Is IELTS a must for nursing registration in UK?

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Hi

I am a staff nurse and working in NHS since last 8 years. My wife recently joined me in 2008, she is a nurse aswell. We approached NMC for nursing registration and were told that ielts exam is a must.

I dont understand why the overseas nurses have to show evidence of english knowledge when the EU members dont. Being a nurse myself I have seen and come accross many spelling mistakes made by the British nurses while documentation. Many EU citizens hardly know any english, but how are they are fine to go on the register.

Once when Britain was short of nurses, nurses were recruited from abroad (eg Dubai, muscat etc) at that time they did not think of this stringent criteria but now when they have enough staff and they dont need any more nurses - they have come up with this rule.

Anyway we are not in the favour of this way of degrading a trained member of nursing staff so we do not want to do the IELTS exam.

My wife has completed a NICHE training programme and currently she is working as a Health care support worker. Would her NICHE training be valid and help her to get registration.

I am getting my nationality so will it be useful for my wife to get the registration or one still has to take the IELTS test.

please can someone guide me

Thanks

max72:)

Specializes in Critical Care & Emergency - Management.

Hey max .. I see that you have the same problem of mine..

I totally confused coz me & even my wife can't get NMC registration because they ask for IELTS score 7 in all section of the exam .. so I make a choice to get that exam in October .. I miss the last one because I'm not ready for.. but I hope that I can get it in october..

but the question here .. ? can I get a job in UK without NMC membership

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

English exam was fetched in a few years ago supposedly to make things standard and I believe even if she has English because she trained outside the EU I believe she will still be required to do the English exam. Best people to ask would be the NMC

However you can not work in the UK as a nurse without NMC because they are the UK nursing governing body and you have to be licensed with them

Specializes in Critical Care & Emergency - Management.

thank you Silverdragon xx:)

HI guys wat silverdragon said is correct, and one can appriciate the way you feel when some EU nurses don't even understand the word paracetamol, however i heard the NMC is looking to generalize ielts to all nurses that does not speak english as a first language, dont know if it's true though. good luck

PS. what is NICHE

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

I would say it isn't just other EU that may not know what Paracetamol means cos here in Canada it is called something else

I agree with that and in USA it may be known as panadol are something else but not after three months of being in a UK hospital, and it's not that they don't know it, they do not understand what you are asking. I am highlighting the poor english, yet still they are not told to do an english exam. understand what am saying silverdragon. not trying to knock anyone but if it goes for one it should go for all if english is not their first language.

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

The thing is the UK is in the EU and there is a work agreement that anyone in the EU can work within the EU which is why there is currently only the requirement for Non EU citizens having to take the English exam. That may change

I agree you should be able to understand the language of the country and be able to speak it clearly. I know if I was moving to Italy and wanted to work I would make sure I knew the language before I went

I do think the English exam is essential both for EU and non-EU nurses. For that matter, I think it would be interesting if British nurses had to take the exam too. A lot of nursing documentation I read is barely comprehensible due to the 'innovative' spelling and grammar.

BTW, Doctors have had to take an English exam for many years. We can all tell can't we. :) LOL

P.S. America and Canada, paracetamol = tylenol (acetaminophen)

Does a nurse from the UK have to go through a language exam say for instance if they wanted to work in Germany, Holland etc. ?

Australian and New Zealanders must do to the UK and same for UK to here.

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Currently I believe if a UK nurses moves anywhere in the EU they do not have to meet language requirements in the same way a nurse in Germany coming to work in the UK doesn't have to pass English exam. That may change

Specializes in med/surg.

I couldn't imagine trying to nurse somewhere I couldn't speak the language. I think the NMC should just make a blanket English test mandatory for all, that way they are not being discriminatory (although I believe every country should have the right to demand it's medical workforce is able to understand their language!)

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