Highlights
- The registration process for many overseas nurses and midwives was delayed due to border closures
- The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) says it has effectively cleared the backlog after the borders were opened
- Computer-based and home edition English tests are now approved for the registration of overseas nurses and doctors
For Marcia Jacob, from the South Indian city of Chennai, it has long been a dream to work in Australia as a registered nurse.
While many of her nursing friends and colleagues chose to seek opportunities in the UK, Ireland and Canada due to the tough border restrictions implemented by Australia, she stuck to her goal.
"I have relatives in Australia and I wanted to be here. But it has cost me two years," said Ms Jacob, who finally managed to fly to Melbourne in January this year.
"I was all set to come to Australia in 2020. I had enrolled in a bridging program for getting registration in Australia. But just one week before my planned travel, Australia closed its borders," she tells SBS Malayalam.
The Australian borders were closed in March 2020, soon after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, and the country imposed some of the strictest travel restrictions in the world.
Almost two years later, Ms Jacob flew into the country to join a Graduate Certification in Advanced Nursing course in Melbourne almost immediately after the borders were reopened for students.
"I was planning to do the bridging program early, but now have to go through the new OBA [Outcomes-Based Assessment] system. It takes more time."
In March 2020, Australia moved to the new registration system for internationally qualified nurses and midwives (IQNMs) who possess "relevant but not substantially equivalent qualifications".
Source: Getty Images/Fly View Productions
The new system is a two-stage assessment process that involves a multiple-choice question exam (MCQ) and an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE).
Ms Jacob said the whole process could take up to six months, while many other countries offer faster options.
Opportunities elsewhere
Not all nurses who wanted to migrate to Australia were ready to wait like Ms Jacob.
Mariamma Thomas, a registered nurse from the Indian state of Kerala, migrated to the UK late last year.
"I wanted to come to Australia, but when I contacted many registered agents, all of them had advised me that the waiting time could be long," she told SBS Malayalam from London.
She said she received a job offer and visa, and was able to fly to London, all within four months of starting the application procedure.
Source: Supplied: Mariamma Thomas
"The hospital which sponsored me had provided all the support and training for registration as well," she said.
Ms Thomas added that her cousin also followed the same path and flew to the UK.
Another nurse, Sophia Paul, from India, also told SBS Malayalam that she too ditched her Australian dreams and chose the UK, due to the same delays.
AHPRA has confirmed to SBS Malayalam that "some IQNMs were delayed in being able to attend the examination due to border restrictions".
"IQNMs who hold equivalent qualifications do not need to undertake the in-person objective structured clinical exam [OSCE] before applying for registration and processing of registration has not been affected by COVID-19 restrictions," an AHPRA spokesperson said.
"Only some IQNMs whose qualifications are assessed as relevant but not substantially equivalent to an Australian qualification need to undertake the outcomes-based assessment [OBA] pathway."
According to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) website, nursing qualifications in more than 60 countries may not meet the criteria of "substantially equivalent qualification".
However, AHPRA and NMBA have advised that the backlogs were cleared immediately after the border restrictions were lifted.
Last month, AHPRA and the NMBA delivered the OSCE to a large cohort of candidates who had been previously unable to sit the OSCE due to border closures.
"We delivered the OSCE for 282 internationally qualified nurses wanting to register in Australia as Registered Nurses effectively clearing the backlog of IQNs whose assessment was delayed by border closures. More recently OSCEs were also held for candidates wanting to register as a midwife and Enrolled Nurse in Australia," an AHPRA spokesperson said.
Bijo Kunnumpurath, the CEO of the Institute of Health and Management in Melbourne which runs diploma and certificate courses in nursing for migrants, said that he was expecting more opportunities for overseas nurses in Australia post lockdowns.
Source: Getty Images/FatCamera
There are predictions that Australia will face a shortage of around 85,000 nurses by 2025.
"But we won't be able to find enough talents domestically. So I believe we will need more nurses from overseas," he said.
More English tests
In order to overcome the slowdown in the registration process of overseas health professionals, the national regulatory boards including the NMBA have decided to temporarily accept some computer-based English language tests.
"National Boards are aware many English language tests have been temporarily disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Applicants who need to use the English language test pathway to meet the English language skills registration standard may have had difficulty accessing tests," AHPRA said in a statement.
The boards have announced that they would accept the Occupational English Test (OET) computer-based test, OET@Home test and TOEFL iBT@Home edition test for registration purposes.
The changes came into effect on February 21.
The OET tests will be accepted for applications received until February 21, 2023, and the TOEFL iBT@Home test will be accepted till June 1 this year, AHPRA informed.
Countries like the UK had already started accepting computer-based English tests for the registration of nurses in mid-2021.
AHPRA informed that the national boards in Australia have taken this decision after carefully considering the "approaches of other similar regulators, available evidence and the details of the security arrangements in place when deciding to temporarily accept some additional tests".
Ms Jacob, who seeks registration as a nurse in Australia, said that booking the English test was not easy during the COVID-19 time.
"My IELTS had expired during the two-year-long wait and I had to go for the test again. It was not easy to get a slot," she said.
Mr Kunnumpurath, the CEO of the Institute of Health and Management, said that the changes in the English proficiency test would be beneficial for many nurses.
