alex88

Hi! I just wanted to share my IELTS experiences with the British Council. I don't know if IDP offers this service, but the BC allows its registrants free use of a whole library of OFFICIAL IELTS materials that normally sell for hundreds even thousands of pesos. You can photocopy upto 10% of the total pages of EACH reference/book. Although you can bring your own CD player and headset for the listening practice tests, the friendly and courteous staff will gladly lend you their own sets. The library is cozy and has separate tables and chairs. Air conditioning is good, but you may want to bring along a light sweater/ jacket because it can get too cold sometimes. You may access the materials as often as you want, from Mondays thru Saturdays, 9am-4pm. Another good thing about registering with the BC is that you get free 30 hours of ROAD TO IELTS practice test. It contains 3 out of the 12 most common topics in IELTS and shows the different types of tests used in the actual exam. The BC gives you a login I.D. and password which are valid until a week from your test date. This free access is only 25% of the whole thing. If you want all of the 12 topics, you can buy the CD at the BC for 360 pesos. PREPARATIONS: I had roughly 3 weeks to prepare for the IELTS. I did not attend any review class and just used the Road to IELTS CD. I must say this CD helped a lot in making myself familiar with the style and types of questions asked in IELTS. Also, knowing that I was answering official and updated practice tests and not just some random uploaded generic exercises made me more confident about the exam. A week before my IELTS, I dropped by the BC once to check the other materials. I stayed there for 4 hours to do some listening practice tests and to read more on writing for IELTS. I especially liked one reference which discussed in detail tips on how to write an essay for Task 1 (charts, tables, processes, etc). TEST DAY: I had my speaking test 2 days before the 3 other tests. TIP: BE ON THE SITE 30 MINUTES EARLIER. You don't want to be gasping for breath when you meet your examiner. You need time to get settled and compose yourself before hitting the exam room. This was exactly my problem having arrived in my test site 15 minutes before schedule. NOT at all a very good idea. I'm still grateful of the kind BC staff who gave me 20 minutes to relax before my interview. I took the listening, reading and writing parts at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. While I ate a heavy breakfast, I didn't drink much fluid because I knew that as a rule, we were not allowed to leave the room during the test. (During the listening part: absolutely not allowed; other parts: I think you may, but you risk losing time). Bring sweatshirt/jacket just in case you feel cold. You may bring candies and bottled water (remove the label). Wear a watch to keep track of the time, although the facilitators would prompt you regularly. Listening part: Do report to the invigilators (facilitators) if you are not hearing the audio well. They normally will not proceed unless everyone agrees about the volume, reception, etc. In my experience, I noticed some of the examinees were shy to raise their hands and complain... never hesitate to do so. If the exam has to proceed despite a persistent problem in the logistics, at least the facilitators will document it. As such, when you need to complain later on, you have some evidence to base on. Reading part: This, I think, was the most difficult because of the time constraints. The first 2 selections were manageable. There were parts where I only needed to locate specific details and didn't have to really scrutinize the text. The TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN questions gave me a headache! I had at least 18 of them in total. The last reading selection was the most difficult that I found myself literally choosing blindly the answers for most questions. The text was very technical, and I needed to read several times certain parts of it. TIP: Before reading a text, scan the questions first and note the key ideas mentioned. Then, as you read the selection, underline or take note of such words or topics. Also, DO NOT dwell on a question that you are not sure about. You don't want to waste your time on an item that you are likely to get a wrong answer in. Take a wise guess and just mark it, so you can go back to it if you have time. Writing part: For Task 1, I was given 4 bar graphs. Knowing I didn't have much time to discuss each graph thoroughly, my strategy was to focus on general/ common trends FIRST, then to discuss the nuances or unique features of each graph, if any. Here, the challenge was identifying quickly which data were indispensable to be mentioned and how they could be presented in an effective and coherent manner. Also, I tried my best not to be repeating the same adjectives, verbs, and nouns. TIP: Be consistent with your tenses. Know when a verb is used to describe or discuss a present/ general fact OR when it is used to narrate a past event. In sum, I thought of sharing these information because I myself witnessed how preparing for and taking the IELTS can be stressful. I am no expert in the English language or in test-taking, but I hope some of the things I shared can help another, in the same way that I have learned so many things from the kind souls in allnurses. Lastly, I got my IELTS results recently, and I am very happy about it. :) Just paying it forward. :)

Thanks so much, amber_sport! :-) I was looking at the NBT website today, and it says that license renewal should commence later in May. The Board will notify everyone currently registered with them. By the way, any news about how NBT's faring with the national registration?

