– We must have very good Norwegian skills to get through this study, says Kate Evelyn Shoresh. She is in her first year of nursing education at Høgskulen på Vestlandet (HVL). – In mathematics, I can perhaps understand that they want to remove the grade requirement for it, she says. Student friend Marie Selvik nods. When the students entered, the grade requirement was at least 3 in maths and Norwegian. After almost three months on the course, they already know that the syllabus is tough. – We have to read a lot. I think more people will struggle if they remove the grade requirement, says Selvik. Marie Selvik and Kate Evelyn Shoresh. Photo: Rosa Irén Villalobos / news Must have more students In a letter to the Ministry of Education (external link), HVL has now applied for a dispensation for grade requirements in Norwegian and maths for nursing students. It is the first educational institution in the country to request such a dispensation. In 2019, a requirement of grade 3 or higher was introduced in these two subjects. – There is a very large shortage of nurses both in municipalities and health enterprises throughout the country. It is urgent to recruit more. We see that we have a number of applicants who do not meet the requirements to get in, says vice-rector for education at HVL, Anne-Grethe Naustdal. Vice Chancellor Anne-Grethe Naustdal at the University of Western Norway. Photo: Terje Rudi / HVL She believes that many people with grade 2 in maths and Norwegian are well suited and motivated to start their studies. The university has seen a marked decline in the number of applications after 2019. – Especially for the decentralized studies and part-time studies, says the vice-chancellor. She is clear that the university will not lower the requirements to become a nurse. – But there may be a little more drop-off. This is something we have to analyze and monitor along the way, says Naustdal. Not the way to go Student leader of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association, Daniel Tørresvoll Stabu, believes removing the grade requirement is not the way to go. – I fear it could lead to more dropping out of the course, he says. He refers to the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills’ report from earlier this year. It shows that more people complete their bachelor’s degree in nursing in the normal time. In 2018, there were 4,042 who completed nationally. In 2022, the number was 4,439. Also at HVL there are several who have completed. Daniel Tørresvoll Stabu is head of NSF Student. Photo: Norwegian Nurses’ Association – The answer is not to fit the bill. Rather, one must look at the conditions for nurses. We must have a salary that is balanced with the vital competence nurses have and a workload that makes it possible to stay in the profession. Stabu believes that if you have good framework conditions, it will have a recruiting effect. Almost halved In 2018, there were 9,747 applicants for the nursing degree at the University of Western Norway. 8268 of these were qualified. This year the number of applicants was 5,221. Only 3,622 were qualified. The decline is greatest in the smaller towns of Haugesund, Stord and Førde. But there have also been fewer applicants in Bergen. The shortage of nurses is great across the country. Photo: Anders Fehn / news – We have also received support from other universities in Norway, says Anne-Grethe Naustdal. The National Admissions Committee also wrote in their report that they will remove the grade requirement for both the nursing education and the teaching education. – What we are applying for now is a pilot project for 2024/2025. From 2025, the grade requirement could probably disappear throughout the country, she says. The minister will listen On Wednesday, Minister for Research and Higher Education Sandra Borch (Sp) was at the University of Western Norway in Førde. She knows that a lack of skills is a major challenge in a number of industries and professions. Sandra Borch in Førde on Wednesday. Here with mayor of Sunngjord Jenny Følling (Sp). Photo: Julie Haugen / news – Several nursing programs are struggling to fill study places. Both Høgskulen på Vestlandet and UiT in Harstad have raised the grade requirement as a big challenge when I have visited them, says Borch. Minister for Research and Higher Education Sandra Borch (Sp). Photo: Tordis Gauteplass / news She believes this is a social challenge the government will take seriously. – I cannot anticipate what the answer to the dispensation application will be, but I can promise that I will listen carefully to their concerns and take them with me in the work we are now undertaking, says Borch. In the spring, the government will submit a notification to the Storting on a new admissions model. – It is high time that we cleaned up what is today a very complicated admissions system, and which over time has led to artificially high score limits on several courses. We can’t have it so that young people have to spend years taking up subjects and collecting points before they get started, says Sandra Borch.
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Høgskulen på Vestlandet will remove grade requirements for the nursing degree – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
