Lack of nurses continues to play tricks on us: 5 explanations

 

The nurse is a regular in the top 10 of most persistent shortage professions. Partly due to the corona crisis, it has become even more clear how problematic that is. The latest state of affairs: 1,466 unfilled vacancies at the VDAB, compared to 610 jobseekers (figures for the end of February).   went looking for an explanation.

 

Soft image

Too many people misunderstand a nurse's job. Ria Vanschoenwinkel, director of Nursing and Midwifery at UZ Brussel, also writes this in a blog post. One of those wrong ideas is that nurses should be mainly concerned with washing and dressing. But in practice their job is based on science, with an increasing importance of computer science. So it is often about more than just providing care.

Looking for a job as a nurse? View the vacancies here .

Underestimation of wages

A job in healthcare must be poorly paid. Not true, says Ria Vanschoenwinkel again. Nurses' salaries are decent and their overtime is paid. Specialization allows nurses to further increase their market value. A nurse earns EUR 3,652 gross per month. That is almost exactly the same as the average of all Belgian employees (3,627 euros).

Too little flow

A better flow within the healthcare sector leads to a greater influx of candidate nurses. This is emphasized by VDAB CEO Wim Adriaens in an interview with Verso, the employers' organization for social enterprises. Training can prepare carers to become nurses. And the place of a carer can be taken by a multipurpose employee in the care sector. Those who already work in healthcare can study within Project 600 to become a nurse without loss of salary.

Too few side entrants

The influx from other sectors can also yield more nurses. To do this, those so-called side entrants must obtain a nursing diploma. Various courses can lead to this. For those who work and study at the same time, there is the Randstad Medical Academy. If you have passed the first year, you can already start as a healthcare professional.

Double aging

In the entire health care sector, Wim Adriaens says, “There is a great and structural shortage due to the double aging: staff are retiring, plus there is more need for care from society”.

Sources :  Jobat.be , Statbel, the Belgian Statistics Office, UZ Brussel, VDAB, Verso