NMC opens its fifth centre, augmenting OSCE testing capacity

NMC opens its fifth centre, augmenting OSCE testing capacity

UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has announced that it has increased its test centre provision for nurses from overseas and those returning to practice. This will offer more choice for these professionals to take their required tests, so that they can quickly and safely join the register.

Recently, a national nursing test centre has been opened at Leeds General Infirmary, as part of a larger initiative to increase the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s testing capacity. The Leeds NMC centre will host up to 7,000 nurses, midwives and nursing associates each year for the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

With this, there are now five OSCE examination centres in the UK, after the launch of another centre in Newcastle in March.

The OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) is the practical part of the Test of Competence (ToC), which is used to evaluate the competencies of nurses who trained overseas or who are returning to practice after a significant time away. Such nurses must successfully complete this exam to demonstrate they have the appropriate skills and knowledge to care for people safely and effectively.

An updated version of the test was implemented in August 2021, after significant delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Chief executive and registrar of the NMC, Andrea Sutcliffe, is delighted that this newest test site has made OSCE tests even more accessible to skilled nursing and midwifery professionals. Increasing the OSCE testing capacity to 35,000 candidates a year, she points out, will help professionals join the register quickly.

The new Leeds centre features a clinical area with 12 clinical bays where the tests take place. Actors or simulation models will play patients presenting with different medical conditions, offering themselves up for testing.

Chief Nurse at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Lisa Grant, welcomed the new centre. She felt that the new centre in Leeds would be a huge benefit for trusts and healthcare providers locally, not just in Yorkshire but even nationally.

Professionals wishing to check out the Direct nursing registration process to UK can visit MWT Education Consultancy, Kerala’s leading overseas education and Immigration consultants for a free evaluation of their eligibility and prospects.