Sahlgrenska University Hospital leads the way in developing new career opportunities in academic healthcare professions

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. Sahlgrenska University Hospital is opening up new career opportunities for healthcare professionals. Employees with PhD’s will soon be able to take on new titles, such as chief nurse, chief midwife, and chief physiotherapist. The idea behind this change is that more people will be able to carry out their research in close proximity to patients, and good results will be more swiftly integrated into healthcare routines. 

“We’ve been working on this issue for a long time, and I’m very glad that we’ve finally reached our goal. The new system will emphasize scientific competence, and thus will both benefit our healthcare operations and increase the individual employees’ commitment to research and interest in career opportunities here at the hospital,” says Ann-Marie Wennberg, the Hospital Director at Sahlgrenska Unviersity Hospital.

The bar is set quite high; in addition to possessing a doctorate in a health sciences field, a minimum of six years of professional experience (in addition to their doctoral studies) is required of all candidates. In addition, they must have earned a pedagogical university degree equivalent to Higher Education 1 and be clinically active.

Appointment to one of the newly created senior titles also involves an increase in salary. The actual amount of the increase is still under negotiation, but the same policy that applies to financial compensation for those appointed to chief physician postings will be applicable for these new positions.

“Even the appointment process will be carried out in the same manner as for chief physicians. Each year, those in charge of the hospital will nominate employees to their respective department heads, who will then make the final decision,” explains Ann-Marie Wennberg.

The reason why the hospital has chosen to introduce this model is that an increasing number of the employees seek work elsewhere once they have completed their PhD’s. Presenting new career opportunities is a way to reduce employee turnover, while the research findings of these new PhD’s can also benefit the patients in our care.”

Much of the research carried out at the hospital is done in collaboration with Sahlgrenska Academy, which welcomes this new venture.

“This will be a great asset to healthcare training and research, and is fully in line with our institution’s goals when it comes to collaborating with those in the healthcare field. Subjecting all healthcare professions to the same structure when it comes to academic titles is sure to help develop the industry, and will hopefully also mean that more PhD’s consider the possibility of continuing to work as clinicians while maintaining an affiliation with the Academy,” says Ingela Lundgren, Head of the Institute of Health and Care Sciences.

As of today, Sahlgrenska University Hospital currently employees over 120 PhD’s, who may be eligible for the new positions. Among them is Monika Fagevik Olsén, a physiotherapist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and an adjunct professor at the University of Gothenburg. She completed her PhD in 1998, and for her, this represents a long-awaited improvement to her career opportunities.

“We put such an incredible amount of time into our studies, and it’s not so much about the title as it is about the importance of being seen as competent, and having the chance to grow and receive a reasonable salary bump,” she explains.

Facts

The healthcare professions to which the new system will apply include: nurses, midwives, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, audiologists, dietitians, biomedical scientists, psychologists, and social workers.

In 2016, 122 SU employees working in these fields defended their doctoral theses; the majority were nurses and physiotherapists.

Starting this autumn, employees who meet an even higher set of requirements, (including having 10 years of professional experience as a specialist, working as associate professor, and being actively engaged in research) may also include the term “university hospital” in their titles. In such cases, one may, for example, refer to oneself as a “University Hospital Chief Social Worker.”

BY: KATARINA HALLINGBERG, COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT/SU