Recently published Norwegian Nurses Organization that 15 per cent of the country’s trained nurses have left the profession. This amounts to 17,000 nurses.
– Nurses and specialist nurses are the occupational group that clearly has the greatest shortage in Norway, in fact more than ten percent of the total shortage. It goes beyond the population’s health security and society’s health preparedness, says Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, head of the federation in Norwegian Nurses’ Association (NSF).
The NSF refers to a survey carried out by Statistics Norway, “The labor market for healthcare personnel until 2040», which shows that the country will need more than 100,000 nursing man-years in 2040.
Therese finished: – Extremely
Therese Gudmundsen (25) from Stavanger completed her training as a nurse in 2019. Then she started in home care in Bodø, where she completed her education.
FHI after the horror warning: – We must prepare
It didn’t take many guards before she noticed how hard it was to stand on the job.
– There was very high work pressure, almost always understaffed, a lot of responsibility, and extremely poor time. We often received messages in the mornings that people were ill, and then there was almost never anyone who could replace them, Therese tells Dagbladet, before continuing:
– I took the work home with me, because I was always thinking about what had happened, and whether I had forgotten something. I was always at work in my head, and eventually it stopped.
HARD: Therese Gudmundsen tells how demanding it was to work as a nurse. Photo: Screenshot / Instagram
sea view
Tells future nurses
Just one year after she started working 100% as a nurse, she was on sick leave. Therese was burnt out and could not keep things going.
Now she wants to inform future nurses about what they are getting themselves into if they choose the same profession as her.
– By choosing nursing education, you will be able to make a significant difference in people’s lives, while at the same time you will have many exciting career opportunities ahead of you. It is a rewarding and meaningful job, with an exciting and varied working day. No two working days are the same! In addition to this, you will be very attractive on the job market and you don’t have to worry about suddenly being without a job! In addition to the positive things, one should also be aware of the negative aspects of choosing a career as a nurse, says Therese, before continuing:
– This could be high work pressure, stress, understaffing, staying awake all night and generally low energy in everyday life. The salary is also nothing to brag about considering all the responsibility that comes with the job. The fact that people stood out on the veranda and clapped for us during the pandemic was of course very nice, but it unfortunately did little to help the wallet.
Lene (26) sounds the alarm: – There is a crisis
Bodø municipality and the Ministry of Health and Welfare respond to the comments further down in the case.
– Got my life back
After a couple of months of sick leave, Therese went back to work, in an 80 percent position. Even that became too heavy, and in April 2022 Therese stopped working as a nurse.
– I had to do it to get my life back. I realized it wasn’t worth it when I didn’t have a life outside of work. There were always few at work, and a lot of extra work, she says.
She says it was painful to almost have to jog between patient visits to get through the list.
– I didn’t have time to do that little extra, and show that I care and want to talk to my patients. The result is that you have so little time that you follow the tasks to the letter and hurry on, says Therese.
Enjoying new working life
Today, Therese works as a digital specialist for Telenor Arena, in addition to being an influencer on Instagram with 250,000 followers.
– I also work at Bodø Airport sometimes, and maybe take one shift a month in the home service.
– How is the quality of life with that kind of work?
– It really cannot be compared. Life is so much better, and I enjoy my jobs, says the 25-year-old.
– What will it take for you to return fully to the nursing profession?
– There had to be increased staffing, better pay and reduced work pressure, says Therese clearly.
Lill Sverresdatter Larsen told NSF that if Norway is to solve these future and current challenges, we must get some of the approximately 17,000 nurses who work elsewhere than in the health service back into the profession.
– If we are to manage this, wages must go up and the workload down, says Lill Sverresdatter Larsen in agreement with Therese.
Larsen says that it is also important to add that there are probably dark figures out there. They know there are places where there is a shortage of nurses, but no positions have been advertised.
– We know that employers give up advertising after several rounds of announcements, without qualified applicants. At the same time, we know that the use of temp agencies is increasing in the sector and more nurses are going to temp agencies, says Lill Sverresdatter Larsen.
Bodø municipality: – Lack of personnel
– Bodø municipality is in the same situation as other municipalities and hospitals across the country. The need for health and care services in the population is increasing, combined with a lack of qualified personnel, says Liv-Bente Sælø senior adviser and specialist nurse in Home Services in Bodø municipality to Dagbladet.
Sælø says that the time period 2020-21, when the coronavirus ravaged, was extra challenging.
– In the home care service, we had challenges linked to both a lack of competence and increased sickness absence. Bodø municipality gives high priority to this challenge. We work all the time, together with our employees, to find good solutions so that the working days can be experienced as good and motivating, says Sælø.
Warns men
Working to keep the new ones
She explains that both minor and major adjustments are made to find good solutions.
– As an example, we can mention that in recent years we have carried out a new division of tasks and service development to ensure optimal use of expertise, says Sælø.
She explains that the home care zone mentioned in this case means that nurses are placed at the top of ordinary staffing, precisely to meet the challenges highlighted in the interview.
– We are currently working on the Strategic competence plan for the health and care department, which will be submitted for political consideration this autumn. The plan will form a common platform for our work to both recruit and retain the professionals we need, and ensure that they get to use their expertise in the best possible way, Sælø makes clear.
She says that the reception and follow-up of new employees will be one of the topics dealt with, with a particular focus on the transition from study to the first years of working life.
The State Secretary: – Decisive
– The nurses and the other professionals do a very important job in our joint health service. It is crucial for this government to recruit and retain our skilled professionals. It is work we are well underway with, says State Secretary Truls Vasvik (Ap) to Dagbladet.
Shock letter: – Read and burn it!
– The nurses are clear that they want to spend their time on nursing tasks. Therefore, it will be important to better distribute tasks between the various professionals, and ensure the correct use of expertise and more full-time, he continues.
Vasvik they must prioritize correctly, let other professional groups have their way and use technology where it is appropriate.
– This is how we want to make everyday working life better in our joint health service.
– Made a plan
Vasvik says that they have submitted an escalation plan for full-time and good staffing in the care service, which will help to ensure enough personnel with the right skills.
– Passengers opened aircraft doors in the air
– Here we are looking, among other things, at measures to ensure the recruitment of nurses, particularly for recruitment-poor district municipalities. We are also working to follow up the Health Personnel Commission’s investigation, and have entered into a collaboration agreement with KS to meet the staffing challenges in the municipalities in the coming years, he says.
– When it comes to wages, it is the parties in working life who negotiate it, explains Vasvik.
2023-05-30 18:56:34
#Therese #quit
