registering as a nurse in UK

REGISTERING AS A NURSE OR MIDWIFE IN THE UK
FOR APPLICANTS TRAINED OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION AND EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA:



nursing council-The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) regulates nurses and midwives in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland



Registering to practise as a nurse or midwife

Overseas trained nurses or midwives wanting to work in the UK must register with us. Our register consists of three parts.

• nurses • midwives • specialist community public health nurses (SCPHN).

The nurses part of the register is divided into four fields of practice.

• adult nursing • mental health nursing • learning disabilities nursing • children’s nursing.

Applicants can apply to be on the nurses or midwives parts of the register, as long as they meet our standards. If an applicant has trained as a general nurse, they should apply for registration with us as an adult nurse.

If applicants want to register on more than one part of the register or field of practice, they should apply for each part/field at the same time.

Once registered, they can work in the National Health Service (NHS) or private health. As a regulator, we are unable to help them find jobs or give references from any of the information provided to us.

To work as a nurse or midwife in the UK, applicants must meet immigration conditions. Immigration in the UK is handled by UK Visas and Immigration. Please note that we cannot help with any part of the work permit application process.

All nurses and midwives registered with us are required to practise in accordance with our rules and standards, including The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives (NMC, 2015) (the Code), and to renew their registration annually.


Requirements for applying to join the register :


Language requirement

Applicants must be able to show that they can communicate clearly and effectively in English. They must complete the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and achieve a minimum score of at least seven in all areas.

Applicants may provide two IELTS test certificates to meet the above requirements, but must not have scored below 6.5 in any categories, in either of the test sittings.

The two test sittings must be taken within six months of each other to be considered.

There are no exceptions to this requirement, even if English is their first language.

We will verify the scores with the IELTS organisation. Please note that we will not accept IELTS test results that are more than two years old at the time the registration application is submitted.

For example: if an applicant took an IELTS in April 2015 and sat the test again within six months, they can use the scores from both tests to satisfy our requirements. However, no individual score can be below 6.5.


This application would not be accepted. The applicant has scores lower than 6.5.


Practice requirements

At the time of the application, the applicant must have practised as a registered nurse or midwife for at least 12 months (full time or the part-time equivalent) after qualifying. This post-registration experience must be relevant to the field of practice the applicant is applying for. Any practice that is not covered by registration cannot be considered for the requirement of 12-month post-registration experience.

If the applicant is a midwife but has not practised midwifery in the five years prior to their application, they must do a return to midwifery practice course in their home country before they can apply to register with us.

Registration requirements


If applicants have worked as a nurse or midwife in more than one country or state, we require them to be registered with the licensing authority or registration body in all the countries/states where they have worked. We will require verification from that authority regardless of the length of their employment.

Applicants must provide the details of all practice undertaken as a registered nurse or midwife including verification documents and registration certificates. Education requirements

Applicants must have successfully completed at least 10 years of school education before starting a post-secondary education nursing or midwifery training programme, leading to registration in their home country as an entry-level registered nurse or midwife.

Special advice for refugees and asylum seekers

If the applicant is a refugee or asylum seeker, they should contact us for advice before making an application. Applicants must fill in the application form in full. If they are unable to fill in any part of the form, we request that they send it to us with a supporting letter explaining why.

At the very least, we require photocopies of:

• their nursing or midwifery diplomas and registration certificates • their transcript of training broken down into theoretical and clinical hours of study • employment references confirming their good health and good character • verification from the relevant licensing authority or registration body.

If the applicant cannot provide any of these documents, we may not be able to assess their application. Agencies that support asylum seekers and refugees may be able to help obtain the information required to apply for registration.

Please keep copies of all documents that are sent to us, as we cannot return them. If the applicant decides to apply for registration, they must send us, with their application form:


• a copy of their immigration letter • a copy of their UK Home Office letter confirming their status • a letter from social security • a UK Home Office Pin card.

If the applicant can provide these documents, they may not need to pay the application fee.

How to apply for registration as a nurse or midwife :


Applicants must submit their application to become a registered nurse or midwife on our website. Please note, before deciding to apply, applicants should consider if they meet the general and specific requirements described in the previous sections
The application process :
Eligibility 

Applicants must complete a self-assessment of their eligibility to apply prior to beginning the application process. They must declare that they meet all of the minimum requirements including good health and good character. They must also confirm that they understand that they must provide supporting evidence of these declarations during the assessment stage of the process. If an applicant confirms the declarations and cannot provide evidence at the assessment stage, their application will not be progressed and their assessment fee cannot be refunded.

Test of competence – part one 

Once applicants have passed the eligibility assessment, they will be asked to sit the first part of the test of competence. This will be a computer based test of theoretical practice-based knowledge. The test format will be multiple choice and can be taken in test centres around the world. Applicants have two attempts at the test. If an applicant fails to achieve the required minimum score after both attempts, they must wait six months in order to restart the application process.

