Former CEU student Álvaro Pardo, Nursing graduate since the academic year 2016-17, has been working since the beginning of February 2017 in a unit called ‘Psykisk hjelpetjeneste’. It is a mental health unit from Elverum municipality, where patients with psychiatric problems and drug addiction are monitored.
There are two assistance methods: hospitalise the patients more in need of assistance in small neighbourhood houses or home care ‘hjemmesykepleier’, for patients who keep living in their homes in other areas of the city. They organise follow-up talks, leisure activities as well as nursing activities such as taking samples, wounds care, oral and intramuscular treatments dosage and distribution, glycaemia control and insulin administration.
Students got to know this project through our University, thanks to the programme ACCEDE during the event organised by the Guidance Service SOUAD in cooperation with the Nursing Degree. Accurate Care came to present this job offer in Norway to University CEU Cardenal Herrera. First of all, it was necessary to send the résumé to be assessed by Global Working, a Spanish company working with them in the personnel recruitment field. Next step was an interview in Spanish in order to plan a more formal Skype interview with an Accurate Care employer. The interview was held in English even if there was to possibility to do it in Spanish with an interpreter from Global Working. After this interview, Álvaro got an email telling him he had been selected and that he had to follow a 6 months Norwegian online course. A week after completing the course he was already working there.
Álvaro told us about his experience: “Norway is a unique country. The beauty of its landscapes is unrivalled. People are always friendly and polite even if they are a bit more reserved than Spanish people. During my short experience here, I started getting to know Norway from the inside. Society is enviable for its honesty and integrity. Its services are efficient.
From a Nursing point of view, this discipline is much more holistic here than in Spain. Much less technical. In Norway it is possible that a nurse spends his entire life without changing a catheter or running a blood test. In Norway, Nursing is all about talking to patients. Many of my activities are ‘samtale’, which is a talk with patients, lasting one hour or more sometimes. However, I can also see that Nursing here is less experienced and practiced than in Spain. In Spain a nurse can develop more skills. Here the nurse per patient ratio is high. For every 1000 dwellers in Norway there are 16,7 nurses. In Spain this figure is 5,1. When you start working here you can see that work is more relaxed and the workload is lower.
My experience in Norway is very positive. I came here without a return date and for now I am very happy. I’m learning many things and discovering different points of view and, of course, methods. I am also assessing and comparing all this with the things I learned in Spain, in order to get the best from both systems. It is a very enriching experience from different perspectives and to anyone who is thinking to spend some time abroad I would recommend … just do it! Not only for the job, money or work experience but also because it is one of the most enriching things in the world, even if at the beginning it can be a bit hard.”
Currently there are two other Nursing alumni following the Norwegian course and waiting for a job offer.
As you can see, one of the added values of UCH-CEU University is the commitment to our students’ employability.
