– The situation is demanding. It is a situation that is demanding for the vast majority of municipalities in Norway, and perhaps especially in District Norway, says Ørjan Haram. He is the municipal director in Høyanger, a municipality that thought they had seen the light. After a long-term shortage of nurses, last year they employed seven Spanish nurses in permanent positions. The Spaniards brought their families with them and settled in the industrial municipality of Sogn, which was threatened with emigration. But within a year, everyone quit their jobs and moved back home. news has contacted several of the Spanish nurses without receiving a reply. MOVE TO NORWAY: Gonzalo Gutiérrez and Maria Valle Cabezas-Sanchez from Spain were among the ten who agreed to work in Høyanger. Now they have returned to Spain. Photo: Sunniva Skurtveit / news Took a “Spanish one” and failed It was after years of expensive substitute staff that the municipal management saw the solution. The Spanish nurses were recruited for permanent positions via a recruitment agency. Now the municipality with 3,900 inhabitants is back on the temporary staff, with 10 empty nursing positions and empty applicant lists. The municipality has a total of 37 nursing positions within home care and institutions. The director of the municipality does not have a clear answer as to how they are going to solve the problem of nurses. The municipality has now set up a working group to evaluate the scheme with the aim of learning lessons for future initiatives. – We know it is not an answer with two lines underneath. We are in the process of finding answers to the challenges, but we don’t see the answers quite yet, says the municipal director. And Høyanger is by no means alone in hunting nurses. According to Nav, there is a shortage of 4,600 nurses in Norway. The number is expected to rise. Warns against quick solutions abroad The leader of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association, Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, is not surprised by the Spanish exit in Høyanger. She criticized the municipality last year for the way they recruited nurses, calling it unethical. MONEY IS THE KEY: Lill Sverresdatter Larsen believes higher wages for nurses will solve the crisis. Photo: Per Sveinung Larsen / news – We are a rich country and there is a global shortage of nurses. Spain needs its own nurses. Norway must be able to train and retain its trained nurses. Larsen believes that relying on foreign labor is also a game of chance. – Høyanger is an example that we must not rely on temp workers and staffing agencies from other countries. They can quickly return to their own countries. We also saw this happen with Danish and Swedish nurses during the pandemic. The NSF leader believes the key lies in higher wages. She points out that nearly 17,000 trained nurses are outside the profession today. To make the profession attractive again for this group, employers must ensure higher wages and better working conditions. – Salary must come first. That will resolve the situation very quickly, she says. Neighboring municipality has solved the problem Medan Høyanger struggles, Lærdal municipality, 13 miles further east in the Sognefjord, has apparently found the recipe for success. In the municipality with 2,100 inhabitants, all nursing positions are filled. Monika Obara, assistant unit manager for nursing and care in Lærdal municipality, believes that a good working environment and opportunities for professional development are important. FULL POSITIONS: Monika Obara says well-being is important for successful recruitment. Photo: Ole Ramshus Sælthun / Lærdal municipality – Nurses who have just started or are about to start here tell us that the working environment is the starting point for them wanting to work with us. And when well-being is high, the reputation is good, says the head of care, who explains that the nurses themselves drive recruitment for the municipality. – Those who work for us will bring more people to us, because it is good to work here. They see that we greatly value each individual, and that we provide opportunities for professional development. Offering scholarships In Høyanger, they hope that the solution is to a greater extent found locally, rather than in Spain. Through a stipend scheme, local young people receive a stipend from the municipality during their nursing education, in return for their commitment to return to work. In addition, they must be able to keep the nurses they have. It was Firda who first told about the scholarship scheme. – Retaining the workforce is important. The work itself must be experienced as attractive. I don’t think it’s just about salary, says municipal director Ørjan Haram.
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Thought they had solved the nurse riddle – now 10 positions are empty – news Vestland
