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Are you interested in working as a nurse overseas? With the right qualifications, your passion for nursing could help you begin a new chapter in Australia, the US, or the UK.
In this guide, we’ll learn about what you’ll need to do to work as a registered nurse in each country, as well as what employment opportunities waiting for you abroad. Let’s explore:
Australia is a beautiful country to live, work, and study in. It boasts quality education, a relatively affordable cost of living, and breathtaking beaches. Even more, healthcare in the country is world-class. Back in 2017, researchers at the Commonwealth Fund based in New York ranked Australia’s healthcare system as the second-best among developed countries – beating places like Canada, Norway, and New Zealand.
For this reason, the requirements for a registered nurse in Australia are quite strict. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) oversee the registration of internationally qualified nurses and midwives in the country.
There is a lengthy list of things you’ll have to do before being able to register as a nurse and emigrate to Australia. Both NMBA and AHPRA will review whether you meet the edibility requirements.
When you first apply to register the NMBA will investigate:
How proficient you are in English
How recently you practiced nursing
Your professional indemnity insurance arrangements
If you have a criminal record
Additionally, they will review your qualifications to see if they line up with those of Australian nurses. You’ll then have to write an exam. If successful, you’ll then be able to register as a nurse or midwife.
After this, you can apply to immigrate to Australia. ANMAC reviews whether you have the experience needed to apply to migrate under the Australian Government’s General Skilled Migration Program. For official information on how to register as a nurse or midwife in Australia, visit NMBA’s website.
At the current rate, Australia will have a shortage of 109,000 nurses by 2025 – meaning there could plenty of opportunities for nurses from abroad. To find a position, Nursing Jobs Australia is a great website to visit. You can also search for jobs on employment sites like Indeed or Seek.
To learn more about what it’s like to be a nurse in Australia, visit the government website Job Outlook. It offers advice, explores sought-after skills, and outlines job prospects across the country.
Did you know that in the UK 94% of nursing students get a job within six months of graduation? Nursing in the UK is an incredibly sought-after skill, making it a wonderful place to work for international nurses, as well.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) oversees registering nurses in the UK. On their website, they offer a personalized tool that helps you discover exactly what you’ll need to register – and if you’re eligible.
To apply, you’ll have to:
Complete an eligibility and qualification application, where you’ll need to include a copy of your nursing certificate.
Take the Test of Competence. There are two parts to the test: the CBT and OSCE. The CBT is a computer-based multiple-choice exam, while the OSCE is a practical test that assesses your skills in a clinical setting.
Complete a registration application, where you’ll have to supply information about things like your health, character (including a police certificate), and English-language proficiency.
It takes about 30 days to hear if you’ve been successful.
To work in the UK, you can apply for a Health and Care Worker visa. This allows you to work with the NHS, which is the UK’s publicly funded healthcare system. You can also apply for a Skilled Worker visa. Nursing is on the UK’s Shortage Occupation List, which gives you an advantage when applying.
There has long been a nurse shortage in the UK; in fact, about 15% of nurses in the UK are trained abroad. A great website to check out for jobs is nurses.co.uk. You can begin to look for work on popular UK employment websites like Reed or Jobsite.
There are more than 3.8 million registered nurses working in the US; in fact, nurses make up the biggest part of the country’s healthcare workforce. So, how can international nurses get their qualifications recognized?
In the US, each state has its own Board of Nursing, so it’s a smart idea to choose where in the country you want to work before applying. Not each state follows the same process, but many of the requirements are similar. To register as a nurse, you’ll likely have to:
Get your credentials reviewed by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), which is a non-profit that evaluates people’s healthcare qualifications to ensure they are in line with US standards.
Write an English-language proficiency test
Take the CGFNS’ Qualifying Exam, which assesses your theoretical nursing knowledge. Some states require this test to sit your final exam.
Sit the final NCLEX-RN exam, which is run by The National Council of State Boards of Nursing
Apply for licensure with your state board.
