The council's final report has now been published, with proposals for a number of changes within workplace-based education, VFU. The council also addresses the need for students to be compensated for increased costs, following input from SFS.
The National Council for Healthcare Competence is an advisory body led by the National Board of Health and Welfare and the Swedish University Chancellor's Office, UKÄ. Regions, municipalities and universities are represented. SFS participated in a meeting through representatives Agnes Karonen and Tilda Jalakas. We have previously expressed disappointment that students were not formally represented in the group. Read SFS's impressions from the meeting here.
The council's goal is to contribute to the supply of skills in healthcare, due to the shortage of primary care physicians both now and for at least ten years to come. The council proposes a billion-kronor contribution from the state, and a national coordination function to support the regions in the supply of skills.
For students, it is particularly important that VFU functions well. The council proposes the following changes:
- Models for supervising students during VFU or clinical practice should be developed.
- The potential to provide VFU or clinical practice within municipal health care should be exploited to a greater extent.
- Healthcare training and educational elements should be carried out to a greater extent in several rural locations within primary care, in the form of decentralized training and through VFU or clinical practice in rural areas.
- Nursing education and training should be carried out to a greater extent in socio-economically disadvantaged areas in primary care, in the form of VFU here with clinical practice.
SFS has been keen to highlight the problems that arise when VFU is located in another location. Commuting far involves costs. If the distance is longer, you may have to find accommodation in the local area, and thus pay double the rent. How students are compensated for this cost varies, sometimes you do not receive any compensation at all.
The Council proposes that VFU should be implemented to a greater extent in rural areas, which will likely mean increased costs for students. Following suggestions from SFS, the report emphasizes that students may need to be compensated. It is good that the perspective is raised in the report, but we will continue to monitor the issue to ensure that it is also implemented in practice.