Nursing

Nurses’ appointments

When you have an appointment with a nurse, you may:

• discuss anything that might bother you concerning your health have the nurse treat a minor injury or mild illness, or get a certificate to excuse a short absence from an educational institution or employment
• get referred to a laboratory before seeing a doctor
• get advice on birth control
• arrange your vaccinations.

Consultations by general practitioners and specialists

In addition to consultation by a general practitioner, medical services by the FSHS include most important specialist consultations needed by students.

General practitioners treat all usual matters or problems relating to a student’s health or illness (such as birth control, musculoskeletal pains, allergies, psychological problems, stomach problems, acne etc.).

More than one issue can be dealt with at one appointment, but if it is likely that it will take time discussing them, it is a good idea to make what is called a ‘double appointment’ (40 minutes).

The general practitioner refers the patient to an FSHS specialist or to special health care (at a hospital outpatient clinic). On the basis of his or her appraisal and examination, the general practitioner determines which specialist to refer the patient to (in case of stomach problems, for example, to a gynecologist or a specialist in internal medicine).

Doctors see patients by appointment only. In urgent cases, it is possible to have an appointment the same day, but otherwise the waiting time depends on the field of medicine and the health center. (When you want to make an appointment, please make sure you remember your physician’s name!).

With a referral from a health center doctor, laboratory examinations and X-ray examinations are free of charge.

The FSHS doctors mainly provide health-related medical certificates required for studies. Most of these certificates are subject to a separate charge. When you make your appointment, please explain what sort of certificate you require. Doctors require results from laboratory or X-ray examinations to issue certain certificates. Such results can be provided through a nurse.

Optician’s services

The FSHS does not conduct optical examinations. Prescriptions for glasses and/or contact lenses are not given. These services are available from an optician at listed prices.

Laboratory examinations

The health centers in Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Otaniemi, Oulu, Turku and Tampere have their own laboratories. At other health centers, nurses conduct some of the most common laboratory examinations. Some examinations are done in external laboratories. You get the referral to all laboratory examinations from the doctor or nurse at your health center. All examinations to which you are referred are free of charge for you.
General instructions: how to prepare for having samples taken in a laboratory.

HIV-test

If you so wish, you  may discuss HI-virus infections with a nurse or doctor and have the antibodies tested free of charge at any FSHS health center. The referral to the test – a blood sample –  is given to you by either a nurse or a doctor when you have an appointment. The results are given only to you, personally, by a doctor or a nurse no earlier than a week from the time of the sample.

X-ray examinations

The Töölö health center has its own an X-ray department. Other FSHS health centers refer the student to have  X-rays taken either at a hospital or a private institution.

Pulmonary examinations

Students who have visited countries in which tuberculosis is common are recommended to have their lungs examined.

Physiotherapy

Helsinki-Espoo, Turku, Tampere, Jyväskylä and Oulu have their own departments for physiotherapy.

Phoniatrics and speech therapy

Speech therapy services are available at almost all FSHS health centers; some patients require the services of a phoniatrician also. Most of these patients have functional dysphonia.