Nursing home Hrafnista in Reykjavík and Hafnarfjördur is suffering from such a severe lack of staff that it has decided to offer immigrants paid two-month long training course in return for working for Hrafnista for two years.
According to director of nursing Alma Birgisdóttir, Hrafnista’s nursing homes in Reykjavík and Hafnarfjördur require 30 caretakers and assistant nurses and three licensed nurses, Fréttabladid reports.
Director of Hrafnista Sveinn Skúlason said the situation has not been this bad in ten years. Hrafnista has strict regulations about its staff speaking Icelandic, but since only foreigners are applying for jobs there, the nursing home has decided to offer them this course.
“We call the school Öldubrjótur [“Wave Breaker”]. The first month is mainly comprises Icelandic language lessons and then students are introduced to the Icelandic way of life,” Skúlason explained.
Both immigrants who are already working at Hrafnista, like cleaners, and those who have never worked there before can apply for a slot. Hrafnista has received 30 applications for the program, but only 15 will be accepted in this experimental run. Instruction is scheduled to begin February 15.
