Norway Needs Skilled Healthcare Workers. That Requires Strong Education

Healthcare workers are often described as “warm hands,” but that phrase no longer captures what eldercare demands, the commentary argues. Modern workers need knowledge, practical skills and the ability to take responsibility, not simply a willingness to provide extra help around patients.

The argument partly echoes concerns raised by vocational teacher Ragnhild Wie Andersen about the level of Norway’s healthcare worker programs. The authors share the concern that pressure to get more people through training can lead institutions to lower requirements and make the route to a trade certificate excessively flexible.

That approach, they say, should be avoided. Eldercare needs more clinical competence because workers increasingly face complex needs. The answer is not nostalgia for older forms of health education, but better teaching, supervision and workplace training.

The quality of teachers also matters. More vocational instructors now come from healthcare backgrounds and bring a strong commitment to the field. Their experience can help build professional pride and a clear occupational identity.

The commentary also calls for specialization and new career routes for people already working in the profession. Healthcare work should not become a dead end, it says. Workers should be able to gain expertise, assume greater responsibility and develop new skills without having to leave the field. That will require strong education, managers who use employees’ skills and continued opportunities for professional development.

“

warm hands