As the Deputy will be aware, all nurses and midwives who practice in Ireland must be registered on the Register of Nurses and Midwives, maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). The NMBI are the independent, statutory body which sets the standards for the education of nurses and midwives in Ireland and have a legislated function to protect the public.
In completing this function, rigorous evaluation of information and thorough regulatory checks are required when processing applications from those who want to register to practice in Ireland.
To register to become a nurse or midwife, all applicants need to complete a two-stage process:
1. Recognition of Qualifications
2. Registration.
In the first stage, Recognition of Qualifications, an NMBI Education Assessor will assess evidence of the applicant’s education, qualifications, and credentials against the NMBI standards and requirements to practice in Ireland. Once the application has been assessed, a Decision Letter will issue from the NMBI.
Where the NMBI identifies a deficit between the applicant’s education, qualifications and credentials against the NMBI’s standards and requirements, the Decision Letter will inform the applicant that there is a requirement to complete a ‘compensation measure’. These compensation measures are either a paid period of adaptation placement or an aptitude test; these are mechanisms which allow an applicant to demonstrate their competency. Once the applicant has successfully completed the compensation measure, the recognition process is complete, and they can apply for registration.
As part of the registration process, all registration applicants must demonstrate to the NMBI that they have the necessary proficiency in English to communicate effectively and safely in their practice. The NMBI provides three routes for applicants to demonstrate their English language competency:
Pathway 1: Educated through English in an NMBI-recognised country; or educated through English in an EU country where English is a listed official language
Pathway 2: Registered and Practised in English in an NMBI-recognised country - for three years post registration practice within the last five years
Pathway 3: Completion of an English language test approved by the NMBI.
For many overseas educated applicants, this means taking an English language test and submitting a certificate of test results. The NMBI accepts both the International English Language Test System (IELTS) and Occupational English Test (OET) as verified test providers. IELTS and OET are valid for two years across all Irish regulators and Canadian, Australian, American, New Zealand and UK regulators. This is also the standard validation period across immigration services internationally.
These language tests are carried out by independent third parties, internationally recognised for providing rigorous and evidence-based professional or occupational English testing, specifically for healthcare professionals. Tests can be taken in Ireland, or nearly all other countries.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the United Kingdom and the NMBI have very similar English qualification standards. The NMC will accept an IELTS score with a minimum of 7.0 for reading, listening, and speaking, and at least 6.5 for writing. This compares to the NMBI, which will accept an overall score of 7.0 with a minimum of 7.0 in any three components. The NMC will also accept the OET (Nursing) test result that confirms an applicant achieved at least grade B (350 or above) for reading, listening, and speaking, and at least grade C+ (300 or above) for writing. My Department have confirmed with the NMBI that these are the same scores accepted by the regulator for the professions in Ireland. Furthermore, the approach accepted by the NMBI is not prescriptive, in relation to scoring across the components to allow for flexibility for candidates. The NMBI does not impose a limit to the number of times an applicant can sit the IELTS or OET.
The NMC may accept supplementary evidence of clinical competence in English from an applicants’ current employer in the United Kingdom if an applicant has taken IELTS or OET at least twice and missed the required scores in any one of the domains by no more than 0.5 (half a grade). The NMC have specific criteria around the use of supplementary evidence of clinical competence in English; it is not standalone evidence, and they are not seeking to expand this at the moment.
I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution that overseas healthcare service employees provide. I am hugely committed to supporting the nursing
and midwifery
workforce and
ensuring a stable and sustainable nursing and midwifery workforce is a priority for me. Along with the NMBI, as the regulator for the professions of nursing and midwifery, I welcome registration applications from those that were educated overseas. My Department are continuing to engage with the NMBI in this regard.
