He took the examen artium in 1886, the
cand.med. degree in 1892 and the
dr.med. degree in 1900. As an academic writer he concentrated on
bacteriology and
epidemiology. After various jobs in the medical care of Kristiania, he was hired as a chief physician of epidemiology at
Ullevål Hospital in 1916. In this position he also functioned as a lecturer at the
Royal Frederick University. He stayed in this position until his retirement in 1935. Ustvedt was a member of the
Norwegian Medical Society from 1898 to 1902 and 1912 to 1916, and chair from 1926 to 1928. In the
Norwegian Medical Association he was a member of the board from 1921 to 1924. He was the editor of the
Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association from 1921 to 1929. He was also a critic of medicinal literature in the newspaper
Morgenbladet, and held a number of cultural posts, being a member of the board of the
National Theatre from 1926 to 1934. Ustvedt was also involved in politics. He was a member of Kristiania city council for two terms, from 1898 to 1904, and a member of the
Norwegian Parliament from 1913 to 1915, representing the
single-member constituency Uranienborg. He chaired the local party chapter in Kristiania from 1908 to 1910 and 1918 to 1919, and was a member of the central committee of the Conservative Party board from 1908 to 1911. Although he successfully defended the interests of the university, he ultimately grew discontent with the fruits of his political career. Ustvedt reportedly advised his son not to become engaged in politics, advice he followed. His son instead followed the medical path, and began working at Ullevål in 1934. Nils Yngvar Ustvedt died in October 1938 in Oslo. ==References==