Can’t get specialist nurses – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
Nurse anesthetist Ronny Rasmusson receives NRK in one of two closed operating theaters at Lovisenberg Hospital in Oslo.
During normal operation, between fire and five planned operations are carried out in this hall daily, but earlier this year it was closed down.
Despite state-of-the-art equipment, the hospital was unable to operate the room. There simply weren’t enough nurse anesthetists to hire.
Rasmusson is also a specialist nurse at the anesthesia department at the hospital and therefore participates in the recruitment of new friends – which is not easy.
– In the past year, there have been far fewer applicants than previously, says Rasmusson.
He says that it is not unusual for there to be only one applicant per position.
– It is very worrying for the future. It is perhaps a sign that there is training to get nurse anesthetists. In addition, we see that those who apply to us work in nearby hospitals. So we take and give from each other, says Rasmusson.
No applicants
It is far from only Lovisenberg which notices that the labor market is almost vacuumed for specialist nurses. At Oslo University Hospital, too, they note that it is difficult to recruit qualified applicants.
In several departments, they are struggling to get hold of both anesthesia and intensive care nurses, such as in the neurointensive care unit at Ullevål. There they are looking for three intensive care nurses, but so far they have not received a single application.
– At the end of a recruitment phase, we often have no more than one, perhaps for current applicants. But they have often applied for other positions as well, so it is important to deal quickly before they miss out, says section leader Karoline Rugset Solberg.
Due to the staffing situation, they lack people at work every single day.
– Over the course of a day, we normally lack 4-5 employees at work, says Solberg.
Overtime
The neurointensive care unit at Ullevål is a department that accepts patients with serious head injuries. The people who work here are highly qualified intensive care nurses, and Solberg is the manager of around 60 fast-paced employees.
– For my employees, there will be a lot of overtime to get it going. In addition, we have to use extra guards, both internally and externally, says Solberg.
according to Nav’s business survey there is a shortage of 700 specialist nurses and midwives in Norway, while there is a shortage of just under 6,000 nurses. The figures are an estimate for the development in the current year.
But how many are actually missing right now is difficult to state, because after a demanding pandemic year, several specialist nurses chose to quit.
Awaiting the commission
In order to meet the challenges and the shortage of nurses, the government has set up a health personnel commission which will propose measures to get more people educated.
– They must deliver their recommendation at the beginning of February. In addition, we have followed up with educational positions, says Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol and aims for 230 new educational positions for specialist nurses.
Øyvind Skraastad, is head of the emergency clinic at OUS. He says that the new educational positions and investigations help little with the current situation.
– We need some type of immediate measure to cover the many. For us, it is difficult to understand that it will take several years before we get basic staff who are good enough, he says.
The clinic manager praises the nurses at OUS for their professional competence and, not least, their loyalty and contribution to making it work, but admits that it costs money.
– It is an extremely important job, but the lack of manpower leads to a lot of wear and tear, also on the managers who have to ensure that the rosters are filled, says Skraastad.
No “quick fix”
Health Minister Kjerkol has no “quick fix” for the challenges facing hospitals this winter, and says that it is important that the hospital management takes responsibility and ensures that they have services that can accept patients who need help.
– I cannot say what each individual hospital will do, but I know that both managers and union representatives are concerned about this, says Kjerkol.