Get Registered as an RN in the UK
With one of the most progressive healthcare systems in the world, the UK offers excellent training and career opportunities to nurses. As an RN in the UK, you can choose to work with private health care providers or the NHS Trust hospitals. Qualified nurses can draw a salary that ranges from £22,000 to £35,000 annually, with the median salary being £23,000. Along with bonuses and other compensation, an RN with less than 20 years of experience could earn up to £34,105 annually. If you have more than 20 years of experience, you can expect to make an additional 15% over these figures.
Under the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) rules, nurses will need to apply for a Tier 2 (General) Visa to be eligible to work in the UK. They must pass either the IELTS or the OET English Language tests as part of their UK registration application. As compared to other countries, the processing charges are minimal and most employers will refund the charges after starting work in UK.
Process Flow Chart
What are the eligibility criteria?
If you are a nurse aspiring to work in the UK, you should commence the process by registering with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). In order to do so, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
GNM/ BSc/ Post BSc/ MSc in nursing
Minimum 1 year as a Registered Nurses in the last five years
- An IELTS score of overall and individual 7 (no band less than 6.5) A 6.5 score in the Writing section of the test is acceptable alongside a 7.0 score in each of the Reading, Listening and Speaking sections of the test.
- OET B, C+ accepted from 28th Jan 2020 ,with retrospective effect, subject to 2 years
NMC Application Process – All you need to Know
To work as an RN in the UK, you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Since October 2014, for all nurses trained outside the UK, a 2-part application process is the only route to registration with the NMC.
Part one – You have to be successful in a computer based multiple-choice examination which is accessible in many countries around the world. In Kerala, this test is available in Kochi. The fee for this test is £130.
Part two – You must pass a practical objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) which will be held in the UK. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is designed to assess your ability to competently apply your professional nursing or midwifery skills and knowledge in the UK. It is set at the level expected of nurses and midwives as they enter the profession (at the point of registration). The fee for this test is £995* .
*Most employers refund the test fees on starting employment.
These are the steps you must follow to gain a UK NMC registration:
- Attend an employer interview and receive offer letter
- Get the required IELTS scores
- Register online with NMC
- Pass the CBT
- Send application and documents to NMC. You have to pay the application fees of £140.
- Get a positive Assessment from NMC
- Get Employer sponsored Work Visa
- Start working in a hospital/ nursing home as a Health Care Assistant and simultaneously prepare for the OSCE.
- Pass the OSCE.
- On passing, you will get PIN number from NMC
Once you have gained successful registration as an RN, your dependents can also travel to UK on a dependent visa.
MWT @ Your Service
MWT Education Consultancy has been helping thousands of nurses to realize their dream of working in UK. Following are the guidance and services we offer to all our candidates:
- IELTS/ OET/ CBT/ OSCE training
- FREE Placement to UK
- Documentation Assistance
- Application filing assistance
- Follow up with Nursing Board
Detailed information on how to apply for registration as a nurse or midwife
The first step is to confirm whether you meet all the general and specific eligibility requirements. Once you are sure of this, you may begin your application online.
Documents Required
- Application Fee
- Passport
- Name change Document
- Qualification Certificates
- Experience Certificates
- Language Certificate
- Registration Certificate
The application process
Self-eligibility
This is the first stage of the application process.
You will need to complete an online self-assessment, which will confirm if you are eligible to apply. As part of this, you will be asked to confirm that you meet all health requirements, are of good character and meet the English language requirements. You must confirm that you can provide us with supporting documents as evidence later in the application process.
In the event that you are unable to provide any supporting evidence later on, you application will not be processed and any costs that you have incurred will not be refunded.
Test of competence part one: the computer-based test (CBT)
Once you have passed the eligibility stage, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) requires you to pass a Test of Competence. The Part 1 exam is a computer-based test (CBT) comprising 120 Multiple Choice Questions to be answered within 4 hours. This is a test of theoretical practice-based knowledge. Passing this CBT is mandatory for nurses trained outside the EU (European Union) and European Economic Area, who are currently seeking employment as a nurse in the UK.
