– I feel I have been extremely lucky to get here. I have had a very good job that has welcomed me well. Danish Amalie Obbekjer (31) has got a job as a psychologist in Haugesund because Norway needs more people with her education. When you have completed your qualification as a psychologist in Norway, you will receive authorization straight away. In Denmark, on the other hand, you must have two years of supervision before being awarded the title of psychologist. – I came as a newly qualified psychologist to a job market that needs licensed psychologists. It has been difficult. When Obbekjer was contacted with an offer to move to Norway to work as a psychologist here, she thought it was an offer she couldn’t refuse. – I feel I have a very good system around me, better than what I would have had in Denmark. I receive guidance every single week. I think that’s great fun. The 31-year-old is one of ten foreign psychologists who have been brought to Rogaland in the past year. Only one psychologist year’s work per 10,000 inhabitants – We do not have enough psychologists in Norway to fill the positions. We saw the opportunity to make contact with the Scandinavian countries, including Sweden and Denmark, says Christine Joy Utheim, who works with recruitment in Nav Rogaland. Today, there is only one psychologist’s man-year work per 10,000 inhabitants in the municipal health and care service in Norway. Rogaland is among the counties with the lowest coverage of psychologists, according to figures from Statistics Norway (external link). By way of comparison, there are ten times as many GP-years of work in the country. The Rogaland model has made several Nav offices in the country want to do the same. – We see that there are other Nav offices who contact us to hear how we do it, and who want to take part in this project, says Utheim. Christine Joy Utheim, recruitment in Europe, Nav Rogaland Recruitment and Eures. Photo: Thomas Ystrøm / news Nav Rogaland collaborates with several large companies in the region, including Helse Fonna, SUS, Skagen neuropsychological clinic and Blå Kors Haugalandet. – I spoke to the employers to find out if there was an opportunity to offer guidance roles to newly qualified psychologists. Then it turned out that there were several companies that had the opportunity to do so, says Utheim. She points out that the project not only fills the labor market, but that it is also good for the candidates who get to use their education. But this alone does not solve the crisis. Norwegian companies state that they lack around 400 psychologists, according to Nav. What will it cost? Liv Sand is disappointed because UiS has once again not been allocated money from the state budget for a long-planned professional course in psychology. She is head of department for social studies at the University of Stavanger (UiS). To start up the planned psychology study in Stavanger, UiS needs several million kroner. – The cost at start-up is estimated at NOK 6.5 million, and of course this will increase when more coal is in operation. This is an expensive study considering the extent of clinical guidance and practice that forms the basis of the professional approval, says Sand. Liv Sand, PhD and head of department, Department of Social Sciences, University of Stavanger (UiS). Photo: Thomas Ystrøm / news UiS has asked for 48 study places, which after six years will mean 288 students. The annual price tag will then be around NOK 78 million. – The initial reaction is disappointment. There is a shortage of psychologists both in municipal services and in the specialist health service. So we hope that the politicians can see this in a bigger picture, and will not give up the fight so easily. Published 11.10.2024, at 17.24
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Nav is recruiting foreign psychologists for Rogaland – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
