How To Be A Registered Nurse in UK in 2021

Hi, welcome to this comprehensive guide on how to become a Registered Nurse in UK.

In this article I am going to make the process as easy and straightforward as possible.

To become a registered nurse in UK, there are series of steps you must take. The first step begins with you getting a copy of your international passport, if yours has expired try to renew it as this will be needed before you can sit for IELTS/OET.

NMC Registration Requirements 2021

Also below are the requirements:

  1. You must have completed Nursing education in your country
  2. Registered as a Nurse in your country (This is no longer a requirement as those who are not registered with the Nursing Board in their countries will need to supply additional evidence. For instance, if you are a from Ghana or Nigeria and went to India or Philippines to study Nursing and you were not allowed to register in India or Philippines, you can still register as a Nurse in UK without going to Ghana or Nigeria to register with the Nursing Boards in those countries)
  3. English language requirement: You need to sit for standard IELTS Academic version and have a minimum score of Listening-7 Speaking 7 Reading 7 and Writing 6.5 or its OET Equivalence. However, if you didn’t make the IELTS/OET in a single sitting, you can combine your result. For more information check IELTS Clubbing for UK NMC Nurse Registration or OET Clubbing For UK: NMC OET Clubbing Requirement for Nurses

To get started, go to  https://online.nmc-uk.org/overseas/assessment/start?route=1 and create an account. You will be required to upload your:

  1. Nursing Certificate which is the certificate issued by your School after completing your Nursing training
  2. Nursing registration Certificate which is the certificate issued by your board of Nursing
  3. International passport with marriage certificate if applicable.

Then you will be required to make the application fees payment of £140. You can pay this online using your regular ATM card. If you are having difficulty paying this as a result of restriction in your country, look for friends and families in any other country to help you make the payment online.

After making the payment, you should receive an email from NMC confirming your payment. You should then proceed to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of your country to have your verification sent to the UK NMC.

For those in Nigeria, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has started accepting online application for verification. This online verification is only for those who have completed their Professional Update Form otherwise called PUF. To begin your online application for verification to UK, check the step-by-step guide here How to Apply for Nigeria NMCN Online Verification for Nurses

For those who have not completed their online PUF and are having difficulty, you can still use the paper application. Below is the step for using the paper application:

Note: Before you begin the paper application, confirm from Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria whether it is still accepting paper application before you proceed with it

You will need to pay the verification fees of #17500 through Remita. Go to https://login.remita.net/remita/onepage/OAGFCRF/biller.spa to generate the invoice and make payment.

After making payment take following to Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria:

  1. Payment receipt
  2. Copy of birth certificate
  3. Copy of license (front and back)
  4. Copy of your Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria registration certificate
  5. Copy of other registration certificates you have with Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria
  6. A letter requesting NMCN to do your verification and Good Standing Certificate to UK NMC. The letter must contain your CRM number which is found in the email sent to you after the payment of £140.

Submit all this at NMCN office in Abuja or Lagos and wait for your verification to be sent to UK NMC. Alternatively, if you have someone to help you submit them at the office, just email the above documents to them. You can follow it up if you know people that can be of help.

After your verification is sent to UK NMC will send you an email which is called DECISION LETTER authorizing you to proceed to write your CBT and OSCE, Pearson Vue will equally send you an email containing your Authorizations to Test called ATT and another one containing your Username and temporary password.  Then change your temporary password by clicking here https://accountrecovery.pearsonvue.com/passwordreset/usernamelookup/NMC?locale=en_GB

After changing your password, you can then schedule your exam by logging in and picking your desired exam centre and date. You will be able to make payment online with your card and if you have finding it difficult to make the payment, go to http://www.mindhub.co.uk/category_s/139.htm and purchase  the NMC voucher which is £83 and use the voucher to make payment. Vouchers purchased on Mindhub are usually sent 1 to 2 hours after payment to arrive in your email.

After passing your CBT the next step is paying £153. Before you can make this payment, you will need to upload police certificate from all the countries you have lived more than six months since you turned eighteen years. You will equally need to provide the name and email of a medical doctor who will certify that you are in good health. You will need to provide your IELTS/OET results at this stage

Immediately after payment, an email will be sent to your doctor to confirm your health Status while your Good standing certificate will appear on your portal. It it is not reflecting, it means your board of Nursing didn’t send it along with your verification you might need to contact them to speed things up.

Job Hunting

When should you start searching for jobs? You should start searching for job immediately you pass your IELTS/OET and your CBT. There are varieties of places you can work in UK, you can work in Care Home, Publicly funded NHS, Private NHS, Special Clinics,etc.