You can attempt the CBT three times as part of one application, with a minimum of ten days in between each sitting. You will need to pass the CBT within six months of completing your eligibility. If you have not completed the CBT within six months of completing eligibility, it will expire and you will need to complete the online self-assessment again.
In case you are unsuccessful even on your third attempt, the application will close and you will need to wait six months in order to restart the application process.
Application Assessment
On passing the CBT, you will be asked to provide your supporting documents for your application.
Copies of these documents must be uploaded:
- Current valid passport
- Birth certificate
- Formal qualification certificates for each qualification that you are submitting as part of your application.
- Registration certificates from each country where you have practised and/or been registered. If the country offers state level registration, then you need to have registered in each state where you’ve practised.
- A full, national police clearance certificate for every overseas country lived in or visited for more than three months, since the age of 18. You must submit these within three months of the date of issue.
- If you have lived in the UK for more than three months, you need to provide a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate. You will need to submit this within three months of the date of issue.
You will also need to download and print the following forms from your online portal and have them completed:
- A registration verification from each country where you have practised or where you have been previously registered. Again, if the country operates state level registration, you need to have been registered and provide verification forms from each state practiced in. These forms need to be completed by the relevant authority and must be received within three months of the date it was signed.
- . A completed form to accompany transcript of training (FATT) form and full transcript of your training for all relevant nursing or midwifery qualifications that you are submitting as part of your application. These forms need to be completed by the education provider.
- A good health declaration from your general practitioner or the occupational health department at place of work. They’ll be asked to confirm that they’ve seen you within the last six months of the date they’re completing the form and the form must be received within three months of the date it’s been completed. The individual completing your good health declaration must not be a member of your family or your direct employer.
All of the relevant forms required are available to download from your online portal once you reach the assessment stage, but not before.
You must send the relevant forms to the correct authorities to be completed and they must be posted back to the NMC. Kindly ensure that you send the original forms that the referee or relevant authority has completed; please don’t send photocopies or scans, as these won’t be accepted.
All forms must be completed in full and be signed, stamped and dated.
Once the NMC has received all the necessary documents, your application will be assessed by a member of the International Registrations Team. They will aim to assess applications within 60 calendar days of receiving all your supporting evidence.
In case the NMC needs to ask you for more information following our assessment, they will assign a case officer, who will be the point of contact going forwards.
Once the NMC has confirmed that you meet their registration requirements, your application will be progressed to the next stage, which is the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).
Test of competence part two: the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)
The OSCE can only be completed in the UK and will assess your clinical knowledge. The test will be administered by an approved university test centre who will administer their own test fee in agreement with the NMC. You must contact the university directly to book and pay for the test.
The OSCE simulates a clinical environment and patient scenarios which all registered nurses and midwives are likely to encounter when they assess, plan, implement and evaluate care. The OSCE contains nursing or midwifery scenarios along with separate skill stations. Each separate clinical examination is known a ‘station’ and circulates through all the stations within a set timeframe.
Each of the six stations has standardised marking criteria against which everyone is assessed. Everyone is assessed by a panel of examiners and will be filmed for quality assurance purposes.
Both the CBT and OSCE are based on current UK pre-registration standards.
You will have three attempts at the OSCE as part of one application, with a minimum of ten days in between each sitting.
If you are still unsuccessful on your third attempt, your application will close. You will need to submit a new application but will not be able to sit the OSCE again for a minimum of six months.
ID check
A face-to-face ID check will take place at the OSCE location on the same day as your OSCE exam. You must bring all of the original documents that you uploaded as part of your application. This includes your passport, registration certificates, police clearances and UK DBS. There will be a checklist on the back of the OSCE letter, which is downloadable from the portal.
If for any reason you don’t have all of original documents on the day, you will still be able to sit for the OSCE exam. However, you will be asked to book in an appointment, either at the NMC office in London or at one of the OSCE locations, to complete an ID check. If this is the case, you will not be able to progress to the last stage of the registration process until you have attended the follow up ID check.
Registration
Once the NMC has received notification that you have successfully completed the OSCE and the ID check, you will be asked to complete the final declaration and make the registration payment via portal. Once both these processes have been completed, you will be sent your registration number (Pin).
Congratulations! You are now a UK registered nurse!