Research fellowship in professional qualification of nurses with an international degree/migration, education and health - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Faculty of Health Sciences, the Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, has a vacancy for a research fellow in professional qualification of nurses with a nursing degree from countries outside the EU/EAA. The research fellow will be affiliated to the academic environment in migration, education and health. The nominal length of the research fellowship period is four years, and 25% of the position will be teaching and supervision activity in the programme. The starting date will ideally be in June 2021 and will be agreed in more detail with the applicant.

The department offers a one-year full-time study programme for persons with backgrounds as refugees or foreign workers who hold a residence permit and who have taken nursing education in a country outside the EU/EEA. The programme's target group is persons whose application for Norwegian authorisation from the Norwegian Directorate of Health has been rejected, and who have been informed that they must take complementary education for nurses as part of a qualification measure to be granted Norwegian authorisation.

The research fellow position is affiliated to the complementary part-time study programme to be established in August 2021, which will be decentralised, session-based and mainly digital. You will find more information about the ordinary complementary programme (SKOMP) here.

The Faculty of Health Sciences has two PhD programmes, and this research fellowship is affiliated to the Ph.D. programme in health science.

Work area

The research fellowship will contribute to exploring the development of the decentralised SKOMP programme to meet society's changing demands, as well as programmes which take account of the demand for flexible education programmes that are available off campus. This means facilitating a relevant education programme within the ordinary education system, aimed at qualifying adults for the employment market and offering active professionals a chance to update and apply relevant competence.

The past years have seen an increasing focus on the development and application of professional competence among highly educated people with immigrant backgrounds. This has among other things led to the establishment of complementary education programmes at OsloMet, offered since 2017. Due to high demand, particularly for health services programmes, OsloMet is now developing a new decentralised complementary education programme for nurses from countries outside the EU and EAA. The aim is to establish a programme where the target group lives, thus addressing the need for competence development in the rural areas of Norway.

This is an open position in educational quality and health services, and we are looking for a highly motivated and innovative candidate who is capable of suggesting their own research project in the field.

The project will contribute to development and improvement of the research field education, migration and health.

The focus of the PhD project should be related to the decentralised, complementary education programme and its target group and must include a qualitative design.

Suggestions for relevant research topics for the project:

• To systematically investigate the type of research carried out in relation to complementary educations in nursing in different EU/EAA countries
• To investigate whether students’ nursing competence (knowledge and skills) are strengthened as a result of the decentralised, complementary education programme
• To investigate how the programme influences student identity and attitudes and values related to the Norwegian health service
• To investigate whether digital technology in teaching and learning in the educational programme supports students’ learning and education process
• To investigate whether the education programme is relevant for nurses to increasingly be able to attend to the population’s need for services for the elderly and in the area of substance abuse and mental health

The project description requirements are described below.

Qualification requirements

We are looking for candidates who have

• a master's degree (120 credits/ECTS) or equivalent formal education in health or social sciences, including pedagogy
• relevant experience from the health service and/or health sciences
• experience of qualitative methods
• good oral and written presentation skills in a Scandinavian language and English

Requirements

Admission to the PhD Programme in Health Sciences is a precondition for taking up the position. In order to be admitted to the PhD programmes at the Faculty of Health Sciences, the applicant must have achieved grade B or better on the master’s degree/second degree thesis and an average grade equivalent to a B or better on the master’s degree thesis. In special cases, applicants with the grade C can be considered for admission. See the information regarding criteria here. When assessing applicants, emphasis will be placed on the submitted project description.

In the assessment and ranking of qualified applicants, emphasis will be placed on:

• the relevance of the project description for the relevant research topics
• the scientific quality of the project description, including originality and potential
• whether the project can be completed within the nominal length of study

Desirable qualifications

• a bachelor's degree in nursing
• experience of research activities and participation in research projects
• teaching and/or supervision experience at university college or university level
• knowledge of the field multicultural education and migration
• experience of national and international partners

Desired skills

As a research fellow, it is imperative that you are independent and have the ability to work on the project over a long period of time and meet deadlines. As regards personal qualities, you should be innovative and creative and at the same time be able to comply with rules and regulations. You must also be able to cooperate well with your supervisor, other research fellows and researchers in the academic environment to carry out the PhD project and to maintain and build a good working and research environment. As with any research project, it is important that you have good communication skills so that you can present the results of the project.

It is important to OsloMet to reflect the population of our region, and all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active endeavours to further develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required. You are also welcome to apply for a position with us if you have had periods where you have not been in employment, education or training.

We offer you

• opportunities for academic development in a large and inspiring specialist and research environment
• participation in an active research group with regular meetings/seminars and a good external network
• a good working environment, flexible working hours and good employee welfare arrangements
• exciting work opportunities at Norway’s third biggest and most urban university
• good pension arrangements with the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• beneficial welfare arrangements and a wide range of sports and cultural activities
• free Norwegian language classes to employees
• working location in downtown Oslo with multiple cultural offers

Practical information about relocation to Oslo and living in Norway.

The salary for the position is in accordance with the Basic Collective Agreement for state employees and OsloMet’s pay policy for position code 1017, research fellow, pay grade 54, i.e. NOK. 482,200.

Expert assessment and application process

Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. Before the application papers are forwarded to the expert committee, all applications will be reviewed by the faculty, and applications from applicants who are not qualified will not be forwarded for assessment. Please upload the following documents together with your application by the final date for applications:

• an application letter which states your reasons for applying to the project and what makes you particularly qualified to carry out this Ph.D. work
• CV and copies of diplomas and references
• a list of your own academic publications
• master’s/second degree thesis and up to 10 scientific works
• project description (maximum 5 pages, Times New Roman 12-point font. The reference list must be in 9-point font). The project description must show that the project will lead to a PhD degree within four years with a 25% teaching obligation. The project description may be written in a Scandinavian language or English based on the Research Council of Norway’s template. Contact Line Nortvedt or Sofie Rabo Carlsen to be sent the template
• preferably two references with contact information

If you wish to apply for the position, please apply electronically by clicking the button "apply for this job". We only consider applications submitted through our electronic recruitment system and all documents must be uploaded for your application to be considered. The documents must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Translations must be government authorised, and you may be asked to present originals if you are invited for an interview. OsloMet checks documents in order to give candidates a proper evaluation and ensure fair competition. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

If you have documents that cannot be uploaded electronically, please contact Sofie Rabo Carlsen via email at soca@oslomet.no.

More information

For more information about the position, please contact:

• Associate professor Line Nortvedt, email: lino@oslomet.no, tel.: (+47) 67236563 / (+47) 977 89 719
• for questions of an administrative nature, contact Sofie Rabo Carlsen, soca@oslomet.no
• for questions concerning admission to the Ph.D. programme, please contact phd-hv@oslomet.no

Final date for applications: 28th of February 2021
Ref: 21/00832