understanding of what the hospital world entails in addition to nursing work. In addition to nursing work, hospitals require a multi-professional support service network to operate, including hospital logistics, for example. For this reason, I recommend this job especially to people who are interested in nursing in the hospital world and logistics, Jussi comments.

In Jussi’s opinion, the best thing about the work is the benefits provided by a big operator and the physical activity of the work. He is also grateful to his colleagues and for the good orientation.

– In a large company, things work well; wages are paid on time, and the employer provides the work shoes and work clothes. That’s a big advantage. During working days, there is a lot of walking and moving of goods, so I get a lot of exercise. I have also gotten to know the entire hospital area and how things work at KYS. We have a really nice team here, and the good orientation deserves special mention, says Jussi.