COVID-19

Healthcare hires in Romania during the pandemic were poorly trained, exam results show

Hiring of healthcare workers in Romania during the pandemic revealed poor training, as exam results indicate. The surge in demand forced hospitals to employ individuals lacking necessary skills, leading to concerns about the adequacy of emergency hiring. Despite the decline of COVID-19 cases, the government decided to retain these workers, creating 2,000 new positions. Many of the newly employed struggled to pass required exams, resulting in hospital management placing blame on the employees. Some argue that graduates from nursing schools and non-tertiary postsecondary institutions lack the qualifications required for healthcare work. Romania's existing shortage of medical personnel has been exacerbated by the migration of physicians and nurses to better-paying jobs in Western European countries.

Medriva Newsroom

24 Dec 2022 03:07 EST

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Due to strong demand, Romanian hospitals were compelled to hire healthcare workers even if they lacked the necessary training or expertise. As the COVID-19 outbreak fades, a growing number of hospital executives see that emergency hiring is insufficient.

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Throughout the epidemic, Romanian hospitals and local health agencies employed around 2000 healthcare professionals. Even as the pandemic recedes, the government elected to maintain them in the healthcare system last month. As a result, 2,000 new positions were created, allowing each healthcare worker to continue working.

Many of the newly employed were unable to pass the requisite exam. After being relieved of the stress created by infectious disease outbreaks, hospital management is now blaming employees.

"During the state of emergency, experienced nurses supervised people because doctors believed they wouldn't be able to cope," said Beatrice Mahler, administrator of one of Bucharest's most prestigious hospitals, the Marius Nasta Institute.

Others argue that graduates of nursing schools and other non-tertiary postsecondary institutions are unqualified to work in healthcare. "They obtain diplomas far too quickly without mastering the foundations of medicine, such as how to detect a pulse, deliver an injection, or locate a vein," according to a source who disclosed to Digi24 in exchange for anonymity.

Romania has 240 nursing schools and 140,000 hospital nurses. Romania had a medical manpower shortage even before the outbreak. Thousands of physicians and nurses fled for better-paying jobs in Western European countries, forcing those who remained to postpone retirement and hospitals to hire out of desperation.

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