S3 Ep 2 - The One With Mental Health Nurse Ayobami - Licence To Practise - from Nigeria to UK - OSCE For Nurses
** Sit back and listen, it's time for Licence to Practise by IELTS Medical.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmr0CsGAnbw
In Season 3 Episode 3 - The One With Mental Health Nurse Dorothy - Christina speaks with Dorothy, a UK Registered Mental Health Nurse who moved to the UK from Nigeria.
Featured Course: OSCE for Nurses : https://www.oscenurses.com
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Christina:
Hello, and welcome back to season three of licensed to practice from IELTS Medical. Today I'm going to be chatting with nurse Dorothy from Nigeria. Don't forget to like and subscribe so that you never miss an episode. And let's give Dorothy a call. Hello?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Hello.
Christina:
Hi. How are you today?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
I'm fine. And you?
Christina:
Yes. Fine. Thank you. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing your story with us. I'm really looking forward to our chat. If you could just start by just telling me a bit about yourself.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
All right. Thanks for this opportunity. I am nurse Dorothy, originally registered as a nurse in Nigeria, but currently working as a registered mental health nurse in UK. I've been into nursing process for, let's say, I've been working in Nigeria for 12 years plus.
Christina:
Oh, right.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yeah. I came into the UK last year and I've been working initially as a band four because here in the UK, when you come as an international student, as an international nurse, you have to work as a band four till after passing your **, which at the moment, I've passed and I'm working as a fully registered band five.
Christina:
Congratulations. I'm very happy to hear that. So you were working as a nursing Nigeria for 12 years. What made you move to the UK? Why did you choose the UK?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
I would say life in the UK is better. Also, my reason for coming was for me to gain more knowledge in the aspect of nursing. Because here in the UK, they have a lot of equipment and a lot of trainings for nurses. So I was hoping to come gain more experience and grow in my career.
Christina:
Yeah. Oh, great. And do you feel like, I know obviously you've only just got your pin and everything, but do you feel like it's going the way you wanted it to? Is it what you thought it would be?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yes, of course. It's fine. It's better than when I was in Nigeria. Because in Nigeria, like I said, here, you have the privilege to go to school, to do courses, to study online, train. Especially when you're working with the NHS, you have those privilege. Since I came, I think it's been fine all the way.
Christina:
Good, I'm glad to hear that. So obviously, you've pointed out a few differences there between working in Nigeria and working in the UK. The courses and the training and the equipment. Are they the main differences you've noticed or are there any other big differences between nursing in Nigeria and nursing over here in the UK?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
I would say in terms of salary, it's better here in the UK compared to Nigeria.
Christina:
Yeah.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Here in the UK nurses are a bit paid. I wouldn't say completely because we are still struggling to get there. But it's better than the salary we received back home in Africa. Yeah.
Christina:
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So let's talk about the actual process of becoming registered in the UK. How did you find that? How did that all go for you? All the exams and the training you did for that? What was that like?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yeah. It wasn't easy because before you come to the UK, you have to pass what we call IELTS. It's a test of English.
Christina:
Yeah.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
And after that, you write CBT online [inaudible 00:04:14] being set by the NMC UK. You write it online and you have to pass.
Speaker 4:
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Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
It wasn't easy, first in the aspect of sourcing for materials. It wasn't easy to get a good material that was good enough for me to easily pass some of those exams. Yeah. So it was a bit stressful back there at home to pass the exams. I would say in the aspect of the exams, it was a bit stressful passing exams to come to the UK.
Christina:
So you did the IELTS exam. