The shortage of nurses, healthcare workers, social workers and occupational therapists will increase and increase, new figures from Statistics Norway show. And it’s worst in the north. At Nordlandssykehuset in Vesterålen, a staffing crisis and high levels of sickness absence have made everyday life difficult for the employees. In January, news told about unit manager Nadia Sørensen on medical bedside duty at Nordlandssykehuset in Vesterålen. She was missing as many as 14 nurses and had nine gaps in the duty schedule in one day: Over the past six months, the unit manager and the hospital have initiated a number of measures to solve the staffing crisis. In seven months, Nadia Sørensen has managed to employ 14 new nurses. – Now we may have one free guard per day in the duty schedule. It is clear that it is much better than it has been, says Nadia Sørensen. Photo: Nordlandssykehuset She says that the measures she and the hospital have implemented are apparently simple. Three key words are close follow-up, guidance and other training methods. Previously, it was the case that if a nurse sent an e-mail and expressed their interest in a vacant position, they were asked to apply. – Now these are called and we start a close dialogue about the application process and what we can offer, says Nadia Sørensen. Nurses at Nordlandssykehuset in Stokmarknes are visiting patient Rose Mari Olsen. Photo: Lars Bjørn Martinsen / news It is also about listening to the needs of the potential new employee themselves. – It has different wishes and needs, so it’s about being flexible. Sørensen says that the recruitment work this spring has taken a lot of time. But this has led to several of the vacant nursing positions at the hospital now being filled. Not all of them are permanent employees, some are nurses on long-term substitutes. In addition to a major focus on the recruitment process, the hospital has revised the guidance and training newly employed nurses receive. This has enabled the hospital to create a safer workplace. This will especially have an impact in the autumn, believes Sørensen. Nadia Sørensen is unit manager on medical bedsides at Nordlandssykehuset in Vesterålen. Photo: Helge Lyngmoe / news She has also interviewed a number of nurses who have chosen to quit their jobs. This is how she has discovered the needs of newly qualified nurses. Get permanent supervisors – Our working day is unpredictable, and many people said that it was tough to go from being a student to seeing what you are responsible for. It bothers people that they feel they didn’t reach their goal when the working day is over, says the unit manager. Weekly meetings with a permanent supervisor and manager have now been introduced. This means that the new nurses get better follow-up and the opportunity to raise unforeseen problems. – When they have a permanent person to deal with, they get better follow-up. If someone is unsure about tasks or procedures, we start our own teaching, says Sørensen. Caroline Ellingsen and her supervisor, specialist nurse Malin Falstad Paulsen. Photo: Lars Bjørn Martinsen / news Important for recruitment Knowing that you are looked after is important for those who are looking for work, believes Caroline Ellingsen. She is a newly qualified nurse and recently employed at the hospital in Stokmarknes. Ellingsen greatly appreciates the supervisor she has been assigned. – I have someone I can talk to about the transition process from student to employee. They make sure I feel included, that I have a good time and that I don’t feel overwhelmed all the time. – It’s not like you’re embarrassed to ask, because everyone takes into account that you’re newly qualified, says nurse Caroline Ellingsen. Photo: Lars Bjørn Martinsen / news Want to keep the new employees Now that the employees are in place – the next challenge is to keep them. Nadia Sørensen will do this by giving the individual opportunities for personal and professional development. – At a local hospital, you can do everything, and you can work with several patient groups. It gives many a good feeling of mastery and a desire to continue. She adds that flexibility is also something the hospital will focus on in the future: – The lives of the employees are changing. Sometimes it can be fine to work two weeks of night shifts, while at other times it can be fine to work two weeks of day shifts. With the Norwegian nursing shortage, it is important to think anew, Sørensen believes. – I hope that the feedback that comes from students and staff is used to think a little differently about how things are done. – It doesn’t always have to be so complicated – There is a great shortage of nurses both nationally and locally. If you are to get the workforce you need, you must be active and take action. That’s according to the head of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association Nordland, Gjertrud Helene Krokaa, who applauds the measure. County leader for Nordland in the Norwegian Nurses’ Association, Gjertrud Helene Krokaa. Photo: Øystein Nygård / news She says that many new employees do not have anyone who can answer questions, due to staffing shortages. – They become insecure and insecure. It doesn’t always have to be so complicated. Sometimes it is the simple measures that are needed, she says and adds: – Salary is of course a topic as well, but having your own supervisor means a lot to the working environment. Norwegian hospitals, municipalities and private business are fighting for nurses, but Krokaa believes there is a lot employers can do to attract more employees. – There are 17,000 nurses who work with things other than health. There is a lot you can do, such as making direct contact, asking what it will take for them to come back and not least – talk to those who are considering – or have quit.
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Nordland’s hospital went from a shortage of nurses to 14 new employees – news Nordland
