ByadminSECONDARY HEALTHCARE TO BE IN DEFICIENCY IN 5 YEARS IN POLAND
According to the Report of the Higher Chamber of Nurses and Midwives in Poland, by 2030 the number of nurses and midwives in the country’s medical institutions will decrease by more than 36 thousand, which means impending crisis. It may happen that in less than 10 years there will be practically no personnel left in hospitals for care for patients.
The number of guardians, nurses and midwives working in Poland is 260,000, report says. Almost 36% of Secondary Healthcare are people aged 51 to 60 years. Another 27% are guardians, nurses and midwives aged 61 to 70 and older.
The greatest shortage of nurses is in Silesia, Lower Silesia and the Mazovian Voivodship (Warsaw). There was estimated that by 2025 about 2 thousand Secondary Healthcare will be in demand in the Mazovian Voivodship. The authors of the report emphasize the situation requires urgent action.
Many nurses from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are interested in work immigration to Poland. Note that the basic salary of a nurse will be PLN 5,478. (€ 1,228) from 1 July 2021. However, because the eastern border is not easy to cross, moving to Poland for nurses comes in line with obstacles.
First, the candidate must pass Polish language test at the State Commission for the Confirmation of Knowledge of the Polish Language. Second, a junior specialist diploma, which is common for most of our nurses, can not be confirmed in Poland. In case if the nurse was studying Medicine 3 year’s minimum, or 4,600 hours, he/she has an option to confirm such a diploma.
To get the right for legal medical practice in Poland, a nurse from Ukraine, Belarus or Russia must obtain the license for nursing provided by the regional council of nurses and midwives. As to the Council, the nurse must take 6-month adaptation internship at a medical facility. On graduation, she can apply for a full license to practice as a nurse.
However, the applicant is approved for adaptation internships by the Regional Council of Nurses and Midwives and can only get the quoted right to practice, if following documents are submitted:
- an original certificate of Polish language test, passed at the level appropriate for work in the profession of a nurse or midwife and issued by the State Commission for the Confirmation of Knowledge of the Polish Language;
- a certificate of a Specialist Diploma approval (nostrification) of a higher medical institution at Nursing or Obstetrics.
Once again, we draw your attention to the fact that a junior specialist diploma obtained in Ukraine, Belarus or Russia can not be approved in Poland as part of the nostrification procedure, because there is no equivalent of such a diploma here. However, a Polish medical institution can approve an appropriate number of medical education hours taken by a junior specialist in his country, which gives him/her right to apply for required qualification training in Poland. Studying at the nursing school is possible both in the daytime and in the evening department. At such scenario, the nurse is not required to undergo an adaptation internship, as it is enough to get the full right to the profession.
We recall that last year the Senate adopted a number of amendments providing for a simplified procedure to obtain a quoted right to practice medicine, including for nurses.
In accordance with the amendments, in order to obtain a license, a nurse does not need to pass the language test at the State Commission, as it is enough to declare the knowledge of the Polish language. In this case the candidate to be interviewed by an employer, so the language skills must be at the level sufficient for communication. A minimum of 3-year non-intermitted medical practice in specialty obtained over the past 5 years is another important condition for getting the license to practice.
New provisions of the Nursing and Midwife Profession Law make it easier for nurses to access the field in Poland from across its eastern borders. Given the looming staffing shortage, one may expect significant loyalty from Polish employers as a jobseeker, if he/she is able to communicate in Polish during the interview.