You can apply to work directly with the Hospitals or Care Homes or apply through agencies. Some of the agencies recruiting for UK hospitals and Care Homes include Nurses2Britain, HCL Permanent, IANS, IMHR, Medacs, Insignia Global, MMA to name a few. You can get their website and contact details through a quick Google Search. Note that these agencies won’t collect any money from you as they are paid handsomely by your employer. If any agency ask you to pay, they are trying to cheat you just dump them and go to another agency.

If you can’t get any agency to sign you up go to any of the following site, register and start applying for jobs free of charge:

  1. Trac Jobs https://apps.trac.jobs/
  2. NHS Job Portal https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/
  3. Care Home Jobs https://www.carehome.co.uk/
  4. Elysium Job Vacancies https://www.elysiumhealthcare.co.uk/careers/vacancies/vacancy-search-results.aspx
  5. Indeed https://www.indeed.co.uk/
  6. Monster https://www.monster.co.uk/

Tips for Applying for Jobs

  1. Apply for as many jobs as possible
  2. Apply for posts closing very soon
  3. Highlight your strengths and experience as it relates to the job you are applying to in your supporting statement.
  4. Continue to monitor your email for interview invites

Low Cost/Inexpensive Areas of England

Also apply for jobs in low cost areas as getting a job in an expensive area can hurt your pocket. Use the job search filter to your advantage, the following are low cost areas you:

Manchester
York
Lancashire
Morecambe
Rotterham
Blackpool
Liverpool
Crewe
Kettering
Portsmouth
Wolverhampton
Stoke-on-Trent
Blackpool
Shropshire
Telford
Staffordshire
Chester among others.

Generally, North of England, West Midlands, North Midlands among others are cheaper in England.

High Cost/Expensive Areas of England

The following are the most expensive part of England:

  1. Cambridge
  2. Surrey
  3. Bristol
  4. Bradford
  5. Sussex
  6. Oxford
  7. Brighton
  8. Swansea
  9. Kent
  10. Birmingham
  11. East sussex
  12. West hertfordshire
  13. Slough
  14. Reading

After getting an offer your employer will issue you an offer letter containing the offer details and what they will be paying for. Tomorrow I shall write a comprehensive note on what you should look out for in an offer. You will be initially employed as a Band 3 or 4 nurse also known as HCA with a salary range of between £19,000-£21000 per year. You will be upgraded to a band 5 after passing OSCE and your salary raised to between £24,000 to £35,000 depending on your trust, years of experience or care home. Check out my post on what you should look out for in an offer.

After getting your offer letter, go to the UK Salary calculator and calculate your monthly take home. https://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php

Then go online to check the cost of accommodation online or on Zoopla https://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/ or Right Move https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent.html using the post code of the hospital you will be staying so as to get a rough idea of the cost of accommodation in the area.

After accepting an offer, you can then proceed to submit all the required documents for the issuance of your Certificate of Sponsorship called COS.

Congratulations! You are almost in UK. Next is to apply for Visa. You will need to have the following document handy before you go for your biometrics. You can upload them yourself or pay for assisted service.

Document for VISA

  1. CBT evidence
  2. COS
  3. Offer letter
  4. Nursing certificates
  5. Police clearance
  6. IELTS
  7. Birth certificate
  8. International passport
  9. Licence
  10. Document checklists
  11. TB test certificate
  12. Marriage/divorce certificate if applicable

To apply for visa use this link https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/apply-from-outside-the-uk

Your Partner/Spouse can apply using this link https://apply-to-visit-or-stay-in-the-uk.homeoffice.gov.uk/sort/live-in-crown-dependency/pbs_dependant_partner_out_uk?uid=c026235c-e5fd-4162-9643-08097ec7f705

Your child/children can apply through this link https://apply-to-visit-or-stay-in-the-uk.homeoffice.gov.uk/sort/live-in-crown-dependency/pbs_dependant_child_out_uk?uid=5c815740-0f2b-437d-b620-c91357acef60

To learn how to complete the visa application read mu guide on Tier 2 Visa application for Nurses

Tuberculosis Test for Visa

  1. Kindly follow the instructions below to book your tuberculosis appointment if you are in Nigeria:

1.Click this link: https://mymedical.iom.int/apps/omas/#_frmHome

i. Sign up first
ii. Verify email address
iii. Log in and start the process
iv. Select a location (either Abuja or Lagos).

