English Language Skills- Nursing in Australia
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (Board) requires all applicants for initial registration to demonstrate English language skills to be suitable for registration. This registration standard sets out how an applicant for registration can demonstrate to the Board that their competency in speaking and communicating in English is sufficient to practise nursing and/or midwifery.
What must I do?
If you are applying for initial registration you must demonstrate your English language competency in one of the following ways:
1. English is your primary language and:
a. you have attended and satisfactorily completed at least six years of primary and secondary education taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, including at least two years between years 7 and 12, and
b. your tertiary qualification in the relevant professional discipline, which you are relying on to support your eligibility for registration under the National Law was taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country and:
i.in the case of a registered nurse and/ or midwife, you must provide evidence of having successfully completed at least a two (2) years full-time equivalent pre-registration program of study approved by the recognised nursing and/or midwifery regulatory body in a recognised country.
OR
2.Registered nurses and midwives
If you are applying for registration as a registered nurse and/or midwife, you must provide evidence that you have successfully completed at least five (5) years (full-time equivalent) continuous education taught and assessed solely in English, in a recognised country, which includes tertiary qualifications in the relevant professional discipline which you are relying on to support your eligibility for registration under the National Law
The Board will only accept the successful completion of five (5) years (full-time equivalent) continuous education that is a combination of:
a) tertiary and secondary education taught and assessed in English; or
b)tertiary and vocational education taught and assessed in English; or
c)combined tertiary, secondary and vocational education taught and assessed in English; or
d)tertiary education taught and assessed in English
The last period of education must have been completed no more than five years prior to applying for registration.
OR
You achieve the required minimum scores in one of the following English language tests and meet the requirements for test results specified in this standard:
IELTS
IELTS (academic module) with a minimum overall score of 7 and a minimum score of 7 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
OET
A minimum score of B in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
PTE Academic
A minimum overall score of 65 and a minimum score of 65 in each of the four communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
TOEFL iBT
A minimum total score of 94 and the following minimum score in each section of the test:
o24 for listening, 24 for reading,27 for writing, and23 for speaking.
Test results
The following requirements apply to the English language test results:
1.Test results will be accepted if they were obtained:
1.1within the two years before the date you lodge your application for registration
OR
1.2 more than two years before the date you lodge your application for registration if, in the period since the test results were obtained, you:
a. have been in continuous employment as a registered health practitioner in the nursing and/or midwifery profession (which commenced within 12 months of the date of the test) in one of the recognised countries where English was the primary language of practice, and
b. lodge your application for registration within 12 months of finishing your last period of employment
OR
1.3 more than two years before the date you lodge your application for registration if, in the period since the test result was obtained, you:
a. have been continuously enrolled in a Board approved program of study, which commenced within 12 months of the date of the test result and undertook subjects in each semester, with no break from study apart from the education provider's scheduled holidays, and
b. lodge your application for registration within 12 months of completing the Board approved program of study.
2. For the purposes of calculating time, if an applicant relies on test results from two sittings, time begins to run from the date