How to become a UK Registered Nurse from Overseas

Many nurses are still dreaming of working in UK as a registered nurse in United Kingdom. This article will will show light about the whole procedure of applying and becoming a registered nurse in United Kingdom for an overseas nurse
How can an Overseas Nurse become a Registered Nurse in UK?

Nurses and Midwifery Council United Kingom or NMC UK is the supreme authority for overseas nurses to register and work in UK as registered nurses. You can become a Mental Health Nurse, Adult General Nurse, Midwife, Children’s nurse or a Learning Disability nurse depending on qualification and experience you posess. We will discuss the procedure of NMC registration under the following headings,

For registration with NMC, overseas nurses has to sit for an english test as a language requirement. This English language test can be an Academic IELTS or UKVI Academic IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET). IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. IELTS is run by British Council or through IDP Education.

After getting a 7.0 score in Listening, Reading & speaking as well as a 6.5 score in writing, nurses can start their NMC Registration process as an overseas nurse. This can be achieved in two sittings (clubbing of IELTS Scores) with none of the scores less than 6.5 in Reading, Speaking & Listening (6.0 for writing). You need to have B level in Writing, Reading, Speaking and Listening of OET Test. You can club your OET scores from two sittings of which none of the module is less than a C+ in any of the sitting.

We will advise you to take a UKVI Academic IELTS (UK Visa & Immigration) first, before attempting your IELTS Academic or OET. Its because you need to have a UKVI IELTS Score of minimum 4.0 in Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking for immigration purposes in your later stage of application. If you get the required score of 7.0 in Reading, Listening & Speaking and 6.5 in Writing in your UKVI Academic IELTS, there is no need to write UKVI IELTS in the later stages. So its better to sit for UKVI Academic IELTS first before attempting an Academic IELTS or OET prior starting your NMC application. After achieving desired scores in your English Language Test, you need to start your application with NMC UK at the NMC website as an overseas nurse.

Computer Based Test or CBT (NMC Test of Competence Part – 1)

Next step is booking your CBT (Computer Based Test) as Test of Competence Part 1, in any of the recognized Pearson Vue Centers across the world. NMC has now removed the limitations for appearing for CBT exams which means you can write the exam continuously till you passes. Previously there was limitation for this and more over, they have simplified CBT exam recently.

The NMC Verification Phase and Decision Letter

After passing this test (CBT), you need to pay around 130 BP and send verification in prescribed format from the nursing council in which you have registered as well as from institution in which you have completed your Nursing Course. In due course after submission of application, you will get a decision letter from the NMC within a period of 30 – 40 working days.

Certificate of Sponsorship or COS and UK arrival

When you gets the decision letter from NMC, you will be eligible to attempt the Test of Competence Part 2 or Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) after arriving in UK. For this you need a sponsorship from any of the NHS Trusts. They will provide you a minimum of three months accomodation and required Certificate of Sponsorship (COS). Agencies like CPL Recruiters, KCR Recruiters etc will pay for your visa costs and flight tickets. Some agencies will make you pay for this initially, but you will get your full reimbursement upon arrival in United Kingdom. Total Costs for Visa and Flight Tickets will come around 1.5 – 2 lakhs INR (1000 – 1500 BP). On arrival at UK, you will be given OSCE Training from the NHS Trust which has sponsored you. You will be arriving with a designation of Senior Health Care Assisstant or Senior Clinical Support Worker (CSW). You will have to work on supernumery shifts (8 hours) for some days. You will be paid a remuneration of around 1 – 1.25 Lakh/Month (1100 – 1200 BP). NHS Trust will book for your OSCE Exam (75000 INR or 796 BP).

Objective Structured Clinical Examination – OSCE (NMC Test of Competence Part 2)

You will have to produce all original documents including Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), Degree Certificate and Registration Certificate which you had submitted for NMC Application after your OSCE exam at the OSCE Center. OSCE can be attempted at any of the three designated universities in UK. They are University of Northampton, Oxford Brookes University or Ulster University. Exam duration is around 1.5 hours. If you pass, you will get the result of the exam within 3 days after the exam. Then you need to pay 14000 INR (152 BP) for registration and once you pays your fee, you will receive your NMC PIN Number within 2 hours. In case you fail your OSCE in first attempt, you can resit for the part of the exam you failed or the entire exam. For partial resit cost is 396 BP and for total resit fees is 796 BP. You can have a maximum 3 attempts to pass OSCE, after which you need to restart your entire NMC application.

About NMC PIN Number

NMC PIN Number will enable you to work as a registered nurse anywhere in UK. You must also know that you need to renew your registration every year after paying an amount equivalent to 120BP. You also need to revalidate your registration at the end of three years. For support from unions like RCN (Royal College of Nursing) you need to pay around 16BP monthly (Annually – 196 BP).

Salary of a UK Registered Nurse after getting your NMC PIN

Once you got your NMC PIN Number, the trust which have hired you will change your pay scale from Band 3 to Band 5 which has an annual salary of 23023 BP/year (Around 22.5 Lakhs INR/annum). This salary is excluding your extra night perks and holiday perks. You will get one and half extra salary when you are doing night duties, weekend duties as well as holiday duties. You can also earn more by working as bank staff as well as doing agency duties.

Note:-

NMC has removed the experience requirement for overseas nurses, so freshers as well as old pass outs can apply now. If you have any gap of more than a year in your career, you should be able to answer any queries that can arise during your NMC Application Process (Normally doesn’t occur).

Since NMC has removed experience requirement, you need to produce only your current nursing registration verification and certificate. There is no need to worry about the previous registrations.

Also, since NMC has removed experience requirement, there is no need for overseas nurses to provide verification from the institutes or hospitals in which they have made their experience.

Conclusion

This article is just to introduce you the journey of an overseas nurse to become registered in United Kingdom.

Hopes this articles throws light into pathway of becoming a registered nurse in UK for those who are dreaming a career in Great Britain.

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