Swedish hospital seeks new ‘hot’ nurses

“We’re looking to recruit competent nurses above all, but we wanted to stick out a bit with our advertising campaign, and we managed to do that,” said nursing manager Jörgen Andersson of the Stockholm South General (Södersjukhuset) to The Local.

The advert read:

“You will be motivated, professional, and have a sense of humour. And of course, you will be TV-series hot or a Söder hipster. Throw in a nurse’s education and you are welcome to seek a summer job at Södersjukhuset’s emergency department.”

“We want people to be curious and have a little imagination,” said the head nurse Elisabeth Gauffin about the campaign to the Metro newspaper.

The internet advert has now clarified that the term “TV-seriesnygga” and “Söder hipster” were phrases directly borrowed from a quote from daily Dagens Nyheter’s Sunday supplement, where a satisfied customer had praised the service of the hospital using the same words.

The Swedish word “snygg” (or “snygga” in this case) can be translated as somewhere between hot and good looking.

However, Andersson doesn’t believe that the advert could be interpreted as exclusionary.

“We think that people understand that it was written to catch people’s attention, there’s been no negative feedback,” he said.

The positions are advertised to fill the vacation cover for the summer of 2012, with the opportunity of permanent employment thereafter.

The ad did not specify if a photo must be attached with the application, but Andersson says it would make no difference.

“Of course, being good looking is no requirement at all. We put out an ad looking for interest and we got a great response. We want a nurse who is qualified and good at their job, regardless of looks,” he told The Local.