The matter in summary The University College in Innlandet at Kongsvinger has experienced an increase in the number of nursing students after the admission requirement of grade 3 in Norwegian and maths was removed. From next year, all nursing programs in Norway will remove these grade requirements. Union leader of the Norwegian Nurses Association, Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, disagrees with the removal of the grade requirements and believes that other methods should be used to recruit nurses. Research and Higher Education Minister Oddmund Hoel (Sp) is positive about the new admissions rules and believes that they give more people the opportunity to enter nursing studies. A greater shortage of labor in the healthcare system is expected in the coming years. Eidskog municipality, near Kongsvinger, is one of several municipalities in the interior that have challenges in obtaining enough workforce in the healthcare system. They therefore view the measure positively. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – I think that tests from upper secondary school should not necessarily affect what you can deliver on the nursing course. That’s what nursing student Sivert Sørli says. He started his first year at Høgskolen i Innlandet (HINN) in Kongsvinger on Monday. The college has removed the grade requirement for entering the nursing degree. This means that anyone with general study skills can enter, which Sørli is positive about. – The most important thing for me is that good nurses are trained. That’s what we need. It does not matter that much if they are good at Norwegian literary history in order to become a good nurse. Sivert Sørli started nursing studies at HINN in Kongsvinger on Monday. Although he had entered with the old requirements, he is positive that the education has become available to more people. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news Removed for all For all nursing programs in the country, the requirements for a minimum grade 3 in Norwegian and maths to enter from next year are removed. HINN was one of several study centers in Norway that got a jumpstart on the scheme already this year. They see the effect of that. – There have never been so many nursing students here before, says Marie Hornslien. She is a university lecturer and study program manager for the bachelor’s degree in nursing at Høgskolen i Innlandet (HINN), department Kongsvinger. University lecturer and study program manager, Marie Hornslien, is clear that the quality of the study will still be the same even if the grade requirements have been removed. The students must go through the same exams and practice requirements as before. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news Record numbers entered HINN’s nursing courses at both Tynset and Kongsvinger. There are also many more applicants at the learning site in Elverum this year. – Had we not had this scheme, there would have been 26 students this year. But now it is 72, says Hornslien. Positive Research and higher education minister Oddmund Hoel (Sp) is pleased that the new admission rules give more people the opportunity to enter the nursing program. – We have seen over several years that applications for many of the nursing courses have fallen, especially outside the big cities. This has led to many empty study places in many places. He points out that at the same time there is a large and growing need for nurses, particularly in rural areas. – In that situation, we cannot afford to keep out highly motivated people who dream of becoming nurses. Minister for Research and Higher Education Oddmund Hoel (Sp). Photo: Hanna Johre / Hanna Johre – Now we are hearing from the educational institutions that removed the level requirements from this year, that they have had a great deal of progress in the local admissions and are filling up empty study places. That means more nurses out the other end. It is good news for Norway and it is good news for those who can now start a nursing education. Disagrees The leader of the Norwegian Nurses Association, Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, does not agree that it is right to remove the grade requirements. – Norway currently lacks more than 4,000 nurses, and the perspective report says we will lack up to 160,000 health personnel in the future. But removing grade requirements will not give the country more nurses, because we see a clear connection between grades from upper secondary school, ability to complete and dropping out of nursing education, writes the union leader by email. Union leader of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association, Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, does not believe that removing the grade requirements will result in more nurses. Photo: SUNNIVA TONSBERG GASKI / SUNNIVA TONSBERG GASKI She believes that the government must use other methods to recruit nurses. – The most important thing the government can do is not to remove the grade requirements for nursing education, but to take measures to recruit, mobilize and retain nurses. Removing grade requirements does not contribute to this. Increased need for health services Divisional director of Nav Innlandet, Hans Petter Emilsen, is positive about measures that can lead to more people working in the health care system. Hans Petter Emilsen, department director at Nav Innlandet, says that many municipalities in Innlandet have challenges with recruitment to the healthcare system. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news They expect a greater shortage of labor in the coming years, and especially in the healthcare system. – Within health, nursing and care, many municipalities in Innlandet have announced that they have major challenges in obtaining enough labor to solve the tasks they have, says Emilsen. Eidskog municipality, which is close to Kongsvinger, is an example of that. Mayor Kamilla Thue (Ap) calls the situation they are in demanding, with an aging population and difficulties in recruiting for the healthcare system. Mayor of Eidskog municipality, Kamilla Thue (Ap), is happy that more people can now enter nursing education. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo / news – In sectors such as healthcare, it has been challenging over time to get hold of labour. It was, for example, a big job to get our summer substitutes in place this year, says Thue. That is why she thinks it is gratifying that nursing education will now be available to even more people. – There are many people who want to do that job. There are many eidskogings that have come in, which are both good for the individual and for the municipality. We need every single one. In other words, people like Eidskogingen Sivert are highly desired. – I really want to continue living in Eidskog. I think it’s very nice to work in the healthcare system there, so I think I will stay in the municipality, says Sivert. Published 29/08/2024, at 12.43
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Grade requirement removed – record number entered nursing studies here – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
