The matter in summary: There is a large wage gap between private and public nurses. Now more people are considering working in the private sector, believes the Norwegian Nurses’ Association. Helse Nord lacks more than 1,000 permanent employees, approximately 430 of whom are nurses. It will cost 300 million to close the wage gap between the state and the private sector for the nurses in Helse Nord. At the same time, Helse Nord spent 229 million on hiring nurses from January to November last year. Northern Norway’s largest private hospital, Aleris in Tromsø, does not have the same staffing challenges as Helse Nord. The leader of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association believes that pay works effectively for increased recruitment and that it is necessary to increase the pay level in the public sector. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Instead of spending so much money on temporary workers, the hospitals should rather invest in a pay jump for those who work permanently with them, says nursing student Henriette Karlsen Brenna (22). news meets Brenna and fellow student Ingeborg Maude (22) at UiT – Norway’s Arctic University in Tromsø. Only a bachelor thesis and a few weeks in practice stand between them and the nursing license. Henriette Karlsen Brenna, nursing student at UiT. Photo: Ingvild Vik / news Both dream of a professional life in a public hospital. But right now the career choice appears more uncertain for the two northerners than it did three years ago. Lack of nurses For several months, the hospital debate in northern Norway has raged. Blood-red figures in the accounts, a lack of competent professionals and an aging and sicker population. Helse Nord must make changes. It is the order from the Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap). Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol in place in Lofoten, Gravdal. Photo: Vilde Bratland Erikstad / news The five hospital undertakings under Helse Nord lack a total of 430 permanently employed nurses, according to figures presented by the regional health authority itself. Can cost 300 million. Figures from Statistics Norway for 2022 show that the contractual salary for nurses was, on average, NOK 78,840 lower in the state than in the private sector. If Helse Nord were to increase the salary by a corresponding amount for all 3,850 nurses they should have employed, it would cost NOK 304 million. Photo: Ingvild Vik / news The pay gap for specialist nurses, who make up a large proportion of nurses in hospitals, is smaller: NOK 55,200 in 2022. Thus, the real cost of closing the pay gap will probably be lower. At the same time, Helse Nord spent 229 million on hiring nurses from January to November last year. In addition, there are costs for overtime. – Will create continuity – Pay works effectively for increased recruitment. This is the case in all sectors, says leader of the Norwegian Nurses Association (NSF) Lill Sverresdatter Larsen. She emphasizes that it is not salary alone that makes nurses stay in the public sector. Opportunities for development, management and a good professional environment are also important. – But with higher wages, you manage to get a base with enough nurses, and thus more continuity. Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, head of NSF. Photo: Ingvild Vik / news Helse Nord’s HR director Anita Mentzoni-Einarsen believes it is too one-sided to assess salary alone as a recruitment measure. – There may be different measures that give the best effect, she writes in an e-mail. Mentzoni-Einarsen believes that the disparities between public hospitals and private operators are so great that the terms of employment are difficult to compare. Therefore, they cannot compete on equal terms either, she believes. Anita Mentzoni-Einarsen HR director Health Nord. Photo: Bente H. Johansen – We have a fair amount of turnover on the nursing side, and it is probably a part of these that goes to private players, without us having specific figures. Before Christmas, it became clear that Helse Nord will receive NOK 240 million extra over the state budget for recruitment and interaction in 2024. It has not yet been decided how the money will be distributed and used. – No recruitment problems Northern Norway’s largest private hospital, Aleris Tromsø, does not have the same staffing challenges as the health company. Managing director Anita Tunold points out that the recruitment challenges must be put into perspective. While Aleris in Tromsø has approximately 65 employees, the University Hospital of Northern Norway, by comparison, has approximately 6,500 employees. Managing director of Aleris Helse AS, Anita Tunold. Photo: Thomas Ystrøm Tunold points out that their salary level is roughly the same as in the public specialist health service, and believes that salary is only one of several factors. – We mainly do day surgery. Those who work with us know that they can both deliver and pick up at the nursery, and have time with the family in the evening. During periods of life, it will be decisive, also for healthcare personnel. Greater room for negotiation – It is quite clear that it is the nurses’ market, says the NSF leader. She believes the hospitals in the north have not taken the necessary measures to retain and recruit staff. On the contrary – over the years the workload has increased, but the wages have remained at a low level, Larsen believes. Photo: Ingvild Vik / news – If you don’t take care of your people, they will quit. According to the NSF leader, there is far greater scope for negotiating wages with private actors. – In the public sector, you are often told that you will receive the collective wage. But this is a minimum wage, and it should be possible to negotiate. – A problem The nursing students work at UNN today, and are involved in NSF. – It’s nice to work at the hospital when the conditions are right for it, but there are often low staffing, says Brenna. She herself wants to work in the public healthcare system, but recognizes that it is also tempting to work privately. – There are many advantages. Higher pay, opportunities to travel, and you can adjust how much you want to work yourself. Photo: Ingvild Vik / news Fellow student Maude could not imagine working privately. – I like working in the public sector. It is an offer we must be able to maintain, and that requires people to work there, she says. – But we do hear that fellow students talk about wanting to join a temp agency. – Do you realize that it’s tempting? – Yes, I have a great understanding of that. After all, we have heard of people who quit their jobs in the public sector to start working in the same place, only with a much higher salary via a temp agency. The nursing students hope for change for the better. – We are facing a very uncertain time, but I do have hope that we will be able to establish a healthcare system where we want to grow old at work, says Maude. Nursing student Ingeborg Maude (22). – Would start a wage spiral Head of personnel and organization at UNN Gøril Bertheussen fears a wage spiral if the hospital raises wages to solve staffing problems. – We see that when we take measures on the pay side, the others follow suit. It will not give us more nurses, just higher wages, says Bertheussen. She points out that pay is important to the individual, but that working hours and working conditions are highlighted as more important factors by nurses who have left the profession. Gøril Bertheussen, head of personnel and organization at UNN. Photo: Ingvild Vik / news – Perhaps you can look at wages nationally to increase recruitment, but there is no purpose for us as an individual actor to do this. NSF’s Larsen does not agree with that. – The salary level in the public sector is too low, and it is absolutely necessary to bring it up to an acceptable level.
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– Understand that it is tempting – news Troms and Finnmark
