Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN University) is home to over 14,000 students and 1,000 employees, and has campuses in Lillehammer, Hamar, Elverum, Rena, Evenstad and Blæstad.
INN University aspires to build strong and enduring academic and research environments that will spearhead regionally, nationally and internationally.
We are developing a new and better institution with high academic and pedagogical quality, aiming at achieving university accreditation by 2021.
Our vision is "Stronger Together".
The Faculty of Social and Health Sciences at Inland Norway University (INN) invites applications for a PhD research fellowship - Health literacy
About the position
The Faculty of Social and Health Sciences at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN) invites applications for a PhD research fellowship. The place of work is Elverum. The period of the fellowship is normally three years from the time of admission, with the possibility of a fourth year involving mandatory work amounting to 25% distributed over the period of employment. This is contingent on the candidate’s qualifications and preferences, as well as the department’s needs in terms of teaching and other student-related tasks.
The successful candidate will be admitted to the PhD programme in Health and Welfare (under accreditation) at the faculty, and doctoral projects must contribute to the faculty's aims of strengthening the knowledge base in the field of this programme. The PhD candidate will be a part of the project group within health literacy.
About the research field and content of the fellowship
Doctoral projects
Candidates must qualify for admission to the university’s PhD programme, and the doctoral education is carried out within this programme. Applicants who already hold a PhD will not be considered.
The academic and research community supporting the doctoral programme with supervision and research training comprises a number of professors and associate professors working in the relevant academic fields.
Project description
The position will contribute to strengthening the knowledge base within the subject area of health literacy.
The thematic focus of this PhD position is based on the importance of people’s health literacy to be able to act upon health information from various sources, as well as apply the information in managing one's own health. Adequate health literacy is also considered an important factor for individuals to be active participants in meetings with the health service. With language barriers and limited knowledge about the Norwegian health-care system, immigrants living in Norway might face challenges in health-related situations. Low health literacy can lead to limited access to relevant health information and thus limited opportunity to manage own health. The knowledge base of health literacy among immigrants in Norway is insufficient.
The project aims to investigate health literacy among immigrants living in Norway, with a special focus on navigation in the healthcare system and communication with health professionals. It is desirable that both quantitative and qualitative research methods are applied in the project. The quantitative studies will be based on national data obtained through the international research project HLS19 (Le et al., 2021). The data material includes responses from five immigrant populations in Norway, people with background from Pakistan, Poland, Somalia, Vietnam, and Turkey. The respondents have had the opportunity to answer the survey in their mother tongue.
The position is linked to the Department of Health and Nursing Sciences.
Contact information:
Liv Skomakerstuen Ødbehr: liv.odbehr@inn.no
Hanne Søberg Finbråten: hanne.finbraten@inn.no
Qualifications
Eligibility requirements
We welcome applicants with relevant theoretical and practical experience and education. We are looking for a highly motivated candidate that wants to address a scientific challenge in a stimulating collaborative environment. You should like to work as part of a team, both at INN and internationally, yet be willing to take on responsibilities on your own. You are required to be an independent learner, with the ability to perform demanding tasks within defined time frames. Personal qualities will be essential for the final ranking of candidates
Two-year Master's degree or equivalent in relevant disciplines with the average grade oB or better, as defined by the Norwegian Qualifications Framework (120 credits). Alternative educational backgrounds will be considered on a case-by-case basis, if academically equivalent.
The master’s degree should primarily be in health or social sciences, public health, pedagogy or equivalent
Multilingual and multicultural competence is desirable, as well as work experience from the field of migration health or similar.
Experience in statistical analysis methods is desirable.
Experience with relevant information and communications technology systems.
Language
Excellent communication skills in a Scandinavian language and English, both oral and written.
Evaluation of candidates for the position will be based on a total assessment of educational background and other eligibility requirements, as defined in the advertisement.
How to apply
Your application and CV must be registered electronically. Click the “Apply for position” button.
The application must include:
Application letter (registered in jobbnorge's form). In the application letter, please provide the topic of the project, a description of your background and your motivation for the position.
Relevant educational background and experience (registered in jobbnorge's form).
We kindly request that you enclose the following:
Proposed project description of the study (max 8 pages, including references), outlining its academic relevance, methods, challenges and possibilities, and containing a tentative progression plan. The project description must be written in English.
Copies of academic diplomas and transcripts
A list of publications, where applicable
Any other documentation you would like us to consider
Attachments must be uploaded as separate files. If the attachments exceed 30 MB, they must be compressed prior to upload. Documents submitted after expiry of the deadline will not be considered in the evaluation of your application.
The government workforce must, to the greatest extent possible, reflect the diversity of the population. Therefore, the university’s personnel policy aims to achieve balance in terms of age and gender, and to recruit individuals with disabilities and recruit from ethnic minority groups. The person appointed must abide by the instructions applicable to the position, the university’s internal administrative policies, and the laws, regulations and agreements that otherwise apply to the position at all times.
We offer
An exciting and challenging position at a developing institution, dedicated colleagues and a supportive working environment
The position is paid and placed in position code 1017, PhD candidate in the Government Salary Regulations
For more information about INN University as an employer, please see here.
