How to be a Registered Nurse in UK?

I came from the Philippines and I know that the country is overflowing with registered nurses. They call them here in the UK as qualified or trained nurses. It is not a secret that the reason for this is that there is a big opportunity for the experienced registered nurse in the Philippines to work abroad i.e. find greener pastures to send quids back home. There is quite a number of countries to select from: US, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Middle eastern countries like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and one of the most popular is the United Kingdom.

England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are collectively known as the United Kingdom. Where Great Britain Sterling or GB pounds is the currency. That is how I differentiate it from the other European countries anyway. So if you would like to be a nurse in any one of those countries and you trained in the Philippines or other countries outside UK and EU here are the steps based from my own experience. It is first hand experience so it is most believable and understandable than most of the posts or articles you will see elsewhere. Ehem!

First make sure that you meet the requirements. The requirements are quite simple: You have a degree/diploma in nursing, registered/licensed in your own country and in good standing, have at least 1 year experience in your own country, good health, and good moral character.

Passed them all? Here’s what you have to do next. Pass an English proficiency exam, I prefer the International English Language Testing System or IELTS and get no less than 7 in all 4 components: Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. Well, if you are like me where English is not a problem most likely you will find writing as the hardest to pass. Others find reading the hardest. It all depends. How to take IELTS? Go to their website, google it. In the Philippines you’ll pay around Php8600 for the exam.

Now that you have passed the IELTS, send an application to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK, it regulates nursing and midwifery in UK (obviously). Go to their website nmc-uk.org, download the 1-page application form, fill it up and don’t forget to sign and date, scan it together with your IELTS test result and send it to them via email. You will receive an auto-reply email. In a few days time NMC will send you Pack 1.

Pack 1: This pack is quite simple to accomplish. Oh bugger, my memory is failing me. If I am not mistaken. You just have to send authenticated copies of your passport, birth certificate and registration certificate and pay the GBP 117 by bank draft or by credit card through international phone call. Send the forms by post.

Pack 2: Once NMC have received pack1 back and the payment, you will receive pack 2, which is a bit tricky to accomplish. One of the forms needs to be accomplished by your college or university, one by the registration authority in your country, two by two senior nurses where you have worked or volunteered, don’t forget their stamp/dry seal, including your elementary and high school certificates, birth certificate, passport again, license, all authenticated, you also need a doctor to sign the declaration of good health. This stage is what usually is taking up most of the time. My advice, take care of all the docs needed even before you received the Pack and make no mistake because they will return the pack to you and that will make the process even longer.

Pack3: Decision Letter. What it really says in the heading is Assessment of Application for Qualification: RN1 and not Decision Letter. But that is what it is called. It will basically tell you that you that have to successfully complete the Overseas Nurses Programme which includes 20 days protected learning and a period of supervised training which usually takes around 3-6 months depending on how long it takes for you to adapt, but really it depends on how efficient your university is and where you had your placement. Upon successful completion you will receive your license/PIN (I bet that would be a minimum of 6 months based on my experience).

The Overseas Nurses Programme or ONP. You might have heard about it by now. I know many are confused as to what it really is. You might think you will have to go back to school days when you undergo ONP. Well, sort of. You will feel like it is more of a training or a seminar with different topics every meeting. And while you are attending this probably twice or thrice a week you are also working in the hospital/NHS (National Health Service) or nursing home, twice or thrice a week for your supervised practice whenever you don’t have study days. Add both to total 37.5 hours per week. You get paid for attending study days and placement in hospital/care homes.

Important question: What kind of visa or entry clearance do you need to take ONP in UK? Answer: Tier 2 work visa, meaning you must have an employer already who has sponsored you for work and most of the time they will pay for the tuition, and everything. Or I have heard of the Modernized Guidance Visa Category which is quite confusing and I don’t know how it works, you might want to research it. Or under a student visa top up with another full-time Bsc or Msc course here in UK —> expensive!

After you have completed the 20 days protected learning simultaneous with the supervised practice which what usually takes a long time maybe after six months, your university will send all the requirements in your behalf to NMC which includes marked and passed essay and Practice Assessment Document which you have to complete with your appointed mentor in the hospital (sorta like skills cheklist). You need to be signed-off by your mentor.

You will then receive a letter from NMC the Application for Registered Entry Level Qualification code: RN1. Believe me this will be a happy moment for you. Included is the Registration declaration form, fill it up, sign and mail it. Pay the registration fee online or by phone or by cheque. In a few days time you will be able to search your name in the Register online. In a week or so you will receive your PIN card by post. And that’s your happy journey to being a Registered Nurse in the UK.

UPDATE: The NMC has introduced new way of being registered as a nurse in the UK. This post is not updated. From November 2014, overseas nurses must now pass CBT (Computer Based Test) and OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) to be registered in the UK. Check link: nhsemployers