Professionalism showcased during international visit to nursing and midwifery assessment centre

It was all systems go this week for a key University of Northampton health team as they opened their doors for mutual learning with VIPs from the other side of the world.

Delegates from the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Nursing Council of New Zealand visited University of Northampton’s Competence Test Centre (CTC) this week (Monday 1 September).

At the CTC, nurses and midwives who qualified overseas take the Objective Structured Clinical Examination, or OSCE.

The OSCE is a practical assessment used in healthcare to evaluate an individual’s ability to apply their knowledge and skills in a simulated clinical situation. They are evaluated in areas such as conducting physical examinations and their decision-making processes.

Candidates must pass the OSCE (which is part two of the Test of Competence) to obtain registration with the NMC allowing them to practise in the UK. This follows approval from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the independent regulator of more than 853,000 nurses and midwives in the UK, and nursing associates in England.

There are five CTCs around the UK, and the University’s was the first to be established in 2014, providing patients in the UK with much needed midwifery and nursing care. It is the busiest CTC, seeing around 700 candidates each month.

During their visit*, the London and New Zealand guests had a tour of the examination area and viewed a live OSCE via video link, as each of the 15 examination rooms have cameras.

They discussed with CTC assessors how UK OSCEs work, the similarities between the two countries in the registration of internationally educated practitioners and shared best practice ideas.

They concluded their visit by speaking with candidates who had completed the day’s first round of exams (starting at 8am) about their experience.

Ngaira Harker, Chairperson, Nursing Council of New Zealand, says: “It was wonderful to observe an OSCE in action.  The commitment from staff to ensure a robust process while at the same time supporting the pastoral care of candidates was heartening. This was an excellent opportunity to learn from one another.”

Paul Rees MBE, Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, says: “We were delighted to visit the Northampton OSCE centre with colleagues from the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

“With almost 40% of the UK’s 853,000 nursing and midwifery professionals having been educated outside of the UK – it’s excellent that, by working in partnership with University of Northampton, we are able to support so many skilled professionals from overseas to join our register of nurses and midwives.

“We’re grateful to the University for working with us to make this a reality – ensuring that, at a time of rising demand, people across the UK can continue to receive safe and effective care from a workforce that is partly made up of internationally educated nursing and midwifery professionals.”

Gail Forrester-Gale, Director of Enterprise and Income in the Faculty of Health, Sports and Behavioural Sciences, says: “This week’s visit, many months in the planning by the CTC managers, allowed us to showcase the incredible work of our Competence Test Centre. Our special guests could see, in real-time, how they support the high standards of the health service and bring value to patients.

“The feedback we received from our guests was overwhelmingly positive. They were deeply impressed by the dedication, expertise, professionalism, and warmth here at Northampton CTC, qualities that perfectly describe the commitment of our team.”

*The list of visitors:

Nursing Council for New Zealand

• Ngaira Harker – Chairperson
• Cath Byrne – Chief Executive and Registrar
• Clare Prendergast – Deputy Registrar/Senior Legal Adviser
• Nick Davis – Deputy Registrar/Senior Legal Adviser

Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK)

• Paul Rees, MBE – Chief Executive and Registrar
• Ron Barclay-Smith – Chair
• Linda Everet – Deputy Director, Professional Regulation