I just read from the NBT website that there will be consequences as to when one is due to renew and the actual date of renewal, in relation to July 1 when the national registration takes effect. That is all that I got so far. Hope to hear from Tasmania RNs who have renewed their license in the past and also those about to renew.... How many CPE points/hours must be completed for license renewal, if any? Thanks! :-)

thanks ghillbert. yeah, i might have to just email them at the address you gave me, or call them. their website doesn't show the details for renewal. :-(

Does anyone know the requirements and procedure for renewal of RN license in Tasmania? Is continuing professional program/ education required? (I understand that not all states/ territories require this.) The Nursing Board of Tasmania website does not show the details for license renewal, and I would appreciate any information on this. Thanks!

Hi, yanon! Thank you very much for your reply. Yes, I didn't really expect a private message from you soon because you only had few posts. You need at least 15 to be able to do pm. :-) Anyway, I appreciate your sharing the info... I will research on the fresenius group. I'm just wondering what kind of visas will be given to the hirees from overseas given that the USCIS is yet to issue new rules. They say the rules are coming out this May. I am praying they would accommodate US ADN grads of the island. Anyway, I guess I should just continue exploring other options in the meantime. Glad to hear from you and hope you could share whatever update there is on opportunities at CNMi. God bless! :-)

Thanks for the info, iheartRN! I will email the nbv soon. Anyway, I suppose your OPT counted as valid work experience, and that made your application with the NBV a lot more attractive. Unfortunately, I'm back in my home country without such OPT history. This is why I'm having second thoughts about submitting my application to any Australian BON now. But then again, as you said, there is more sense in applying now than later in July when the requirements could be a lot more strict than they are now. Oh well, the clock is ticking, and I should decide soon about what to do. Your story sparked some hope in me, since it's my first time to hear about a US ADN successfully getting registered in NBV. (I've read about another who got registered in Tasamania.) So, thanks a lot again. I hope it's ok to refer to you once in a while for questions in the future. :-)

Hi, joecalifa! Would you know if the Australian Boards of Nursing would require work experience for registration? Thanks!

Hi! Thanks for that good news.. some ray of hope for US ADN grads! :-) I was just wondering... Is prior clinical work experience required for application with the the Nursing Board of Victoria? How long did the entire process take? Do you think with the upcoming national registration in July, the odds would be the same? Would it be wise to apply with the NBV now? Thanks :-)

I was referring to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) of the United Kingdom. The 2-year US ADN isn't recognized for registration with the NMC.

Hi! I just thought I'd share... I also have a US ADN and hold a US RN license. I actually spoke to someone from the NMC Registration Department today, and I was told that I do not qualify for registration, since they require at least 3 years of nursing school. This news is devastating. :-(

Thanks, heartblock! I will email the university next week. Good to hear about your classmates having been able to enroll in UoB even with just 2 years of nursing school from their home country. I will let you know when I get word from the university. God bless!:)

How do I go about having my license endorsed from the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) to Guam? I believe the Guam Board of Nurse Examiners has no website, so I have no way of knowing (unless I write or call them perhaps) the requirements and procedure for endorsement. I was hoping someone who has done it in the past could share some information. I would appreciate it. :-)

I thought so, too, gemini_star. QNC knows that a lot of potential applicants, both Australian and foreign nursing grads, visit their website all the time, and they can't miss on a very important information such as this. So yes, I think (and hope, of course), that eligibility results for applications submitted before July 2010 would still be valid under the new registration system. I just wish QNC were explicit in saying this. :-)

Hi, Haoyin! A recruitment agency advised me of such, so I'm not confident about this information. I looked it up on the QNC website and couldn't find anything about the council no longer accepting applications. I don't know if I just wasn't able to explore the site properly, as I was in a hurry then. Besides, I'm thinking that if there really were such a notice, it would be explicitly indicated in the homepage of QNC website. I didn't find any. What do you think?