The Occupational English Test (OET) for Nurses

Washington State Nursing Commission (NCQAC) requires an English proficiency exam before an internationally educated nurse (IEN) can take the National Council Licensure Examination for Nursing (NCLEX) exam for licensure. The English proficiency exam is a 4-part test consisting of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. The NCQAC only accepted the academic TOEFL exam until 2014, when they recognized the academic IELTS exam. There are some issues the PSWBC has with the TOEFL and IELTS tests:

• They are the academic version, meant for university level non-native English speakers. Although over half the nurses in Washington State have Baccalaureate Nursing degrees, they are not required to take a foreign language in their education.

• The content of these tests can range from Financial Aid to car parts, which may be unfamiliar to IENs.

In 2020, WA NCQAC recognized the Occupational English Test (OET) for IENs. Like the TOEFL and IELTS, the OET still requires passing the 4-part test at one sitting. And like the other tests, OET has a minimum passing score for each part, as well as a minimum total score. The difference in the OET is that the content is strictly about medical/healthcare situations.

The OET is a joint venture by Cambridge Assessment English (United Kingdom) and Box Hill Institute (Australia). The test concentrates of communication in an English-speaking healthcare environment with patient safety and quality care their top priority. A new English test in the United State, OET is accepted by nursing commissions in Washington State, Michigan, Oregon, Florida, and Massachusetts. Many other state boards of nursing are considering accepting the OET.

The Puget Sound Welcome Back Center (PS WBC) launched an RN OET prep class in July. that will run for 10 4-hour classes, meeting on Saturday mornings. Karin Hirschfeld, OET prep class creator and ESOL instructor, teaches the 10 4-hour classes, meeting on Saturday mornings. Ms. Hirschfeld worked many months with OET in Australia and Welcome Back Initiative materials to create the class. It will focus on English for healthcare as well as workplace communication.