  1. Phone calls or emails about booking will be referred to the link above.
  2. For a successful booking, a reference number will be generated. (Please take note of it as it will be required for any further support)
  3. in the event of a family booking, kindly book for every member of your family as only successfully booked Applicants with a reference number will be attended to on the appointment date.
  4. If you experience challenges in booking, please send an e-mail to iomabujamedicalbooki@iom.int ; or iomlagosmedicalbooking@iom.int) describing the challenges for further assistance.

You can check my other post on how to book a flight, how to book covid test for Day 2 and Day 8 in Uk while under isolation, how to obtain your Uk driving license among others. If you like this post you can share it among your friends and bookmark it.

OET Clubbing For UK: NMC OET Clubbing Requirement for Nurses

IS OET clubbing accepted in UK? The answer is absolutely Yes! The regulatory board for the Nursing and Midwifery profession in the UK now accept combining OET results in two sittings. Below is the details of the OET requirement and combination.

Occupational English Test (OET)

We’ll accept an OET examination certificate that confirms you achieved:

  • at least a grade C+ in the writing section 
  • at least a grade B in the reading, listening and speaking sections.

We updated this requirement on Tuesday 28 January 2020.

Combining OET test scores

You can achieve the required mark across two test sittings if:

  • you sit the tests within six months of each other
  • you’re tested in all four sections at the same time
  • all grades in both sittings are above grade C+, and
  • you achieve at least a grade C+ in the writing section and at least a grade B in the reading, listening and speaking sections in either of the two test sittings.

Examples of Acceptable OET clubbing:

Combined OET scores: Accepted

 ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking
Test 1BBC+B
Test 2BC+BB

The applicant has scored at least grade B in the listening, speaking and reading sections and at least grade C+ in the writing section in either of the two test sittings, and no score is lower than grade C+.

Combined OET scores: Not accepted

 ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking
Test 1BBC+B
Test 2CC+BB

This application would not be accepted. The applicant has scored lower than grade C+.

Submitting your evidence

If you’re submitting an OET certificate as part of your application, you’ll need to give us permission to verify your results through your myOET account. 

IELTS Clubbing for UK NMC Nurse Registration

The UK NMC permits overseas Nurses to combine IELTS results at two sittings. Below are the conditions that must be satisfied before you can combine

You can achieve the required mark across two test sittings if:

  • you sit the tests within six months of each other
  • you’re tested in all four sections at the same time
  • all scores in both sittings are above 6.5, and
  • you achieve at least 6.5 in the writing section and at least 7 in the reading, listening and speaking sections in either of the two test sittings.

Below is an example of acceptable IELTS clubbing on NMC website:

Combined IELTS scores: Accepted

 ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking
Test 176.56.57
Test 26.577.58

This combination would be accepted. The applicant has scored at least 7 in the listening, speaking and reading sections and at least 6.5 in the writing section in either of the two test sittings, and no score is lower than 6.5.

Combined IELTS scores: Not accepted

 ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking
Test 167.56.57
Test 26.577.57.5

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

Nurses To UK Without IELTS: NMC List of English Exempted Countries

You can now register and come over to UK to practice as a Nurse if you are either from the following countries or you have practiced as a Nurse in any of the following countries for at least one year (1year). UK NMC exempt any Nurse that has worked in any of these countries for at least a year from providing either OET or IELTS score

·Antigua and Barbuda

·Anguilla

·Australia

·The Bahamas

·Barbados

·Belize

·Bermuda

·British Indian Ocean Territory

·Canada

·Cayman Islands

·Dominica

·Falkland Islands

·Gibraltar

·Grenada

·Guernsey

·Guyana

·Ireland

·Isle of Man

·Jamaica

·Jersey

·Malta

·NewZealand

·Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

·St Kitts and Nevis

·St Lucia

·St Vincent and the Grenadines

·Trinidad and Tobago

·United Kingdom

·United States of America

·US Virgin Islands

So if you have struggled so long with IELTS/OET, you may want to consider any of the above countries. Once you have practiced for a year, then you can apply to UK and be exempted from writing IELTS/OET

Wamba School of Nursing Nurse Tutors Vacancy

Consolata Hospital Wamba Nursing School is a nurse training college in Samburu County, Samburu East sub-county in Wamba town.

The school is under the governorship of the Catholic Diocese of Maralal which covers the Samburu County.

The training school offers a Diploma in KRCHN and is fully recognized by the nursing council of Kenya.

Position: Clinical Nurse Instructor

1 Position

Reports to: Principal Tutor

Duty Station: Wamba

Academic & Professional Qualifications:

  • A Diploma in Nursing (KRCHN) with at least two (2) years’ work experience in a hospital setting. A degree in nursing (BScN) will be an added advantage
  • Should have a Nursing Council of Kenya certificate.
  • Should have a valid practice license from Nursing Council of Kenya.

