The following is an excerpt taken from an interview with Belén Ramírez, a nurse working in Norway after completing the Norwegian language course through Scandinavian Recruitment Spain.

Back in 2018, I asked myself this question: should I move from Spain to Norway and start a new life as a Nurse in Norway? My answer was YES, I was going! And I don’t regret my decision at all.

My whole nursing career changed when I arrived in Norway. It was eye-opening to see how wide and broad the nursing profession is here.

In my opinion, nursing in my home country is years behind Scandinavian healthcare. Nurses in Scandinavia work in all parts of the services, both in hospitals and municipalities. In Spain, nurses follow the direction of the medical staff, which is unthinkable in Norway. Because in Norway, doctors treat nurses as equals. Nurses in Scandinavia are considered (team) leaders and coordinators and have a lot of responsibility. Because not only do they provide treatment and care to patients, an essential part of the nursing work is to coordinate the patient’s health services and interact with other professional groups involved in patient care. This can be with relatives, other health personnel, police, fire brigade, technical personnel, and the like. As a nurse in Scandinavia, you must be able to lead and take responsibility for the collaboration.

Because my background comes from a very different nursing experience, I had to learn to be autonomous and work independently. Luckily, the Scandinavian nurses and doctors helped me tremendously.

Language Lessons

Before moving to Norway, I prepared myself by studying the Norwegian language course with Scandinavian Recruitment Spain. The Norwegian course I took consisted of three levels with lessons and assignments for each level with partial exams to measure my progress and comprehension. 

To be able to speak professional Norwegian took time. But I got to do it at my own pace, and because it was online, I was able to study when it was most convenient for me. I really dedicated myself to learning Norwegian because if one cannot speak Norwegian clearly on a professional level, you cannot be a nurse in Norway. 

Building a Life

One thing that is indisputable about life in Scandinavian countries, and Norway in particular, it’s that the quality of life is impressive by nearly every measure. Compared to Spain, nurses in Norway have a lot of free time. That is because Scandinavians highly value work-life balance. Actually, almost everyone I know has a better life/work balance than I was used to in Spain. Scandinavians also put a high value on family and friends and a good quality of life. 

Norway is a friendly place to live if you’re looking to build a new life. It is a multicultural society, with tons of immigrants from all over the world. And for me, having my own group of Norwegian and international friends to spend my free time with has been so rewarding.

Norway gave me the chance to have a career that links my nursing skills and my passions for continued learning, with more money to boot! It’s the best decision I made in my life!

If you want to embrace this enormous opportunity to work as a nurse in Scandinavia, then do it! Scandinavian colleagues will help you, as they will see you as a valued member of their team.