There are educated nurses – but many choose to leave the profession. It costs society 5.5 billion kronor, according to a new survey.
Canceled operations and overcrowded maternity clinics are just a few effects attributed to the shortage of nurses, among others, in the healthcare system. But it's not a matter of having more educated nurses who are needed.
The Council has been commissioned by the government to draw up a national plan for competence supply in the healthcare system.
The report, which comes during an ongoing conflict with extensive strike notices between the Union of Health Professionals and employers, shows that almost 13,000 nurses are not working as nurses. This corresponds to a societal cost of 5.5 billion kronor according to the Council.
The report contains 25 proposals for interventions and a lot of focus is placed on ensuring retraining for personnel at regional and municipal levels.
The survey shows that it's not just nurses who are leaving the profession, the same pattern is found among occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, and biomedical analysts. Even doctors are leaving healthcare, but to a lesser extent. It's also more common to leave the profession the longer you've been in it.
