The UKRN process (part 1 of 3)

One of the reasons why I was so bent on starting a blog is that aside from wanting an excuse to write again, I also wanted to help other nurses in the Philippines who are looking into getting their UKRN registration. I know that there are so many others who have posted their own walkthroughs and I’m one of those who have found their guides to be extremely helpful. There are so many countries looking to hire international nurses, and the United Kingdom is one of them. The steps that I took were all pretty straightforward–I will go through each of them in as much detail as I can (obviously without breaking any rules whatsoever).

Now, bluntly, the UK’s requirements for internationally-registered nurses are quite extensive, and depending on how dedicated you are to your goal (and how much free time you have in your hands), this may lengthen the process. The very first step, though, is gaining work experience. The UK requires at least one year of paid work as a staff nurse, meaning, your work experience should be post-local registration. Also, it has to be recent (within the last six months). During my application, we were classified by the agency under the department where we worked–sometimes, employers can be very specific with the applicants’ work experience/s. My file was included in the “A&E” folder (A&E or Accidents & Emergencies is how they call the ER Department in UK hospitals), but don’t be fooled–it’s not always the same department where you worked that you will be put in when you get here.

When you already have the first requirement under your wing, the next step is to take your English proficiency test. For years, the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam had served as the pitfall of many. Fairly recently, though, the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) started accepting OET (Occupational English Test) scores as well. Nevertheless, I went the old-fashioned way and took the IELTS exam, so I’m not really sure how to go about taking the OET. The IELTS has four tests: Speaking, Reading, Listening, and Writing, and you will be tested for each one of them. Now, this is the fairly confusing bit–the IELTS test also has two types: General Training and Academic, and both of them can either be for UKVI or not. To simplify, if you’re a nurse applying for registration, you’d need to take the Academic IELTS test, since it’s a pre-requisite for professional registration with the NMC. You can either take the “regular” Academic IELTS or the Academic IELTS for UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) exam. Both are accepted by the NMC, but the difference is that even if you’re able to get through with the former, you would still need to take the latter for immigration purposes (UK Immigration only needs an overall band 4).

With this in mind, I decided that I wanted to ‘hit two birds with one stone’ and take the Academic IELTS for UKVI. Why do people choose one from the other, you ask? What I’ve gathered from my sources is that the regular IELTS is somewhat less strict than the UKVI counterpart, therefore it’d be ‘safer’ to take if only for NMC registration purposes. Also, there are a lot more sites where you can take the regular IELTS, unlike IELTS for UKVI (which you can only take either in Manila or in Cebu City). And it does make sense, too. If you’re not sure as to how you’d fare with the exam, it may be wiser to take the safest route and just pay for two.

In regard to signing up with a review center (or centre), it’s really up to you, but I guess it would help, especially if you desire a more thorough approach in getting you prepared for the exam. I, on the other hand, thought it was too expensive (which it is!) and opted for the free IELTS guide provided by the British Council when you set an exam date with them. Oh, and I re-read the entire Harry Potter series, but mainly for inspiration (LOL). I also did this trick that I got from another site, wherein on the day prior to your speaking test, everything you do has to be in English. On a regular day, most of our brains are wired to think in Filipino, and then we do the translating in our heads before coming up with an English response–this process takes a while and gives more room for errors. But if you hear, read, and speak nothing but English on the day before your speaking test, it would be easier for you to think of more natural responses to your invigilator’s questions.

The speaking test. I had an English gentleman as my invigilator for my speaking test. I took it a day before everything else, so needless to say, I was a bit tense. I’ve never taken this type of exam before–well, maybe we had exams like this in college, but back then, it was okay to joke around and poke fun at the others, and it wasn’t going to cost you thousands of pesos. Seriously, I had nothing but nasty thoughts running the entire time. How much was this test for again? What’s my mother gonna say? It’s not going to kill me if I fail, but.. Talk about the Hawthorne effect! They said we should sound normal like as if it were an everyday conversation, but I’m pretty sure I had a poker face on the entire time. During the first part, I was asked random, real life-based questions. The middle bit had me picking one among several topic cards (sort of like in beauty pageants or in extemporaneous speaking contests), for which I was given a few minutes to think about what I was gonna say before speaking. Afterwards, I was asked more detailed questions about everything I talked about. Looking back, they were actually pretty easy questions. However, knowing that you’re being judged on what you’re saying and how you speak can really have detrimental effects on your confidence, so you really have to relax OR ELSE.

All the written tests. After the first day, I couldn’t help but feel a bit pessimistic about the possible outcome of my exam. But then I kept reminding myself that there were three other tests, and that there’s no way for me to know how I did anyway, so I tried not to think about it. So, on the day of the three written exams, I noticed that there were a lot more people than during the speaking part. We nearly filled up the corridors, but the hall at the Crowne Plaza Galleria where British Council held the exams was enormous, so there was a lot of room. It kind of reminded me of the O.W.L. exams at Hogwarts. The listening test was quite simple–We listened to statements, and questions followed. You have to really pay attention, though, because they only play the passages twice, and sometimes, the choices can be awfully similar. The reading test was as direct as the listening test, but not easier. First off, the passages were looooong. I’m talking about clippings from editorials, that sort of thing. And second, there’s this naughty little presence called time pressure. The technique I used was skimming through the questions first, just to get the gist of what I was supposed to look for, and then reading the paragraphs.

Now, for the last part: the writing test. This one is still somewhat ambiguous to me, because the sample writings I’ve read were nowhere close to how simple they made it sound on the list of what they’re looking for. My preparation for the IELTS exam was for one month, but I only practiced for my writing test on the day before. It’s not because I was overly confident or anything like that, it’s just that I figured that if I stressed myself out with the differences between what I thought they’re looking for and what others had written up, I’d just end up more confused. So I just went with the general idea that: (1) the first sentence should ALWAYS answer the question, (2) the next few sentences should support your stand and give as much detail as you can without going overboard and including things that have nothing to do with the topic, which I have a tendency to do btw, (3) the last sentence should reinforce the first and give a strong ending, and lastly, (4) you have to meet the word count!

Okay, so you’re finished with your tests. The waiting game then comes next. You can view the results online 13 days after the last day of the exams, and they will also mail the Test Report Form to you. If you’re not satisfied with the results, you can contest it by applying for an enquiry, which you have to pay for. But even then, there’s no guarantee that your scores will change. There are loads of useful information online that should help immensely, and some of them are things that should be a given already, such as being at the testing center ahead of time, bringing all of the necessary documents, especially the ID you used for registering, etc. I remember on the last day of my exams, there was a lady who left her passport at home, and she lived a couple of hours away. What happened after, I can only hazard a guess.

Although there isn’t really a dress code for the exams, you should look presentable. A business casual attire should be fine during the speaking test, and anything decent should be alright for the written exams. You don’t have to bring your own pencils and erasers to the venue–they will be provided for you. That’s it for me, I guess. I hope that knowing what’s about to come will help you with your battle. Always remember, though, that it’s okay to fail, as long as you try again. It’s never the end until you say so.