Last week, the maternity ward at Nordlandssykehuset in Stokmarknes had to be downgraded to a delivery room. Reason: Acute shortage of bioengineers. On Tuesday, the news came that the blood bank will reopen, and thus also the maternity ward. But there is still a lack of people to have the laboratory manned around the clock. That is why Nordlandssykehuset is now offering several lucrative bonus schemes to tempt people to Vesterålen: Bioengineers from other hospitals are offered just over NOK 37,000 a week to help for shorter periods. New employees receive a “recruitment supplement” of NOK 150,000, against a commitment period of 18 months. Students who commit get up to NOK 50,000 per academic year. This also involves working during holidays. Strained economy – The reason for this measure is that there is a great struggle to recruit bioengineers. We compete with a private market, especially the fishing industry and the oil industry, says HR manager Liss Eberg at Nordlandssykehuset. Liss Eberg is HR manager at Nordlandssykehuset. Photo: Kasper Holgersen / news Nordlandssykehuset, like the other hospitals in Helse Nord, is struggling with strained finances. Among other things, significant sums are spent on hiring personnel. In 2022, it is estimated that this cost will reach NOK 140 million. – Can you afford to give these bonuses? – Advice is a question. The alternative is often to hire, which is much more expensive. And we work very hard to reduce hiring, says Eberg. From Ålesund to Stokmarknes And the sprinkling of money has already paid off for Nordlandssykehuset. From Helse Møre and Romsdal, six bioengineers are traveling in groups up to Vesterålen to contribute over the next few weeks. Last week it became known that the maternity ward at Stokmarknes will be “downgraded” to a delivery room at night. The reason is a lack of bioengineers. Now, however, help is coming. Photo: Kristin Skjefstad Isaksen / news Laila Marie Haram in Ålesund will work at Stokmarknes for three weeks and will have her first day of work on Monday. – Colleagues in the north have been in it for quite a long time and need help. Then it’s nice to be able to contribute, she says. Although the hospital in Ålesund itself is under pressure for staffing, she has been granted unpaid leave to travel north. – But I don’t know what I get paid, only that it is not less than in Ålesund. – So the money was not part of the assessment? – No, not for me. It is mostly for the safety of the population, she says. In addition, four employees travel from Kristiansund and one from Volda to Vesterålen. Helps with student life The bonuses have also lured people north among students. One of these is bioengineering student Karoline Tobiassen (23). Karoline Tobiassen studies at NTNU in Trondheim, but has now committed herself Photo: Privat For her, the bonus agreement means that she will receive NOK 75,000 in exchange for committing herself to Nordlandssykehuset for 15 months. – It is clearly a motivation that makes it easier to be a student. It was something that I think was difficult last year considering that everything has become more expensive, she says. On a daily basis, the bodøværingen studies at NTNU in Trondheim, but she does not look down on having to work at the hospital in Stokmarknes if she is ordered there. – It is a smaller place, and a smaller hospital. But that can lead to you having to work with more areas than at larger hospitals. Then you will be able to get a different and broader experience. This is something that is talked about a lot among us students, she says. Karoline Tobiassen will receive a bonus of NOK 75,000 in return for committing to Nordlandssykehuset during holidays and for 15 months after finishing her studies. Photo: Privat Together with Tobiassen, four students have agreed to commit themselves to Nordlandssykehuset. Too few are educated Rita von der Fehr is chair of the board of the Norwegian Engineering and Technology Association (Nito) and says the high bonus schemes can be a good idea in a crisis situation. – But we only have the bioengineers we have, so it is clear that such measures can help shift the problem to other places. The challenge is not solved for that reason. According to Nito, 2,400 more man-years are needed by 2035. This means an increase of almost 60 per cent compared to today. But even if more people are trained, the public health system struggles with competition from the private sector. Rita von der Fehr is head of the professional board at Nito. Photo: Svein A. Liljebakk / The bioengineer Because while a bioengineer in a hospital earns in excess of 500,000 in annual salary, the highest salaries in the private sector are over a million, says von der Fehr. – But 150,000 is a good sum in addition to the ordinary salary, so I think that certainly has an effect. She believes that lucrative bonus schemes can become the new normal for the public health institutions in Norway. – Yes I believe. We have launched a survey in Nito to find out how widespread this is, and we have already received answers from several people that this is a tool that is being used.
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Had to close the maternity ward in Stokmarknes – enticement with NOK 150,000 to ensure staffing – news Nordland
