Health professional (VG1)

Are you looking for a course to become an authorized healthcare professional?

Then you have come to the right place.

Through this course, you will learn what you need to pass the interdisciplinary exam HEA3103.

You'll receive theory tuition and plenty of exam practice so that you're prepared to pass the theory, and then sit the exam as a practice candidate or through the certificate on the job scheme.

On this page, we will describe the details of the course and the path to a vocational certificate. If you already want to sign up, you can do so at the top of this page. You can also contact us here for guidance and help.

The aim of the course

The aim of this course is to prepare you for the theoretical exam related to the professional exam in the health worker profession(HEA3103).

If you pass this exam, you will, with 5 years of relevant professional experience, be able to take the professional exam.

What will you learn in the course?

In this course, we follow the curricula for health and childcare (vg1), health worker (vg2) and health worker (vg3). You will learn about health promotion, physical and mental health. You will learn about how the body is constructed, about communication and interaction. You will learn about diet, nutrition and hygiene as well as child and adolescent development.

We have divided this course into two semesters. In the fall we go through the VG1 curriculum and in the spring we go through the VG2 and VG3 curriculum. Since the exam you will take is interdisciplinary for both VG1 and VG2, you can take the semesters in the order you want. If you would like help setting up your own training plan, just contact us.

In the first semester (autumn), you will be taught the program subjects on vg1: Professional Practice, Health Promotion and Communication and Interaction.

In the second semester (spring), you will be taught the program subjects on vg2 and vg3: Professional life, Health promotion and Communication and interaction. These subjects provide you with the basis for passing the Vg3 exam.

Who is this healthcare worker course suitable for?

This course is suitable for those who want to become a healthcare professional but lack a certificate.

Regardless of whether you are going to follow the internship candidate scheme or vocational certificate at work, you will have to pass HEA3103. This course will therefore suit you regardless of whether you follow one or the other scheme. Here is a brief explanation of the difference between the two schemes:

• Fagbrev på jobb is a scheme for those who are in a permanent job (minimum 50%) and have from one to four years of practice (between 1800 and 7000 hours). It is your workplace that must apply to get you into the scheme, but we can help with all the practicalities. If you fit these criteria, feel free to contact us for more guidance.
• The internship candidate scheme is a scheme for adults with a lot of work experience. If you have more than five years of work experience (8750 hours) and pass HEA3103, you will be able to take the professional exam.

This course is therefore suitable for those who have professional experience working in nursing homes, care, basic nursing or similar and who want a certificate. The course is also suitable for those who do not yet have professional experience, but who want to educate themselves in that direction.

Price of the course

There are two ways to take this course. One way is to take the course as a pure online course. In this case, you will have access to recorded lectures and will have some assignments along the way. You then follow the teaching whenever and wherever it suits you. The online course costs NOK 9750 for VG1 and the equivalent for VG2/VG3.

The other way is to follow the course live. You follow lectures, participate in discussion groups and write exam papers with a teacher present - either physically or via Zoom. Physical and virtual courses cost NOK 19,500 per semester. The total price is NOK 39,000 for VG1, VG2 and VG3.

The education is approved by the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Statens Lånekasse), so you can apply for both a basic loan and to cover course fees. When you have completed the education, part of the basic loan can be converted into a grant if you meet some of the requirements that you can read more about on the website of Statens Lånekasse

If you are unionized, trade unions have scholarship schemes for their members.

You may also be able to take a health worker course via NAV. If you think this may apply to you, we recommend that you talk to your caseworker. If they have any questions, they can contact us directly.

If you represent an organization that will cover the cost for one or more of your employees, you can contact us to see if we have established a cooperation agreement with you.

The structure of the course

Teaching takes place two evenings a week at the University of Agder, in Kristiansand or on Zoom. The teaching from Kristiansand is also streamed so that it is possible to follow the course from other places in the country.

The teaching is compressed, and you can complete the entire course in two semesters. If you already have a lot of work experience, it will be possible for you to jump straight into VG2 in January. Please contact us to arrange this.

First semester: Health and social care VG1.

The first semester normally starts in the fall (August)

In this semester, the teaching is common to all students taking education in health and growth subjects. The content of the program subjects is aimed at several education programs in health and will therefore have a general character. In the first semester, the program subjects are taught in Vg1:

• Health promotion work
• Communication and interaction
• Professional practice

Second semester: Health worker course VG2/VG3

In the second semester, the subjects are more geared towards the profession of healthcare professional. At VG2 and VG3 level, the course is more about acquiring knowledge and being well professionally prepared for the interdisciplinary exam that must be taken as part of the internship candidate scheme (HEA3103).

The program subjects are called the same as in VG1, but they are more focused on the profession you are training for:

• Health promotion work
• Communication and interaction
• Professional practice

A great deal of emphasis is placed on the individual subjects, but especially on the interdisciplinary aspect. You get to practice seeing the big picture and always focusing on the patient or children you work with. We work a lot with competence goals, discussions and solving exam assignments.

If you have already passed health and growth subjects or health and social subjects, you can jump straight into the second semester.

It is recommended to have a Norwegian language level equivalent to Norwegian test B1. If necessary, language support in Norwegian will be offered.

Examination

To take the exam, you must register as a private student and take a private student exam according to the current rules.

You don't have to take an exam at VG1 or VG2 level, but many people choose to do so in order to train for the exam situation, or to have enough subjects to pass upper secondary education at VG1 and/or VG2 level. This may result in a reduction in the practical training requirement, depending on the type of education you already have.

You must remember to register for the exam yourself. The deadline for this is September 15 for the exams in the fall, and February 1 for the exams in the spring. There is also an exam fee that you pay when you register.

How to get a trade certificate

To obtain a certificate as a healthcare professional, you must sign up for the apprenticeship exam. Before you are allowed to do so, you must cover the following:

• Five years of practice in the subject (8750 hours). There are various schemes that can give you a reduction in this requirement.
• Passed a theoretical VG3 exam (HEA3103). It is this exam that this course prepares you for.

There is no specific order for these two requirements. In other words, you can take the theory exam before you have the practical experience you need. For many people, it may be easier to get a position that gives you practice if you already have the theory in place.

Once you have passed the vocational test, you can apply for authorization and receive the title of healthcare professional.

The study association scheme

Aftenskolen is a non-profit foundation and offers adult education through the state-funded study association scheme. We are a member of Akademisk studieforbund and Kompetanseforbundet. Our purpose is based on the Adult Education Act and is to lower the threshold for learning, contribute to motivation and access to knowledge in addition to being a supplement to public education programs for adults.

The textbooks

Textbook costs are in addition to the course price. From 2022, we follow the curricula in the subject renewal, and use the books from Gyldendal:

The textbooks for VG1.