Estonian hospital's infection control nurse, who flags colleagues' shortcomings, named Nurse of the Year
Alise Venski, an infection control nurse at a South Estonian hospital, has been named Nurse of the Year despite — or because of — her job of constantly checking colleagues' hygiene compliance. She says the recognition is especially meaningful given the nature of her work.
Alise Venski, an infection control nurse at a hospital in South Estonia, was named Nurse of the Year on ETV's programme "Ringvaade". She said the recognition carries special meaning because her job involves constantly monitoring colleagues and pointing out their shortcomings.
Venski, who has worked as a nurse for 12 years, explained that her main task is ensuring hygiene rules are followed. She noted it is unusual for someone who is always checking on everyone else to be named nurse of the year, suggesting the award may reflect her success in making infection control feel more approachable.
Monitoring and rules
As part of her work, Venski observes nurses during procedures and records her observations. She said staff who have contact with patients are not allowed to wear watches, bracelets, rings or other jewelry, nor to use gel polish or other decorative nail coatings. When she notices painted nails, she explains to colleagues the infection risk involved — cracks can form in gel coatings, creating favorable conditions for bacteria to multiply. In such cases she warns that she will pay attention to their nails again next time.
Venski's duties also include inspecting cleaned wards using a special device that measures the biological cleanliness of surfaces. She noted the workload can be very heavy — last year the hospital had 25 patients in isolation at the same time.
Burnout and boundaries
Venski, who has two children, said her children sometimes brought infections home from kindergarten and school, but she herself never caught a virus at work. After the coronavirus pandemic, she at some point experienced burnout, which she considers entirely normal. This pushed her to consciously set boundaries at work — she must be reachable on weekends, but tries to handle everything possible during working hours.
Venski admitted there were moments when she considered leaving her job, particularly after losing close relatives, when she felt she had been unable to help them. Each time, however, she found the strength to keep helping others.