The test provider, Pearson VUE, will administer their own test fee in agreement with us. Applicants will need to contact Pearson VUE directly to book and pay for their test.

Assessment 

Applicants will need to provide the following evidence in order for us to complete an assessment. 



• a valid passport – this same document must also be presented at the test centre • birth certificate • a qualification certificate for each qualification being submitted as part of the application. • registration certificates from each jurisdiction where the applicant has practised and/or been registered – if the applicant’s country operates state registration, they will need to have registered in each state where they practised.

Eligibility 

Applicants must complete a self-assessment of their eligibility to apply prior to beginning the application process. They must declare that they meet all of the minimum requirements including good health and good character. They must also confirm that they understand that they must provide supporting evidence of these declarations during the assessment stage of the process. If an applicant confirms the declarations and cannot provide evidence at the assessment stage, their application will not be progressed and their assessment fee cannot be refunded.

Test of competence – part one 

Once applicants have passed the eligibility assessment, they will be asked to sit the first part of the test of competence. This will be a computer based test of theoretical practice-based knowledge. The test format will be multiple choice and can be taken in test centres around the world. Applicants have two attempts at the test. If an applicant fails to achieve the required minimum score after both attempts, they must wait six months in order to restart the application process.

The test provider, Pearson VUE, will administer their own test fee in agreement with us. Applicants will need to contact Pearson VUE directly to book and pay for their test.

Assessment 

Applicants will need to provide the following evidence in order for us to complete an assessment. 



• a valid passport – this same document must also be presented at the test centre • birth certificate • a qualification certificate for each qualification being submitted as part of the application. • registration certificates from each jurisdiction where the applicant has practised and/or been registered – if the applicant’s country operates state registration, they will need to have registered in each state where they practised.

Test of competence – part two 

The second part of the test of competence will assess an applicant’s clinical knowledge. The test is an objective-structured clinical examination (OSCE) and can only be completed in the UK. The test will be administered by one of our approved university test centres who will administer their own test fee in agreement with us. Applicants will need to contact the university directly to book and pay for their test.


The OSCE will simulate a clinical environment and patient scenarios which registered nurses and midwives are likely to encounter when they assess, plan, implement and evaluate care. The OSCE contains nursing or midwifery scenarios along with separate skill stations. Each separate clinical examination is known a ‘station’ and candidates will circulate through all the stations within a set timeframe.

Each of the six stations has standardised marking criteria against which all candidates are assessed. Candidates are assessed by a panel of examiners and will be filmed for quality assurance purposes.
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Candidates are expected to demonstrate competence through safe and effective practice. The test of competence is based on current UK pre-registration standards.


ID check  A face-to-face ID check will take place at the OSCE location on the same day as the OSCE. Applicants will be required to bring all the original documents that they have uploaded as supporting evidence for their application. If applicants cannot produce the documents required, they will have to rebook an ID check at our London office before they can complete the last stage of the process and receive their registration number.  Final registration  Once we have received notification that an applicant has successfully completed part two of the test of competence and the ID check, they will be invited to complete their final declaration and payment for registration online. Once both have been received, we will send the applicant their registration number (Pin).
Applicants who started their application before 6 April 2017 will have two attempts (an initial sitting and a full or partial re-sit) at the OSCE as part of one application.
If an applicant is unsuccessful following their second attempt their application will close. They will be required to submit a new application but will not be able to sit the OSCE again for a minimum of six months.
Applicants applying from 6 April 2017 will have three attempts (an initial sitting, and two full or partial re-sits) at the OSCE, as part of one application.
If an applicant is unsuccessful at their first OSCE, they must wait a minimum of 10 working days before they can take the examination again.
If an applicant is unsuccessful at their second OSCE, they must wait a minimum of three months from the date of their second attempt before they can take the OSCE for the third time.
If the applicant is unsuccessful after their permitted attempts, their application will close. They will be required to submit a new application but will not be able to sit the OSCE again for a minimum of six months.


useful contacts:


NMC registration centre 23 Portland Place London, W1B 1PZ +44 (0)20 7333 9333 www.nmc.org.uk

NHS Careers PO Box 376 Bristol, BS99 3EY +44 845 6060 655 www.nhscareers.nhs.uk

NHS Careers international nurses advice line + 44 8458 505888 (09:00–17:00 GMT only) https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/i-am/outside-uk

Pearson VUE www.pearsonvue.co.uk

British Council Information Centre, 5th Floor, Bridgewater House 58 Whitworth Street Manchester, M1 6BB +44 161 957 7755 www.britishcouncil.org

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) www.ielts.org

UK Visas and Immigration www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration





WISH YOU GOOD LUCK DK ACADEMY FOR NURSES