[The work of a midwife-public health nurse in northern Finland in 1950-1987].

The purpose of this study was to describe the work of Jouki Nykänen, a midwife-public health nurse, in northern Finland in 1950-1987. The material for the study was collected by life-history interview. According to content analysis the work of the interviewee consisted of the following phases: 1) work as a midwife-public health nurse in the district of Sevettijärvi in 1950-1958, 2) work as a municipal midwife in Pyhäntä in 1958-1960, and 3) work as a midwife-public health nurse in the municipality of Karunki, in 1962-1987. In Sevettijärvi, planning and implementation of work were emphasized. The public health nurse-midwife worked whenever people needed her and when they came "to town". In Pyhantä, the clinics were well-organized. The work as a midwife-health nurse in Karunki was flexible, and another public health nurse also worked in the municipality. During home visits the interviewee took care of the whole family from the grandfather to the baby. The Public Health Act (1972) changed the character of the work: the number of home visits decreased and clinics fragmented into several fields of health care took the place of home visits, requiring efficiency and results. The results of the study showed the core of a midwife-public health nurse's work in a historically changing social context as well as the changes in the work between the postwar years and the present day.