Jakub from Poland

Jakub Mucha came to Norway in March 2024, and five months later he had taken on the role of Manager in Florø. He credits Vitusapotek’s mentorship program for much of his success. 

At Vitusapotek, we work with various recruitment initiatives, including active recruitment from abroad. Jakub comes from Poland, where he completed his five-year pharmacy education. After this, he decided to move to Norway. 

 

Praises the support from Vitusapotek 

Jakub says he received great support when he moved to Norway. 

– I felt a bit privileged considering how many colleagues at Vitusapotek were engaged in using their time to help me. They helped me with arranging housing, getting a personal number, opening a bank account, and language development, says Jakub. 

He first got in touch with Marlena Chmiel, who works with international recruitment at Vitusapotek. 

– I was inspired by a friend who attended a seminar organized by Vitusapotek in Poland last year, to contact Marlena. Eventually, I got connected to Piotr, who works as a Pharmacy Manager at Vitusapotek Åndalsnes. 

 

Grateful for the mentorship program 

Jakub says he thinks Vitusapotek’s mentorship program is fantastic. 

– I got to talk to Piotr even before I came to Norway, which was very reassuring. He helped me a lot to get ready to move to Norway, and it helped in the beginning that we both speak Polish. At first, it was very nice to be able to speak our native language to each other, so I understood things faster, says Jakub. 

Jakub started as a pharmacist at Vitusapotek Florø in March this year, and after five months, he has become the manager. He says the learning curve has been very steep. 

–  I am grateful that Vitusapotek spends time and resources on me. It gives me a feeling that someone cares. I also appreciate my colleagues in Florø, who facilitate this type of training. 

 

Rewarding training 

Piotr says he enjoys providing training. 

– I think it’s great to contribute to this mentorship program. It is very rewarding, you learn a lot about yourself, and it is a nice challenge, he says. 

He thinks it is nice to be able to collaborate across pharmacies and get to know colleagues at the head office better. 

–  Anyone who would like to take on such a role should contact their regional manager, says Piotr. 

Other colleagues at Vitusapotek were also involved in this process, including regional manager Merethe Enstad and former Pharmacy Manager Sissel Strømmen. 

 

Should feel welcome 

Marlena Chmiel, Recruitment Advisor at Vitusapotek, says that the mentorship program is a pilot project, and the purpose of the program is to make newly recruited pharmacists feel welcome at Vitusapotek. 

– At the same time, the threshold is lower for asking about various things in their native language, even though we have high requirements for Norwegian language skills. This is because we connect people who speak the native language of those we recruit, says Chmiel. 

She emphasizes that there is great diversity at Vitusapotek, with a total of 56 different native languages. She believes that the mentorship program contributes to knowledge sharing and builds a sense of succeeding together. 

– We are proud that we have mentors in each region who do an excellent job, and we hope that even more people will want to contribute to this program. There is a great need for labor from abroad, especially in the districts, says Marlena.