Tombola over Internships
Students of Medicine in Norway will after all not get first priority concerning Norwegian internships. All applicants stand an equal chance.
In line: Leader of the internship committee for students of Medicine at UiO, Jørgen Gravning, is currently in his twelfth semester as a student of Medicine but has yet to get an internship.
FOTO: Åshild Bekke Eidem
Internships are obligatory in order to become an authorized medical doctor in Norway. However, there has been a lack of internships the last couple of years. Placements are subject to a ballot, and many people have to wait in line for up to six months.
In 2003, a commission under the Directorate for Health and Social Affairs (SHD) proposed to give students of Medicine in Norway preference before students abroad and foreign doctors who come to Norway to work. This proposal has been shelved.
“The majority of the courts viewed this as unjust differential treatment. Therefore, we chose to advise against first priority, a conclusion which the Department has now embraced,” Harald Hauge, head of SHD, says.
Mixed Feelings
“This is brilliant. It has been our opinion all along that everyone who receives financial support to study Medicine from Lånekassen, the Norwegian Loan Fund, must be treated equally by Norwegian authorities,” Marit Roalsø Sirevåg, President of the Association of Norwegian Students Abroad (ANSA), says.
The Student Council at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo (UiO) is not that happy.
“It is a pity that many students of Medicine educate themselves to six months in line,” leader Kari Kjeldstadlie says.
Leader of the internship committee for students of Medicine at UiO, Jørgen Gravning, is also disappointed by the decision.
“The most frustrating part is that the authorities are not clear on how many doctors Norway needs,” Gravning says, who is currently in line himself.
Harald Hauge from SHD believes that the need for new doctors is hard to predict.
“Up to 25 per cent fail their exams, thus the prognoses are inaccurate. Since we also know that the regions are struggling to attract doctors, it is not justifiable to put a lid on recruiting. It can actually be healthy with a little competition in this line of business as well,” Hauge says.