The US government estimates there will be more than 200,000 registered nursing positions created each year between 2016-2016. To find work, we recommend searching through websites like NurseRecruiter and Nurse.com. Once you have a job offer, your employer can sponsor you for an occupational visa (such as an H-1B visa).
Being a qualified nurse makes you highly employable. And while registering as a nurse can be a multi-step process, it’s a fantastic opportunity to start a new chapter of your life abroad.
Our English language proficiency test, PTE Academic, is fast, fair, and accepted by governments around the world for immigration purposes. Learn more about PTE academic today!
We are not immigration agents. For all up-to-date information about visa rules and regulations, see the official guidelines on the Australian, UK, and US government websites.
PTE Academic is completed on a computer, including the speaking part of the test.
So make sure you are prepared by familiarizing yourself with the equipment you will use during your test. Reading these test tips and you will be fully prepared.
There are many ways you can improve your chances of gaining points in Part 2: Reading during PTE Academic.
To improve your reading skills, practice increasing your reading speed and comprehension at the same time. In turn, you will improve your writing, grammar and vocabulary skills.
To do well in this part of the test, you need to be able to read quickly, using effective reading strategies, as there is a limited time to answer all questions.
Speed reading tasks will help improve your reading speed. Practice speed reading every day and:
Aim to be reading at least 220 words per minute
Reading short articles of around 300 words
Read often for short periods of time
You can also try this as a challenge with your friends to help keep motivated. Once you are happy with your comprehension and speed, focus on chunks (groups of words) rather than individual words.
When your reading skills reach a level you are happy with, you will feel more confident to answer the questions.
In the Multiple-Choice, Single Answer question type, some test takers make the mistake of scan reading and matching the words in the text to the words in the answer. Generally, the words in the text are not used in the correct answer, therefore it is important to learn how to use synonyms and paraphrasing as it will be used in the test.
Learn how to improve your grammar in our Reading: Core Skills part 1 article.
In this question type, you will need more time than in the Multiple-Choice, Choose Single Answer question type, as you need to intensively read the stem (the part before the options) as well as the options, then scan read the text on the screen until you find the part of the text that contains information that was in the stem.
Read the options very carefully and match the meaning of the option with the text. Do not match the words – this is something test takers may make errors with.
You should also make sure not to choose all the options since you lose one point for each incorrect choice. However, you cannot score below zero.
To do well in the Re-order Paragraphs questions, you will need to have a strong understanding of cohesive devices and how they work. You will also need to understand how articles work, as well as the logical and chronological order of information.
In this question type, skim-read the text to get the ideas of the topic of the text. From there, you should read all the sentences carefully.
For both Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question types, you will need to understand a range of vocabulary, collocations, grammar, pronouns, and cohesive devices, as well as being able to identify when plural nouns are needed.
You will also need to be able to skim read to get an idea of the meaning of the text, then read intensively before and after each blank. If unsure, you should guess based on the context.
Make sure you do not leave any spaces blank. You do not need to correctly fill in all spaces to get points.
To go back and review the question types within the reading test, we suggest learning more about the reading questions.
Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
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Do you have your heart set on studying in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? The UK is a wonderful place to live and learn, but you’ll most likely need to get a UK study visa before you start packing your bags.
This comprehensive guide covers who needs a UK student visa, the requirements for getting one, how to apply, how much it costs, and how long it takes.
If you’re an international student hoping to study in the UK, you’ll most likely need a student visa. The only exceptions are nationals of Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), who don’t need a visa to enter the UK. *
* Please note: The outcome of Brexit may alter this after 2020. Check the UK government’s website for up-to-date information about this.
There are several UK study visa requirements you’ll need to meet to successfully apply. These include:
You’ve been offered a place in a full-time course from an eligible university (i.e. the school must be a licensed Student route visa*Tier 4 sponsors)
You can understand English (both written and spoken)
You have enough funds to support yourself and any dependants, while also paying for the course.
These requirements apply to students from all over the world. This means the UK student visa requirements for Indian students and American students are exactly the same for Chinese students and Australian students (and so on).
