Is IELTS a must for nursing registration in UK?

[max72]

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:)

[babyNP., APRN]

Helricha, no worries, my feelings haven't been hurt by your or anyone else :)

I do very much understand the sentiment of some British nurses to only hire British nurses, especially when their new grads are having trouble getting jobs. The same situation is largely here in the US. I graduated in '08 and thank goodness that I did...when you could write your own ticket. My classmates the next year and this past year had such an awful time

[mandroka68]

I tell you guys my problem about IELTS. (it is not a problem right now, because I have it already! :)) I am a forigner in the UK, I have 5 x A levels. This should be enough for entering a course for DipHe nursing. Still, because I did not achieve this in the UK, it was disregarded and I had to pass the IELTS, score 7, + a Numeracy test. (I have the A levels in both.) Is this fair? My A levels worth nothing in this country, not even as GCSE-s, because most of the other students only have those and not A levels.

I really hope, I do not have to do it again, but it will expire before I will be quilified!?! I hate exams!

[babyNP., APRN]

I tell you guys my problem about IELTS. (it is not a problem right now, because I have it already! :)) I am a forigner in the UK, I have 5 x A levels. This should be enough for entering a course for DipHe nursing. Still, because I did not achieve this in the UK, it was disregarded and I had to pass the IELTS, score 7, + a Numeracy test. (I have the A levels in both.) Is this fair? My A levels worth nothing in this country, not even as GCSE-s, because most of the other students only have those and not A levels.

I really hope, I do not have to do it again, but it will expire before I will be quilified!?! I hate exams!

Sounds just as silly as someone who's done a masters degree IN the UK in nursing and still has to take it . Ah, well, beaurocracy escapes no nation, methinks. I also feel bad for the UK peds nurses who have to take adult clinicals just to get their US RN license and then never touch an adult again...I suppose there are worse things in life to deal with, though

[Antstone]

English is a barrier made by the EU to protect their own kind. The barrier goes ups and down as required.

In Australia I had made several submissions on this matter that make the test for everyone so be equal. It is true that the students from Australia will not score IELTS 7. This is going for too long. the best is to make a submission to the relevant Nursing board to make it equal for every one and also to request to the International Nursing council. They should listen to us.

The recent study says that In UK, those who complete the degree in education has scored very poor , and in fact around 20% failure in English test. In Australia is the same. This proves that around 30% of Nurses who are graduated from UK and Australia will not be successful in IELTS test. Then you can imagine the story of Nurses from EU.