The UKRN process (part 3 of 3)

After posting entries about what I experienced during my UKRN application from taking the IELTS for UKVI to sitting the Computer Based Test (CBT), it took me a while before I was able to finally organize my thoughts about what truly happened during my OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). Laziness aside, I think I might’ve just slipped through repression as a defense mechanism after it all. LOL.

It was in April of 2018 when I first came to the UK, with only 37kg of what I could fit of my life into my luggage, armed with big hopes and dreams. As redefining as it was, I still quite vividly remember how it was also a bunch of blurry, uncertain moments that just had me jump from one experience to the other, not entirely knowing what I was doing. All I knew then was that after all of the initial triumph that I felt after acing the IELTS and the CBT, I could feel that my struggles were far from over.

A few months prior..

After passing the CBT, I was given instructions regarding all of the paperwork that I needed to complete. Disorganized as I am as a person, I actually do like administrative stuff. Paperwork is totally my jam. There’s just something about the sense of collection, completion, and organization of documents that I find weirdly satisfying. The guide with the downloadable forms that the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) will send you after passing the CBT is pretty detailed anyway, so it’s relatively easy to follow. Just make sure (and this is very important, from what I’ve gathered from reliable sources) that your documents are as official as possible, as it will be inspected by the NMC, which is the nursing and midwifery sector of the UK government. This generally means that everything has to be on letterhead paper, with official seal and signature, neatly folded inside a letterhead envelope, the works. Then it has to be sealed, signed (by the assigned signatory of the institution where the document is coming from) over the sealed flap, and then taped shut.

It sounds like a lot of work, but try not to panic and just do one thing at a time, and you’ll eventually get there. Once you have everything you need, you’ll have to send them to the NMC office in the UK (except for your PRC certificate, which you’ll have to pay for at the PRC office and they’ll send it directly to NMC themselves). For added peace of mind, I would suggest sending your documents via a trusted international courier that offers tracking services, as not only is it much faster, you’d also have proof that the NMC received your documents.

After all of this frustrating business, on comes the most painstaking among the requirements, which is having to wait for your decision letter (DL) from the NMC one to two months after sending all these forms in. According to the NMC, they “aim to assess applications within 60 calendar days of receiving all your supporting evidence.” The timeline greatly varies, though, as some may encounter problems with their documents, but once your paperwork is complete, agencies usually don’t have to wait for a decision letter before they can send you here. Some of those from my batch didn’t have a DL, and we all received a letter of sponsorship from our UK employer.

Back to business..

The OSCE is the second and final test of competence for internationally-trained nurses and midwives, the first being the CBT (my blog post about the latter can be found here). Note that “international” here means coming from outside EU (European Union) countries. It’s a practical exam wherein the candidates are tasked to execute common, but specific, nursing procedures under time pressure (15 minutes or less for each station) and while being closely observed by an invigilator.

The OSCE may only be taken in one of the three testing centers in the UK: Oxford Brookes University in Swindon, University of Northampton in Northampton, and Ulster University in Northern Ireland. I have enumerated them in order of the average passing rates from lowest to highest. I took mine at the University of Northampton together with my other friends who were scheduled to take it on the same day. We rented an Airbnb place for the night before our exams to make sure that we arrive early, and it was a lot of fun, if not for the gloomy dark cloud (a.k.a. OSCE) hanging over us the entire time haha.

So basically, the OSCE involves performing simulated patient scenarios and is grouped into two parts: APIE (assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation), and two nursing skills (there’s a specific list of skills that you need to master for this bit). All of these account to six (6) stations, all of which you need to pass in order to get your NMC PIN. What you will be doing for the nursing skills part is only revealed during the exam itself, so you need to be able to perform each one confidently because you’ll never know what they’ll have you do until you’re already at the station. Also, note that any form of communication with other candidates count as a form of cheating, and mobile phones are not allowed throughout your exam.

I would love to go into detail about the stations, but seeing as how I signed a legal document forbidding me to do so, I’m afraid that I can’t. Anyway, don’t worry because I’m absolutely certain that you will be sufficiently briefed about all this by your new hire trainers upon arrival to the UK.

