Nursing Council of New Zealand Updated English Language Competence Policy

Nursing Council of New Zealand Updated English Language Competence Policy

The English Language Competence policy of the Nursing Council of New Zealand has been updated by the organisation on August 19, 2022.

This revision is in response to the Council’s consultation earlier this year on how it evaluates and registers globally qualified nurses. Additionally, it considers broader comments on the Council’s English language policy.

The Council is establishing a new required minimum writing score for English language exams as part of this revamp. IELTS score of 6.5 or OET score of 300 will now be necessary. IELTS and OET scores for reading, speaking, and listening remain at 7 and 350 respectively.

The Council is also being more transparent about how English proficiency is evaluated. This includes defining when a nurse might be qualified for non-test-based pathways and specifying acceptable testing methodologies. The Council has created guidelines that describe its three evidence pathways and the purpose of an English language standard in order to make the requirements for English language requirements simpler to comprehend.

On August 19, 2022, at 12 p.m., the Council’s website was modified to reflect the update. Additional information can be found on the Council’s homepage under International Qualified Nurses with other registration.

Coming under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act, the Nursing Council is the statutory body that regulates nursing practice, education, and conduct. Under this Act, its purpose is protecting the health and safety of the public, it provides the mechanisms to make certain that nurses are safe and competent to practise.

The points outlined here will apply to all nurses who begin their application with CGFNS on or after 19th August 2022. Nurses whose applications have recently expired are invited to re-apply if necessary. Nurses who applied to CGFNS and/or Nursing Council prior to this date will not be disadvantaged by these alterations that have been announced.

What is the need for English language proficiency requirement?

To practise nursing safely, one essential component of effective communication is comprehension. Effective communication skills are essential for nurses to work well with patients, their families, other nurses, and other healthcare professionals. This includes the requirement for precise and explicit documentation of planned nursing care. When speaking with other healthcare experts, pressurised, fast-paced circumstances may be present and complicated technical jargon must be used and understood. Miscommunication can sometimes result in serious harm or even death. This indicates that the Nursing Council has more stringent English proficiency criteria than could be necessary for immigration or academic purposes.

The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, the legislation that the Nursing Council is governed by, establishes the requirement for an English language

standard. In order to practise within their scope, a nurse must be able to communicate at a level that the Council deems appropriate (section 16(a)), and the Council must also be satisfied that the nurse’s “ability to communicate and comprehend English is sufficient to protect the health and safety of the public” (section 16(b)). The council is unable to register a nurse if it’s not convinced in this regard.

What’s New in this refresh?

Changes to the current English language Competence policy as well as clarification of the English language criteria for nurses who wish to practise in Aotearoa New Zealand are part of this policy update. The main components of this update are:

· Modifying the OET and IELTS writing band criteria.

· Defining computer-based testing policy.

· Clarifying the evidence paths based on education and registration.

A New Minimum Writing Score

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) writing band requirement has been revised by the Nursing Council to 6.5 and the Occupational English Test (OET) to 300. The new policy is effective as on August 19, 2022, at 9 a.m.

The necessary Reading, Speaking, and Listening band scores won’t alter. IELTS will stay at 7, while OET will remain at 350.

Computer-based and Online Testing

The Council has opted against changing the current approach to computer-based testing. The council has however given clearer guidance on this policy as mentioned below:

· The Council will accept testing conducted on a computer that has taken place at an IELTS or OET testing facility.

· The Council will not accept computer-based tests that are entirely online (like OET@home or IELTS Online).

· The Council will accept the Speaking Test portion of the OET’s on computer mode, which is conducted online but has a live assessor.

Evidence Pathways

The Nursing Council will continue to provide 3 pathways for nurses to prove they are proficient in English enough to practise safely. In the past, pathways 2 and 3 were sometimes referred to as waivers. The council is switching to the phrase “evidence

paths” to emphasise that all nurses must provide documentation proving their proficiency in the English language.

Listed below are the 3 pathways:

1. A test-based approach, wherein the evidence consists of IELTS or OET results showing attainment of the corresponding minimal scores

a) IELTS: Writing score of 6.5 and Reading, Speaking, and Listening scores of 7

c) OET: 300 in writing and 350 in reading, speaking, and listening.

2. An education-based pathway, where the proof is the nursing education that resulted in registration that was taught and assessed in English in the UK, Singapore, Ireland, Canada, or the USA.

3. A registration-based pathway where the only acceptable proof is passing an English language test in order to register in the UK, Ireland, Canada, or the US.

The information above clarifies who qualifies for the educational and registration pathways. For instance, a nurse wishing to register must have passed an English language test in order to be eligible for the registration-based pathway. This explains why there are some Canadian and American states where there is no English language requirement for registration.

Similar to this, a nurse must have finished their basic nursing education in English in order to qualify for the education-based pathway. Proof of postgraduate or post-experience courses in English will not be acknowledged, except the permitted nursing registration at least in one of the listed countries (such as some Masters qualifications).

The council is actively monitoring the English language requirements of other nursing regulators with regards to the education and registration pathways. This may eventually lead to changes in the countries that offer eligibility for these pathways.

It is crucial to understand that each pathway requires nurses to present proof. The test-based pathway may be quicker for some nurses to follow than the education- or registration-based pathways.

Nurses registered in Australia

A nurse who is registered in Australia is normally eligible to register in Aotearoa New Zealand under the terms of the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997. As a result, a nurse who is registered in Australia is exempt from having to show the Nursing Council proof of their English language proficiency.

For further information please refer to the official website of the Nursing Council of New Zealand https://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/IQN