I have since moved lock, stock and barrel.. to England, where I have been living for the past year.
During this time I have been trying to become a nurse here, getting my qualifications recognised for the British system...and let me tell you it's no easy thing.
I will go through the process with you in case you are wanting to do something similar.
If you are considering going to England, get the process started NOW as the average length of time for the whole thing is about 18 months... yes, 18 months!.....can you believe it?
There are many documents you will have handy at home no doubt, but there will be others that only a university can supply and being in the same country as that University helps a lot.
Since 2008, all nurses coming to practice in the UK have to undergo a lot more screening than they used to. There was a time when you just presented your nursing registration and off you went to your first job. Not any more.
All candidates must undergo the IELTS examination. This is an English language test that all doctors and nurses who did not train in the UK or EU must take, regardless if your native tongue is English. Nice little revenue maker there!
The pass mark is 7.0 out of 10 and you must sit for the Academic test, not the General test.
You can do the test in Australia, but be warned that the certificate only lasts for 2 years, so if your process is not completed in that time, you will have to sit the exam again.
I would advise you to study some of the IELTS websites for free practice tests. Just knowing what you will be up against helps tremendously. Although I speak , read and write English very well, I found the test to be rigourous in that there is virtually no time to re-check your work, and the test takes place over 4 hours. So you see, a little prep will go a long way in getting you as good score.
As well as the IELTS test, you need to register yourself with the British Nursing and Midwifery Council. They will then send you an application pack.
You can read about the complex registration process here.
Just to get the registration pack costs £140. The IELTS test costs about $300.
So already you are out of pocket!
From the NMC website:
How to apply to register as a nurse
You will have to pay an administration fee when you apply
You should also send us certified (signed by a solicitor) photocopies of your
registration certificate
passport (details page)
birth certificate
marriage, civil partnership or deed poll certificate (if you do not use the name on
your birth certificate)
You should also send us your International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
candidate number and test score.
Stage 2
When we receive the documents listed above and the required fee... we will send you an
application pack, which contains
your application form
your post-registration experience form
two employment references
transcript of training form
registration authority/licensing body form
You must not photocopy the application forms
You should send certified photocopies of all your supporting documents as we cannot return original documents. If any of these documents are not in English, you will need to translate them.
You must fill in the application form in English. No one else must fill in the form for you.
Make sure all the forms are signed and dated.
You must return the completed application forms and supporting documents within six months
If you cannot do this, we will close your file and keep your application fee.
If you ask us for a second pack, you will have to pay a second fee.
If you have difficulty meeting the six month deadline, you should ask for an extension.
We will only give you one extension.
Your application forms and documents should be sent by post or special delivery.
We cannot accept faxed or emailed applications.
Please do all this from Australia!.. you can get a Justice of the Peace to sign your photocopied documents for free. In England, there is no such thing as a Justice of the Peace.. they have Notaries. These Notaries are in private practice and charge £5 (that's nearly $8 AUD) to countersign ONE document.
You will need a TRANSCRIPT of your university studies. This is no ordinary transcript they are looking for . This is an extremely detailed transcript about how many hours you spent doing each course. I was very lucky to have a very switched on girl at Edith Cowan University to do all this for me. An ordinary transcript is not sufficient.
Nothing at all can be sent by email, which is partly why the process takes so long. Even if you think you have completed all the necessary forms (believe me they will say everything is there) expect to get a letter 6 WEEKS LATER to tell you they want some other sort of supporting evidence. Once you have sent that, expect a letter 6 WEEKS LATER to say they need more documentation.
This goes on ad infinitum.
They are also notorious for losing documentation.
Once all the papers are finally in order, about 6 WEEKS LATER they will let you know whether you are successful in registering.
If you are successful the next step of the process is doing a University course. It's like a short bridging course to make sure you understand how the British health system works and what is expected of nurses. It's called the Overseas Nurses Programme
Not all Universities have this course on offer. For instance, no university in Northern Ireland has this course.
This compulsory course costs £450.. that's about $800 AUD.
Make sure you book a place early because so many people want to do the course and you may have to wait for a few months before you can do it.
The course takes 3 weeks to complete. You attend the first day, then all of the learning is online with a couple of contact days in between. You'll see that nursing in England is virtually the same as nursing in Australia and you have paid about $1500 AUD for the privilege of knowing this!
I am currently doing the Overseas Nurses Programme. I've met some lovely people already, as well as 2 nurses from WA! I know my experience of the process is not an isolated one as many of my fellow students have stated the same thing.. it's a very frustrating process,with lost and missing documents and lengthy periods of non- communicaton from the NMC.
The University staff are also well aware of the short comings of the NMC process.
If you are thinking of coming over here, get the ball rolling now and I hope to see you here soon!
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