Work as a nurse in Norway

In Norway, certain professions are regulated by law and require authorisation before they can be practised. Nursing is an example of such a profession. The Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet) is responsible for authorisation of nurses in Norway. If you are a trained nurse in another country, and want to work in Norway, you must therefore apply for authorisation from the Norwegian Directorate of Health.

Norway does not have its own authorisation scheme for specialist nurses.

When you apply for authorisation or a licence, you must complete an application form. You must also submit several documents with your application. Documents that are written in a Scandinavian language (Danish, Norwegian or Swedish), or English, do not need to be translated.

It is the employer’s responsibility to check that an authorisation is valid when appointing medical staff. 

The most common workplaces for nurses are at hospitals and in health and care services in municipalities, such as nursing homes, elderly care homes, home-help services, occupational health services, in mental health care, in the school health services, and in health centres. Some nurses work with research and teaching, or in aid agencies.

Norway is organised in four regional health authorities (helseforetak): South-Eastern Norway (Helse Sør-Øst), Western Norway (Helse Vest), Central Norway (Helse Midt) and Northern Norway (Helse Nord). Each of these health authorities run hospitals within their areas. On the websites of the individual health authorities, you will find an overview and links to the different hospitals, and there is also information for jobseekers.

In Norway, the municipalities are responsible for ensuring good care services for the elderly and others who need care. Many municipalities therefore employ healthcare staff. 

You can find advertisements for positions throughout the country on the website of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, NAV. People from other countries may also go through the EURES (the European Job Mobility Portal) service in their home country to find a job as a nurse in Norway.

As municipalities are responsible for many health and care services in Norway, you could also check for vacant positions on the websites of the different municipalities.

Another possibility when looking for jobs is to use a private recruitment agency, or contact possible employers directly. There are also recruitment agencies that specialise in finding staff for the health and care services.