Wondering how much a registered nurse in Norway earns?

Nurses have been in demand in the recent years, not only in Norway but all over the world. In 2024, it was estimated that Norway lacks around 4300 nurses, nurses with specialization (spesialsykepleiere), and midwives. I love my job as a geriatric nurse in a hospital, no matter how demanding and exhausting it can be at times. And the demand for nurses was also one of the reasons why I chose it when I decided to shift career paths in 2015.

As a nurse, you have endless possibilities. You can specialize in certain areas (geriatrics for one), or work in other fields like education, volunteering, pharmaceuticals, etc. In Norway, you can work in different settings like in a busy hospital, in local facilities, in private companies, home nursing, etc.

I’ve had my share of experiences in different settings, starting with a nursing home. Then, I worked in an acute local facility (kommunal akutt døgnenhet). At present, I’m satisfied with my job in a hospital, working in 3-4 different wards (medical, surgical, neurological/stroke). There was also a period when I worked as a student assistant/mentor in a university at the same time. Sadly, I couldn’t juggle that and the hospital so I had to give up being in school.

But one can wonder how much really is a nursing job worth. Everybody can form an opinion of how important the job is, the qualifications and expectations. But are nurses valued enough through salary and incentives?

In Norway, nurses get incentives on top of the grunnlønn or basic salary for working in shifts, holidays, and other special conditions. In episode 3 of my Youtube vlog, I share how much the basic salary is for registered nurses and nurses with specialization in Norway in 2024.

I also mentioned something about the possible reasons why it has been taboo to talk to colleagues about salary and stuff, using my personal opinion and experiences in the working level (not administrative). And how the negotiations for salary increases per year happen. I hope you find the video helpful and informative, leave me a like and/or comment, and subscribe to my budding channel. Watch the episode here, or click and watch it on Youtube. You can also check out my earlier and more currect videos. Thank you and Happy Easter in advance! 🙂