The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has introduced additional supporting information called SIFE, which applicants can provide as evidence that they meet the NMC's English language requirements.
SIFE can be used by applicants who have worked for 12 months in non-registered practice in a health and social care setting in the UK and either trained in English but in a country where English is not the majority spoken language, or missed the required score by 0.5 (IELTS) or half a grade (OET) on one of the four language domains. SIFE can only be used as supplementary evidence by those who trained and qualified in a country where English is not a majority spoken language.
The SIFE form can evidence listening and speaking competence, while a transcript from the educational institution that delivered the training is required as evidence of writing and reading competence. Applicants who narrowly missed out on the required test score by 0.5 (IELTS) or half a grade (OET) in one of the four language domains and who have exhausted test combining options will be able to use SIFE as additional evidence to support their application from summer 2023.
You can find an extensive list of FAQs regarding the use of the SIFE route on the NMC website here.
If you are an employer within the NHS or Private Healthcare and require advice on collation of supporting information for one of your candidates eligible to register with the NMC using the SIFE route please contact enquiries@specialistlanguagecourses.com
