The teddy bear lies quietly on the small examination table. One paw is carefully wrapped in a bandage, while a yellow balloon cradles lightly in the child's hand next to it.
“It's had a stomach ache all day,” the boy explains seriously, looking up at the nursing student, who nods in understanding. With the stethoscope around her neck, she listens intently to the teddy bear's belly while her fellow student takes notes in the journal.
Questions are asked, gentle pressure is applied, and finally a diagnosis is made. The treatment is ready: a little medicine, a band-aid – and lots of care. The child smiles with relief. The teddy bear will probably get well.
This is how a classic treatment could have taken place when the Teddy Bear Hospital opens during the Culture Night at Queen Ingrid's Hospital in Nuuk – an initiative that has been a regular and beloved feature for the city's families with children for more than 15 years. And not least for the children, when they come with their beloved teddy bears.
A hospital at child-friendly height
The Teddy Bear Hospital is aimed at the youngest, who, together with their teddy bears, dolls and stuffed animals, can get a glimpse into the world of the hospital – without fear, but with curiosity.
The patients are cared for by nursing students from the 1st and 3rd semesters, who are responsible for the entire process: reception, examination, treatment and discharge. The lecturers are present in the background and only intervene if necessary.
For the students, it is not just a fun activity, but a mandatory part of their educational teaching.
Training in realistic settings
According to Nivi Willumsen, a teacher at the School of Nursing, today part of Ilisimatusarfik, and coordinator of the Culture Night project, the Bamsehospitalet is an important learning space.
"The students get the opportunity to test their expertise in a setting that resembles reality – just in a safe and playful way. They have to explain, listen and build trust, both in the child and the adult standing next to them," she says.
Communication is key. Being able to explain examinations and treatments in a language that children understand is a skill that students will later need when meeting real patients.
The students develop the concept themselves
The Teddy Bear Hospital is not a fixed concept. On the contrary, it is part of the task for the students themselves to come up with suggestions for improvements and new ideas.
"After the Culture Night, we evaluate the process together. What worked well? What can be done even better next time? This gives the students ownership and responsibility," says Nivi Willumsen.
For many of the students, it is also one of the most memorable aspects of the program – because for the first time they experience how theory, practice and relationships merge.
She expects that fewer than ten students will participate in the upcoming Culture Night in January 2026.
A safe first contact
For the children, it's about something completely different: That the hospital is not only a place with needles, illness and seriousness, but also a place where you are welcomed with a smile, time and care.
When the teddy bear is finished being treated, it often gets a patch to take home – and the child gets a new experience in their backpack.
An experience that might make it a little less scary the next time the doors to Queen Ingrid's Hospital open for good.
So even though Culture Night is entertaining, the "teddy bear hospital" at Queen Ingrid's Hospital also provides something rewarding – both for the nursing students involved and the children who get their teddy bears looked after.
