What makes someone a hero? Is it the power of flight or invisibility or perhaps super strength or super speed?
At SLC we don’t believe that it is any of the above. We know first-hand that real heroes are those healthcare professionals working tirelessly here in the UK and around the world to care for patients, their families and friends. This has always been the case but is true more than ever today as global healthcare struggles to deal with the enormous pressures of Covid-19.
So, we're delighted that the wonderful team at OET have joined with SLC to offer support to one of these heroes, Femi, a Nigerian-born nurse who is seeking to register with the NMC and work as a nurse here in the UK.
To register in the UK, Femi needs to demonstrate that his English is good enough to deliver safe and effective care. The best way to do this is by achieving a Grade B in the OET Nursing exam.
If you are interested in more detail on the full language requirements to register to work as a nurse in the UK you can find full details here:
Femi will receive a bursary provided jointly by SLC and OET that allows him to study at no cost on an intensive OET training programme and then take the exam, also at no cost. You can keep up-to-date with Femi’s journey by tuning in to our YouTube Channel and following updates on social media.
Femi will be taught by one of SLC’s expert trainers, Alexia and supported by “OET Jo” who you may know from SLC's popular YouTube OET Preparation series. You can see a video of Femi meeting Jo and Alexia for the first time here:
We are thrilled to be working with Femi and excited to follow his hero’s journey. The level of English required is very high and will require a lot of dedication. However, after meeting Femi, I’m certain that he is going to be successful and can’t wait until Femi is able to fulfil his dream of working here in the UK in the NHS.
If Femi is our hero, who is the villain of the piece? In my mind that would have to be the continuing shortage of nurses in the UK which currently stands at close to a staggering 40,000. In fact, a recent report says the government will need to exceed its target of 50,000 new nurses in England by 2024/25 if it wants the NHS to fully recover from the pandemic. With only a small percentage of nursing roles being filled by UK graduates, international recruitment and English language tests like OET remain a vital part of our national strategy.
As the UK’s leading provider of OET training and OET materials, we know what it takes to help any would-be hero achieve the language levels they need to register to work as nurse or a doctor in the UK.
If you are an employer or a recruiter of nursing and medical professionals feel free to write to me at peter@specialistlanguagecourses.com to find out more about how SLC can support your candidates to pass their OET test.