At the bedside in the medical department at the hospital in Kongsvinger, they stand and look at pictures patient Inger Johanne Gravem shows them. They work in the department to learn the language better. Then it helps to talk to the patients. Both for them and for Gravem, who beams when they enter the door. – I am very happy that I ended up here, says nurse Svitlana Yakymenko, who has been in Norway for just under half a year. Now she and laboratory technician Olga Bondarchuk have summer jobs as assistants on the medical bedside at Ahus Kongsvinger. They want to learn Norwegian as quickly as possible in order to support themselves. – This is a successful project. We need their expertise. This is what hospital coordinator at Ahus Kongsvinger Jane Beate Moe Castro says about the project they are currently the only ones working on at hospitals in Norway. HELP FOR SELF-HELP: Olga and Svitlana are very happy to be able to help others while learning languages. Patient Inger Johanne Graven praises the measure. Photo: NIKOLAI GRANSJØBERGET / news Had to think again There are 48,910 Ukrainians who have applied for asylum in Norway since the war started at the beginning of 2022. Half of the refugees are women, and many of them have a healthcare background. A professional group that is in short supply in Norway. Terje Maarud, who is a supervisor at Glåmdal Intermunicipal Adult Education Center (GIV), saw that many of them were highly educated and several in the health field. He contacted Ahus Kongsvinger to turn the hospital into an arena for language development in addition to classroom teaching in the introductory programme. The hospital coordinator agreed immediately. In January 2023, they started up. So far the experience has been good. POSITIVE: Hospital coordinator at Ahus Kongsvinger Jane Beate Moe Castro did not mind asking when Terje Maarud from GIV contacted them if they would accept Ukrainian refugees. Photo: Nikolai Gransjøen / news Maarud says the refugees learn the subject and the language quickly. – As soon as they put on the hospital uniform, they were off and running, he says. A limit of ten refugees at a time has been set so that there is not too much of a burden on the hospital and the patients. The requirement to participate is that the refugees have a background in healthcare and that they have sent documentation of their education to NOKUT. For Jane Beate Castro at Ahus, it was not difficult to say yes. – Here we have clear resources in terms of professional expertise. And if we can assist with language, this will be the fastest way to the goal, says Castro. The hospital has struggled with recruitment after the pandemic when they lost many Swedish employees, who did not return. They have bigger gaps in the rotation than they had before. Therefore, she can almost promise jobs when the language is in place. – I am so happy on behalf of Ukrainians. Then they can get started on good lives in Norway, says Terje Maarud. Easier to learn the language Svitlana Yakymenko and Olga Bondarchuk say it was a difficult decision for them to leave their homeland and start over in an unknown country. Collective protection Ukrainian citizens who apply for protection in Norway receive temporary collective protection for one year. The leave can be extended. Collective protection means that the UDI does not make individual assessments, but that Ukrainians receive protection as a group. According to UDI, this means that they get the help they need more quickly. These are some of the rights and obligations that come with collective protection: The permit is time-limited and is granted for one year at a time for up to three years. You have the right to public healthcare. You have the right to work in Norway. Born has the right to a nursery place and school attendance. Persons between the ages of 18 and 55 have the right and duty to follow the introductory programme. Source: UDI – Coming to Norway was hard for me, says Olga. She says that language practice in familiar surroundings at the hospital is a bright spot in her life. Both because she learns the language faster and because she feels great support among the employees in the department. It keeps thoughts of the war away for a few hours. Olga does not think it is difficult to learn Norwegian, but she realizes that it will take time. It is important for her to practice the language. In addition to nurses and laboratory staff, there are doctors, psychologists, paramedics and a cook from Ukraine who now have language practice at the hospital. This summer, Svitlana and Olga work as assistants on a medical bedside post with full pay. GOOD FOR EVERYONE: Head of department Elin Vestli believes that it is good for both colleagues and patients that Olga Bondarchuk and Svitlana Yakymenko work in the department. Photo: Nikolai Gransjøberget / news Head of Department Elin Vestli says she notices that language skills are improving. – They bring with them good care and a good commitment. And then they are extra hands, she says. Patient Inger Johanne Graven is happy with those hands. – Fantastic. Because it is also very important for Norwegians to learn what kind of attitude other cultures have towards the sick, she says. Competence must be thought of news has been in contact with all other hospitals in Norway and none of them have similar cooperation linked to Ukrainian refugees. But senior adviser at Helse Førde Per Marifjæren says that they were contacted by Sunnfjord municipality about a Ukrainian couple who are both doctors. They have been hospitalized at the central hospital in Førde for a period. Acting Director of the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDI) Lisbeth Fransplass Røren says the collaboration between Ahus and adult education in Kongsvinger is a good example of how the municipality can do that. UNIQUE PROJECT: Although several municipalities have started to think alternatively in language teaching, few have done as well as Ahus Kongsvinger. Photo: Anne Kari Løberg / news – Many other municipalities also work well with job-oriented qualification and job placement for refugees, she says. IMDI’s overview shows that of the 9,000 Ukrainian refugees who have had their skills mapped, relatively few have experience in health and care. This is about 800 people. But several have professional experience from sales, customer service, catering, personal service provision and construction. Grateful for the reception From the hospital bed in Kongsvinger, Inger Johanne Graven gives Svitlana a hug. She is involved in Norwegian People’s Aid and is therefore concerned that refugees get opportunities in their new homeland. She hopes more people will contribute to making them feel less left out. Olga and Svitlana are very grateful for how they have been received in Norway. They hope the war in Ukraine will soon end. But when that happens, they do not rule out that they can still be some extra hands in the health sector in Norway.
ttn-69
Ukrainian refugees receive language training at a hospital in Kongsvinger – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
