To qualify for nursing practice in UK all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses must register with the NMC, and renew their registration every three years. The NMC or the Nursing and Midwifery Council is the regulatory body in UK who:
- Registers all nurses and midwives and ensure that they are properly qualified and competent to practice nursing in UK.
- Sets the standards of education, training and conduct that nurses and midwives need, to deliver high quality healthcare consistently throughout their careers.
- Ensures that nurses and midwives keep their skills and knowledge up to date and uphold the standards of their professional Code.
- Ensures that midwives are safe to practise by setting rules for their practice and supervision.
- Investigates allegations made against nurses and midwives who may not have followed the Code.
If you are a registered nurse who acquired a nursing degree outside of the European Economic Area or EEA, who wish to apply for nursing practice in UK, you must successfully complete the Overseas Nursing Program or the ONP. The ONP is the standard training set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for all those who want to apply for nursing practice in UK but earned a degree in nursing or trained outside the EU. The program consists of compulsory 20 day protected learning and supervised practice. This includes health and safety issues, UK law, drugs administration, record keeping, and the NMC code of conduct.
All nursing professional who are trained outside the European Economic Area or EEA but want to apply for nursing practice in UK, must also pass the International English Language Test or the IELTS. The scores listed below must be met or surpassed by the nursing applicant in order to be allowed to practice nursing in UK:
1. 7.0 in the listening and reading sections
2. 7.0 in the writing and speaking section
3. overall average score of 7 (out of a possible 9)
All applicants for nursing practice in UK are assessed based on their individual capacity while taking into consideration their acquired nurse training. For the nursing practice in UK registration, the NMC charges a fee of £140 for application processing. After registration, the applicant for nursing practice in UK will receive a card that shows their Personal Identification Number.
Only applicants for nursing practice in UK who have first level qualification are accepted by the NMC. Those who only possess second level nursing qualifications are not accepted. These second level qualifications includes licensed practical nurses, nurses who only attended a basic nursing program, staff nurses in South Africa, state certified nurses, community nurses, nursery nurses, vocational nurses in the US, and mother craft nurses.
For nurses who are already in the UK but are trained overseas, the best way to upgrade their nursing qualifications to European first level nurse criteria is to attend a school of nursing based at a university that is accredited by the NMC. For a list of all the accredited Educational Institutions by the NMC, click HERE.
For more detailed information on how to qualify for nursing practice in UK, you may log on to their website at www.nmc-uk.org