Two out of three decisions in a hospital are based on test results from laboratories. But an acute shortage of bioengineers has caused major problems at the country’s hospitals. Before Christmas, the news came that Nordlandssykehuset in Vesterålen had to turn the maternity ward into a delivery room at night. More than half of the women giving birth in Vesterålen travel 30 miles to Bodø or the neighboring county of Troms, and GPs fear for the patients’ safety. Cause? Shortage of bioengineers. According to the professional organization Nito, this will happen at several hospitals if the shortage persists. A report from Helse-Norge shows that at least 13,000 bioengineers are needed in 2040. When the crisis hit Nordlandssykehuset, they launched a large-scale “luring campaign”: 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. Workplace Vesterålen. Students who commit get up to NOK 50,000 per academic year. This also involves working during holidays. From calls for safety shoes in 2022, Nordlandssykehuset is now facing many applicants for few positions as bioengineers. – I knew this was a profession where it was easy to get a job, but I didn’t expect to get a job two years before I finished my education, says student Erling Ole Bakkefjell. In a period before Christmas, Nordlandssykehuset had to downgrade the maternity ward at the hospital in Vesterålen to a delivery room. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news Leaving to work with something completely different In January, the hospital at Stokmarknes has 21 qualified applicants for 4 permanent positions as bioengineers. Erling Ole Bakkefjell has completed his bioengineering degree next year. He is now in practice at Nordlandssykehuset in Bodø. Photo: Lise Forfang Hagen / news In addition, 12 students receive scholarships of NOK 50,000. Then they must commit to Nordlandssykehuset for a period. Erling Ole Bakkefjell is one of the 12. He is studying bioengineering at NTNU in Trondheim, and was looking for a part-time job. Now he has his first week in practice at the hospital in Bodø. The 50,000 kroner in scholarship comes in handy. Number of applicants for bioengineering studies in Norway as of April 2022 The study offers below are listed as bioengineering studies on Utdanning.no. The figures are from Samordna Opttak. 363 study places in bioengineering available at Norwegian universities and colleges. 6,371 applicants had bioengineering on their list. 925 applicants had bioengineering as their first choice. – Now I don’t have to have a casual part-time job. At the hospital I can learn a lot, and at the same time focus on my studies. In Bodø, he gets to familiarize himself with the profession. He also knows that he has a job right after graduation. Challenging times – We see light at the end of the tunnel. It couldn’t have gone better, says Oddny Kristin Remlo, head of department at Nordlandssykehuset. NITO has recently prepared a report that addresses the bioengineering shortage. Among other things, it points out that only 40 per cent of those who start the education benefit from public health services. Only four out of ten who start a bioengineering education end up working in public healthcare. Illustration: Malin Nygård Solberg / news Great competition with the private market is also cited as a reason for the shortage of bioengineers. Remlo at Nordlandssykehuset describes the situation with bioengineers as demanding for everyone. – The laboratory at the hospital is the hub. If the hub wears, the rest wears too. Reasons for bioengineering shortages 25 percent of bioengineering students leave before the end of their studies. 26 per cent of the students who are educated will work in sectors other than health. 23 percent of the bioengineers who are employed today will pass the age of 62 within the next ten years and will therefore have to be replaced. Newly employed bioengineers in Vesterålen receive NOK 150,000 for a contract period of 18 months. Remlo himself doubted that, even with extra money, they would be able to recruit four applicants to Vesterålen. – I have never come across anything like this. It just shows that if we are going to manage to recruit now, we have to go far and wide. The key is also good cooperation with the municipalities. Head of the Laboratory Medicine Department at Nordlandssykehuset, Oddny Kristin Remlo. Photo: Lise Forfang Hagen / news Old age But even if the situation seems to be resolved in Vesterålen, much remains to be done. The shortage also applies to the hospitals in Bodø and Lofoten. – We must have a strong focus on recruitment in the future, says Remlo. – How important are the students who have committed themselves to the hospital? – Extremely important. We need the right expertise. The students ensure that we get predictability. In the laboratories all around, the age of the employees is getting old. The fresh students will eventually carry the laboratories. – Does not empty the account Student Erling Ole Bakkefjell is looking forward to acquiring more skills. – I want to work here. Family and friends all live in Bodø, so it’s a logical place to find a job. And with the money he gets from the hospital, which he has now committed to, he doesn’t have to worry about finances. – I get NOK 5,000 a month for being guaranteed a job. Now I don’t have to empty my bank account.
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Lured with an extra 150,000 – now the bioengineering crisis can be solved – news Nordland
