– I had a visit from some friends the other day. All are nurses. Then it struck me that we can often complain that our job is demanding, but at the same time it is almost the only thing we talk about, because it is such a rewarding job, says Sandra Lupsic. She is the department manager at Ytteren nursing home in Mo i Rana. – We work with people in all phases of life. From birth to death. Not many professions have that aspect. But we have never been good enough to build the reputation of the nursing profession. The Norwegian Nurses’ Association (NSF) has conducted a survey among all its members who are out at work. The survey shows, among other things, that more than one in four nurses will not recommend nursing education to others. This is happening at the same time as we need almost 7,000 new nurses in Norway, according to figures from NSF. – That people will not recommend the education to others is frightening, Lupsic believes. More about the survey 17,347 nurses at work responded to the survey. The most important reasons for Norwegian nurses to thrive at work are: Good working environment (85.4 per cent), support from management (77.1 per cent) and competitive pay (73.4 per cent). 17.9 percent want a job outside the health care system. 27.9 percent would not recommend nursing education to others (10.5 completely disagree and 17.4 partially disagree with the statement “I would recommend nursing education to others”) 45.3 percent fully (12 percent) or partially agree (33.3 percent) in the claim that they perform work tasks that are formally a doctor’s responsibility. 59.6 per cent completely (27.8 per cent) or partly disagree (31.8 per cent) that the unit they work for has sufficient manpower and competence. 29.4 work more often on weekends than planned in shifts 17.3 per cent experience pressure from management to work more frequently on weekends. Struggling with low pay and tough everyday life – This is boring reading. First and foremost for the population who need nurses both now and in the future, says Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, leader of NSF. Furthermore, the survey to the Norwegian Nurses’ Association shows that 17.9 per cent of those who responded wanted a job outside the health care system. There are two main reasons why they want to move away from the nursing job: – This underlines what we have said for a long, long time. Wages must go up and the workload must go down, says Larsen. At the end of May, the Norwegian Nurses’ Association reached an agreement on the salaries of Norwegian nurses. How long is the road to go before you are at a completely satisfactory level? Lill Sverresdatter Larsen says wages must go up and the workload must go down. Photo: Sunniva Tønsberg Gaski / Sunniva Tønsberg Gaski – It is difficult to say a specific number. There must be a number that means that we keep nurses at work. We know that one in five quits the profession and moves on to something completely different, Larsen answers and adds: – When we manage to keep all the nurses we train, we can say that the salary is at a satisfactory level. Salary does not mean everything Sandra Lupsic at Ytteren nursing home has clear ideas about what is needed to both get more people into the profession, and make more people want to go to the profession. – We know that the salary is low, but more salary does not give you less strain injuries, Lupsic believes. – We have to work on how we use our people. How is the HSE in the women’s professions? To say that the job is difficult and heavy is one thing, but we must find out what makes it difficult and heavy. Among other things, Lupsic proposes to lower the requirements for nurses. According to her, there is not always a correspondence between what is expected of a nurse and what they actually get done. – That there is such a big difference between expectations and reality at least strains the conscience of some nurses, she says. In addition, she believes it is possible to look for alternative solutions to get some of the tasks nurses have today done. – The home care service has, for example, provided cleaning work to others. The same applies to the kitchen service, as we still have a number of health personnel who are used in areas where we can actually use other occupational groups. So we have great potential to get better in the years to come, says Lupsic. – It is an exciting profession. Of course there are challenges, but we also have a sea of opportunities. Must get more managers The survey also shows that a large proportion of nurses experience that they perform work that is actually a doctor’s responsibility. More than half also say that the unit they work for does not have sufficient manpower or skills. Lill Sverresdatter Larsen in NSF emphasizes that there are more things than better pay and less workload that can make it more attractive to be a nurse. She explains that the leaders at the lowest level in the service have too many employees to lead. – We need a close management that is close to the employees. And that makes the framework conditions and decision-making authority to be able to lead, not just administer. In addition, Larsen mentions that the state should also take action to address the large shortage of nurses in the districts. – Repaid tax, more salary, mentoring schemes, competence development and a number of other measures can be done, she says and adds: – A lot is already being done today, but at the municipal level. Then there will be competition between the municipalities. This should have been a state district boost with both money and new technology that can help more municipalities.
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Survey from the nurses’ association. Does not recommend nursing education to others and will quit – news Nordland
