The paramedic who studied nursing and worked as a cook in Norway

Halla Arnfríður Grétarsdóttir is the head of the emergency room of the Health Institute of South Iceland (HSU) in Selfoss. The emergency department staff is almost 50. Of these, there are about 25 nurses, 12 paramedics, and doctors. Many of the department's staff also work elsewhere, but regularly attend the emergency department and stand on duty there. The reception area of ​​HSU's emergency department in Selfoss is by far the largest in the country, the variety of subjects is considerable and sometimes enormous. However, Halla says that staff turnover among paramedics and nurses in the department is very low, which tells a story about the morale.

BORN IN HAFNARFJÖRÐUR
Halla was born in 1969 in Sólvangur in Hafnarfjörður and grew up in that town, where she lived until 2000 when she moved east of the mountains to Selfoss. "I was 37 years old when I enrolled at Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurlands, and graduated from there in 2009 as a paramedic and student. After that, I worked for three years as a paramedic in Lundur at Hella, but in 2012 I started distance learning at the University of Akureyri. I graduated from there in 2016 as a nurse and have since added a course in emergency nursing."

COOK IN NORWAY
Halla has worked at various jobs over the years, including fish processing, commercial work, farm work and caregiving. "I don't fear many things. In 2014, for example, I was going to work as a paramedic in Norway, but ended up as a cook in a restaurant in Hommelstø. It was quite a challenging and unexpected twist!”

GRANDCHILDREN AND CROSSFIT
Halla is married to driver Kristinn Páll Pálsson. "We have two daughters together, but before that I had one son. He lives in Denmark and has five sons. Our older daughter lives today in Akureyri with her two daughters and our younger daughter lives here in Selfoss. We have seven grandchildren and in our free time we try to see them as much as possible. Outside of that, my hobbies revolve around doing Crossfit, enjoying traveling abroad, listening to audiobooks and knitting."

LOVES CAREGIVING
We ask Halla why she chose a career as a paramedic and nurse. "I have spent most of my career working as a caregiver and I love that role, but certainly with a few breaks, such as my adventure in Norway. I started at the age of 17 at Hrafnista in Hafnarfjörður, then a new mother. My mother worked there herself for years and that was definitely the trigger for me to choose this career. But these kind of jobs have suited me well and I like working with and for people. I started here at HSU in Selfoss in 2016, right after graduating from nursing. At first I was working both in the medical department and in the emergency department, but a few years ago the departments were completely split up and I have been in the emergency department since then."

BRIDGING THE GAP
"Today I am the department head of the emergency room, but I am bridging the gap until a new department head takes over, now in mid-October 2024. I have been assistant department head since the beginning of this year. In my work cycle, I have to have an overview and, among other things, to make sure that the shifts are fully staffed and to respond to the changes that will occur. In addition, I am responsible for ordering all medicines into the department, taking care of the status of equipment and see to various communications regarding various issues."

LARGE SERVICE AREA
"We primarily provide emergency services here at the emergency department of HSU in Selfoss. People come to us with all kinds of errands, but we give priority to taking care of acute illnesses and accidents. There has been an enormous increase in the number of visits here to the emergency department since I started, and it goes hand in hand with the large increase in population in the area. The service area we are covering is quite large, from Þorlákshöfn and east to Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Höfn. Moreover, it is a popular tourist area, both in winter and summer. Likewise, there is a lot of summer homes in the district, and those people look to us for services."

DIVERSIFIED PROJECTS
Halla selects a few projects of the emergency department to give a little overview. "The projects we do are very diverse and no day is the same, which is absolutely fantastic. In addition to traditional subjects, we sometimes have recurrences where people come for re-evaluation and follow-up after a fracture and either to have a cast renewed or to get rid of a cast. In addition, quite a lot of people come to us for antibiotic donations, but it gives people the opportunity to stay at home even if they need intravenous antibiotics and therefore not all of them have to be hospitalized. At the same time, we meet people who need to come in for a wound dressing change outside of healthcare opening hours, and for so long you could count. We have also seen a significant increase in patients staying with us for a few days while they wait for admission or surgery at Landspítali."

UNIQUE EMPLOYEE
She says the work ethic is unique and the colleagues the very best thing about the workplace. But then she welcomes the variety in her working day. "Here at the emergency department, morale is very good, although there is often quite a lot to do and the situation is so challenging that sometimes we get the feeling that we are not running fast enough or we don't do enough. But we are able to meet regularly outside of work. Many of us exercise together and that way friendships are strengthened. There is little staff turnover here for nurses and paramedics, which tells a big story about the fact that it is good and fun to work here!" says Halla proudly.