How much does taking the OSCE cost?

Before July 16, 2018, failing any part of each of the two sets meant having to retake the entire set, but the NMC made revisions to this rule and you will now be required to re-sit only the part of the set/s in which you failed. If this happens, this would also mean that you will be paying for your retake out of pocket, which is either for the full (£992) or partial (£496) cost of the exam. Your initial shot at the OSCE (£794) is usually paid for by your employer, and you are only allowed to take the OSCE three times. If you fail on the third attempt, the NMC will close your application, and you would need to go through the process again (i.e. find another employer to sponsor your application).

Countless times, our OSCE instructors have reminded us that these procedures are tasks that we’ve performed as nurses loads of times, so we should know what to do already. Looking back, I have to agree. The only thing is that during our shifts, apart from anxious relatives breathing down our necks every now and then, there weren’t examiners watching and grading your every move. And you know how oddly conscious you become of every single thing when you know that you’re being scrutinized, right? It’s like as if the pressure goes up to your ears and then covers your brain with a blanket and it suddenly stops working. Scary? Yes, it was absolutely terrifying, with the Hawthorne effect and all that. It was so daunting that upon seeing my friends after I sat my exams, I immediately burst into tears, remembering all of my slip-ups and thinking of reasons why I was sure that they’d fail me.

Turns out they didn’t.

According to this guide authored by the NMC, applicants are informed of the result of the OSCE (full/partial pass or fail) within five working days after their scheduled exam. I took mine on a Thursday (July 12) and I received my results on the following Monday (July 16). I was anxiously checking my email every 15 minutes or so, when I suddenly saw the notification that I just received a new email. One glance at the word ‘congratulations’ was all it took for all my worries in the world to go away. I was in the highest spirits—I was so, soooo happy, but most of all, I was relieved. I was saving up for an electronic Yamaha keyboard and I really didn’t want to pay to re-sit the exams LOL.

Some people say that it’s “easier” to become a UKRN than a USRN because the NCLEX is difficult (and the waiting time is longer). Please keep in mind that this is highly subjective, and I think that it’s tough to even try and compare because their licensure processes are not at all alike. For the record, no, I have not tried taking the NCLEX yet, and I’m not sure if I even wanted to, but I did use NCLEX practice exams for the local board exams before. I have to agree that it wasn’t easy either, but at least it’s a bit like the CBT, wherein you just need to answer questions with nothing but your critical thinking skills to either hold you back or help you get that license. The OSCE is.. well, a completely different world from that, and one which I initially thought was a bit primitive. After taking it, however, I now think that requiring internationally-trained candidates to go through the OSCE does make a lot of sense.

I started working as a pre-registered nurse here in the UK shortly upon arrival, and we had several paid study and practice days prior to our “big day.” The thing that ticked me off a little bit was that it was the Recruitment team who chose our OSCE dates for us, and they scheduled mine in mid-July. Remember that this was back in April, and I was worried sick and restless for almost three months before I was finally able to take the final test. If given the choice, I probably would’ve chosen late May or early June because I already felt a bit ready then. Stretching it out way too long just caused more undue pressure and stress. But as it is, I’m just glad that it’s finally over, because even after passing the OSCE after the first try, I would never want to take that exam again. EVER.

On fight, flight, and failing..

Of all the examinations I had to take before I got my NMC PIN, I’d have to say that the OSCE was by far the most unpleasant. Don’t get me wrong—I do think it’s absolutely necessary, as there certainly are variances between nursing practice here and everywhere else in the world, but I’m just going by the experience as a whole. The way it made me feel and all of the acne breakouts it caused were just plain horrible. But then again, the OSCE is designed to ensure that international nurses are able to practice safe and effective nursing care, so I’m all for it. Failing it, though, doesn’t mean that you’re not qualified, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Again, there are so many physical and psychological factors that would influence the way you perform the tasks (oh, there are going to be recording cameras for quality purposes btw) that it’s real easy to mess up. So if you fail, don’t fret. Just shrug it off, and go try again. Besides, at the end of the day, when you already have your PIN, people are not gonna ask how many times you tried. Not that it matters, anyway. 🙂

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.