# undersköterska
## Swedish
### Alternative forms

* usk (abbreveation)
* underſköterſka (obsolete typography)

### Etymology

Compound of under (“under, sub-”) +‎ sköterska (“nurse”), cf. sjuksköterska (“senior nurse”). First attested in 1897.

### Noun

undersköterska c
* (healthcare) A practical nurse; a vocational nurse; a type of nurse with secondary education in medicine and caregiving, often more focused on practical work.
** 1872 March 8, “I tjenst åstundas [In service desired]”, in Wisbyposten, page 3:Till underſköterſka wid Läns-Laſarettet från den 1 eller 24 inſt April åſtundas en friſk ſtark och ſaktmodig qwinna, emot 75 rdr årlig lön, koſt på ſtället och 25 öre erſättning för hwarje nattwak. Sökande anmäla ſig hos Laſaretts-Syßlomannen.As under-nurse at the County Hospital from either the 1st or 24th of April next, a healthy, strong, and gentle-minded woman is required to serve, with remuneration amounting to 75 Rixdollar annually, board provided on the premises, and an allowance of 25 öre for each night watch. Applicants are to present themselves to the Steward of the Hospital.
** 1884 February 9, anonymous author, “Rättegångs- och Polissaker. Rådhusrätten. Märkligt ansvarsyrkande. [Court and Police Matters. The Town Court. A strange claim of accountability.]”, in Nyaste Förposten, page 3:Hvarje dag hade den sjuke fått rena lakan samt af undersköterskorna äfvenledes blifvit hvarje dag omsedd och vårdad så godt sig göra lät.Each day, the patient had been provided with clean sheets, and had likewise been tended to and cared for daily by the junior nurses as well as circumstances would permit.
** 1998 August 27, Bertholof Brännström, “Granskas gräsrötterna tillräckligt? [Is the grassroots being scrutinised enough?]”, in Journalisten:För snart ett år sedan klev undersköterskan Sarah Wägnert in i våra vardagsrum och berättade om missförhållanden på det privata vårdhem hon just sagt upp sig från.Almost a year ago, the practical nurse Sarah Wägnert entered our living rooms and spoke about the mismanagement at the private care home she had just resigned from.
** 2023 June 7, Jonas Desai, Gunilla Fritze, “Jobbade som undersköterska i Eslöv med falskt intyg [Worked as an practical nurse in Eslöv with a fake certificate]”, in SVT Nyheter:I Eslövs kommun avslöjades ett bedrägeri först efter att en anställd hade jobbat skarpt som undersköterska i flera veckor.In Eslöv Municipality, fraud was uncovered only after an employee had been actively working as an practical nurse for several weeks.

#### Usage notes

* In Sweden, the title is used for female and male nurses alike, despite the female ending -erska.
* Since 2023 it is a protected title in Sweden.

#### Declension

| | | nominative | genitive |
| singular | indefinite | undersköterska | undersköterskas |
| singular | definite | undersköterskan | undersköterskans |
| plural | indefinite | undersköterskor | undersköterskors |
| plural | definite | undersköterskorna | undersköterskornas |

#### See also

* sjuksköterska (“senior nurse”)
* sjukvårdsbiträde (“assisting nurse”)

### References

* ↑ undersköterska in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* undersköterska in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
* Svensk MeSH – undersköterska