Personal Attributes:

  • Should preferably be a female
  • Should have good teaching and communication skills.
  • Should be fluent in spoken and written English
  • Should be ready to guide and counsel the students.
  • Should be morally upright and a God fearing person.
  • Should be ready to abide by Catholic Medical Ethics.
  • Should be a good team player ready to work even under pressure.

Application Process

If you are interested in this position, please send your application together with detailed updated curriculum vitae, copies of relevant certificates and testimonials to reach on or before, Tuesday 10th March 2020.

Applications should be addressed to:-

Principal Tutor,

Consolata Hospital Wamba Nursing School,

P.O. Box 49 – 20603

Wamba.

You can reach us on 0724176525/ or 0728 335662

OR e-Mail: cntswamba@gmail.com.

OR info@wambanursingschool.co.ke

Kindly include your email address and mobile number for quick response.

Hand Deliveries to be dropped at the reception at Consolata Hospital Wamba Nursing School.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Wamba Nursing School Kenya 2020/2021 Admission Application Form

SEPTEMBER 2020 INTAKE

We are recruiting students for September 2020 intake.

Wamba nursing training school is a catholic institution under the diocese of Maralal in Samburu county, Samburu East constituency. It trains Kenya Registered Community Health nurses diploma course. The school is licenced and fully recognised by the Kenyan government through the Nursing council of Kenya.

The school trains students from all over the country with a priority being given first to the local applicants from Samburu and Marsabit county.

The school has two intakes per year as regulated by the Nursing Council of Kenya. The intakes are in the month of March and August.

To have the best trainees with good nursing practice standards the class are limited to 22 students per class.

These ensures the students are trained holistically for the care of the community in all nursing aspects.

The minimum requirements are stipulated by the National Regulatory body i.e the NCK.

The required prerequisites are follows:

  • Mean grade C and above
  • Must have a C in Biology and one of the languages (English or Kiswahili)
  • Must have a C- in either of the following Chemistry, physics, Maths or Physical science.

The person must be above age 17 years’

The slots for males are limited so chance are mainly for the locals from Maralal, Marsabit and Isiolo diocese/Counties.

Only those who meet the above criteria and have applied are considered for interviews and admissions. Due to necessity and the distance of the school from major towns interviews are held as the applicants present themselves. March Classes Report every year in Mid – March while August classes report in Mid-August.

The school offers accommodation and provides meals to all students.

Students admitted are expected to carry themselves in a Christian manner and to follow the catholic doctrines.

The total number of students in every given time is approximately 160. The school gives a priority to Catholics but there are other denominations and a few Muslims too.

Those wishing to join the school can apply through the following address

To the Principal

Community Nurse Training school Wamba,

P.O. Box 49 – 20603

Wamba

Or send us an Email at: Info@wambanursingschool.co.ke

Follow this link to the school website to download the application form and see details on the application requirements. https://bit.ly/2ReHa9k

All vacancies must be awarded on first Come first Serve basis

Shalome School of Health and Business Studies Zambia 2021 Diploma in Nursing Form Application

Shalome school of health and business studies Registered by General nursing council of Zambia located in kitwe old ndeke is Enrolling for January intake 2021 in Registered nursing diploma 3years

Entry qualifications 5 o levels Application forms it’s 100k non refundable Bursaries on offer For more details contact 0761235892/0963516150

School of Nursing Form SONO Ogbomoso 2020/2021 Update

This is to announce to all applicants that the result of the

ENTRANCE EXAMINATION to the School, has been released. The interview for all the successful applicants holds from 22nd September, 2020 to 24th September, 2020.Thanks

RESULT IS OUT! LOGIN TO CHECK YOUR RESULT2020 SUPPLEMENTARY FORM IS ON SALE FROM NOW TILL 18th SEPTEMBER, 2020 https://sono.buth.edu.ng

ICN Urges All Governments To Sign WHO’s Health Worker Safety Charter And Tackle The Dangers Faced By Nurses

International Council of Nurses (ICN) welcomes World Health Organization’s Health Worker Safety Charter launched today on World Patient Safety Day, after ICN’s own survey released earlier this week showed the extent of the dangers nurses face at work.   ICN’s report, Protecting Nurses from COVID-19 a Top Priority, has revealed how governments have failed to protect nurses and confirmed that more than 1,000 have died after contracting the virus.  

The report contains the results of a world-wide survey which lays bare the severity and magnitude of the dangers nurses and other healthcare workers face in the line of duty.

