The general practitioner who steps into the creative space

design and function

Today, Undlien works three days a week as a GP in Vinderen in Oslo besides being a part-time jewelry designer. She finds great joy in combining the two forms of work, which are both demanding and inspiring in completely different ways.

Having a job where you can approach people and follow them through many stages of life is a privilege. It is motivating and you become humbled when you meet the daily lives of people and what they struggle with.

I am so fortunate to have another room to enter, a creative bubble in which time and space vanish and only me and metal vanish. It’s a wonderful freedom and inspiration to be allowed to do both, she says.

Undlien believes that there is a similarity between the medical profession and the drafting profession in that people care about each other.

One can imagine that there is a lot of competition and conflict in the jewelry industry, but this is not the case. On the contrary, you cheer up and help each other.

When asked about the impact of being a GP on being a creative jewelry designer and vice versa, she replied:

– What I really take with me from being a doctor to a designer, I guess, is the job. When we wear a piece of jewelry, we worry that it is beautiful, but that it should also be good to wear.

But functionality should not come at the expense of beauty. It amazes me how the different body parts are perfectly designed to do their job. I am trying to recreate this in my jewelry; It should be beautiful yet functional and appropriate.

First and foremost a general practitioner

– I am first and foremost a general practitioner. The fact that my neighborhood in Vestre Aker allows me to have an alternate two days a week to be a jewelry designer, I am so grateful for that. I have had good alternatives and I feel very privileged.

Last year, Undlien was asked if she would use 40% of her time to make a doctor’s plan because the district supervisor was on vacation. The medical plan includes, among other things, how the district uses its medical resources, and what is required for the medical service to be good. She is also a store hostess for area GPs.

The district has 30 GPs, and GPs are an important tool and building block for providing the population with quality health services. It was an exciting job where I gained insight into, among other things, the contractual system, she says.

Fantastic career

Undlien says that as a GP she works at least 10-12 hours every day. Many hours are filled with administrative work.

General practitioners are constantly given new tasks, but something new has to be brought in so that you can also get something out, and not just fill in new tasks. Not only do the authorities expect anything from us, but the patients as well. She points out that the leap in expectations that has taken place since I graduated as a physician in 1992 until today is enormous.

-Even though I work as a GP only three days a week, I often feel drained and can feel completely empty when I have my creative days. So I have now narrowed down my list to 200 patients.

I think a lot of the administrative work I do is important. Prescription coordination takes a lot of time, as well as patient feedback and communication with the NAV. I’ve been a GP for 30 years and still can’t think of anything else. It is a wonderful profession. It is a part of me and my identity. She says excitedly that it is very tiring, but it is very meaningful.

Undlien thrives as a self-employed person.

If something doesn’t work, you can do something about it. There is great freedom in that. There must be a balance. We GPs must not say how important this is to the authorities without at the same time emphasizing the beauty of the profession.

It is important to promote the profession of the general practitioner. It’s the best doctor job in the world, concludes general practitioner and jewelry designer.