Posted 21 July 2023 - 13:02
Posted 21 July 2023 - 13:02
News
Hundreds of nurses join register, thanks to language test changes
Relaxed NMC rules for those who narrowly miss pass score have allowed experienced international nurses out of ‘professional limbo’, says campaigner
Relaxed NMC rules for those who narrowly miss pass score have allowed experienced international nurses out of ‘professional limbo’, says campaigner
Hundreds of nurses have joined the UK register after changes were made to provide more options for people to meet English language requirements.
The changes made in February by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) allow international nurses who narrowly miss out on passing the English language exam to provide supporting information from their employer, instead of taking a costly retest. In the past few months, 220 nurses have joined the register using this route.
Experienced staff who were left unable to work as nurses
The changes followed a campaign by transplant nurse Agimol Pradeep, who knew of many India-trained nurses working in the UK as healthcare assistants (HCAs) as they were unable to join the register.
Dr Pradeep told Nursing Standard that those who had not passed their language test were often left ‘living in professional limbo’ as they could not afford to retake it. The two options, the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and the OET (Occupational English Test) cost around £195 and £310 respectively.
She said one nurse who had spent thousands on tests over 16 years had finally got her PIN thanks to the changes.
‘It has been heartbreaking for many of these nurses who came to this country to serve patients and then they miss out on the test by half a point or a point,’ says Dr Pradeep. ‘These are experienced nurses who lose their professional identity. To have that taken away from you is bewildering and stressful.’
‘Nurses tell me their dreams have come true’
Dr Pradeep started campaigning when she was contacted by an India-trained nurse working as an HCA during COVID-19 who was unable to register as she had narrowly missed the pass score.
The woman, who had worked as a senior intensive care unit nurse in a specialist hospital in Kerala for a decade, said she felt like she was failing her patients.
‘During the COVID pandemic an internationally educated nurse reached out to me, expressing her distress at seeing patients in intensive care struggling due to a lack of nursing support,’ Dr Pradeep said.
‘I soon identified 1,000 nurses in the same position and brought the case to the NMC, which, I must give credit to, listened to us. Now I get messages from nurses who tell me that their dreams have come true – it’s been very rewarding.’
Requirement for good language skills unchanged
NMC director of strategy and insight Matthew McClelland told Nursing Standard that good language skills remain essential for nurses joining the register.
‘What we heard very clearly is that our traditional approach wasn’t always fair for everyone. There were some people who were able to speak English well, demonstrating really good competence, but were just missing out on the test score.
‘That high-stakes exam environment doesn’t always bring out the best in everybody.’
Alongside permitting information from an employer, the NMC made further changes allowing individuals to combine two sets of test results to achieve a pass score.
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