ICN Chief Executive Office Howard Catton said:   “Our report confirmed the magnitude and the severity of the risks nurses and healthcare workers (HCWs) around the world are facing now. More than 1,000 nurses have died, millions are infected with the coronavirus, shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) still exist, staff are not routinely being tested and they are still subject to violence and discrimination.  

‘Governments around the world have been slow or failed to protect nurses and others from the effects of the pandemic, and that’s why we’re calling on all governments, right here, right now, to sign the WHO charter and act on it.”   ICN has long argued that the safety of nurses and other healthcare workers should be a priority for governments so that patient safety can be guaranteed. It worked with WHO to develop the charter – Mr Catton is a member of WHO’s Patient Safety Network – and made recommendations about what needs to be done.  

The Charter contains many of ICN’s recommendations, including on zero tolerance of violence and abuse, safe staffing levels, reducing work-related stress, improving work-life balance, having all the equipment needed to do the job safely, including PPE, and open communication in the workplace.  

ICN is firmly backing the Charter and will work with its National Nursing Associations to encourage all governments to sign up and identify those that do not.   “The world already has a severe shortage of nurses: it cannot afford to lose any more, especially not now at the height of a global pandemic.  

‘As our report shows, it is hugely important for healthcare worker safety to be centre stage in the design and delivery of healthcare services.  

‘The pandemic is far from over and while the applause has stopped, nurses and the patients they care for are still in the eye of this deadly storm. Governments must commit to putting the safety of their healthcare workers at the centre of how their health systems are organised and managed. Doing so will improve health outcomes for their people and increase safety and security for their staff, and it will save nurses’ lives.”  

The theme of today’s WHO Patient Safety Day is Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety.  

Mr Catton concluded, “Our report and the Charter recognise that health worker safety and patient safety are two sides of the same coin – you cannot have one without the other they are indivisible.”  

Source: ICN

ICN Report Shows Governments Are Failing To Prioritize Nurses As Number Of Confirmed COVID-19 Nurse Deaths Passes 1000

On the eve of the World Health Organization’s World Patient Safety Day which this year focuses on health workforce safety, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) launches its latest COVID-19 report.

The report which includes a survey of a number of ICN’s National Nurses Associations reveals the continuing and catastrophic increase in the number of deaths and infection rates of nurses due to COVID-19.

ICN calls on governments to address their collective failure to prioritize health workers across the board, including lack of data collection on infection rates and inadequate PPE, particularly in care homes, as well as inadequate testing and IPC training, plus extensive reports of violence and discrimination against nurses, and a lack of mental health support.  

The report finds that more than 1000 nurses have died in 44 countries where data was available, with health worker infection rates on average around 10% of total infections globally.

This suggests that with almost 30 million people infected with the virus, as many as three million may be health workers. The survey also reveals less than half of countries surveyed classify COVID-19 as an occupational disease, which has serious implications for compensation from illness to death.

ICN President Annette Kennedy said, “ICN’s latest survey is a disturbing snapshot of how nurses and other health workers are still being exposed to COVID-19 and all its associated risks, including violence and prejudice, mental illness, infection and in what we now believe to be possibly thousands of cases, making the ultimate sacrifice by paying with their lives.  

‘We talk about the new norm created by the pandemic, but it has also confirmed some long-understood truths in the nursing community, that nurses are undervalued, underpaid and sometimes treated as expendable. This is a scandalous situation which ICN urges governments to rectify.”  

ICN CEO Howard Catton said, “The report’s findings add to a growing list of failures by governments to act to protect nurses and other health workers during the pandemic.

By not collecting data on deaths and infections or recognising COVID-19 as an occupational disease, governments are effectively looking the other way. The consequence is that staff are left without equipment, training, testing, mental health or financial support. Make no mistake: by putting staff at risk governments are also putting patients at risk.

This ICN COVID-19 report coincides later this week with World Patient Safety Day which will shine further light on health workforce safety. The simple and undeniable truth is that health workforce safety and patient safety are two sides of the same coin, you cannot have one without the other.”  

Commenting on the breadth and depth of the psychological pressures nurses are facing highlighted by the survey, Mr. Catton said, “There is a huge hidden mental health risk to our nursing workforce submerged below the surface of the pandemic. ICN research indicates the real scale of the mental health legacy of COVID-19 will undoubtedly mean that sickness, absenteeism, burnout and nurses leaving the profession because of ill health will increase, making shortages even more severe and resulting in an unquantifiable loss of experience.”  

Source: ICN Press Release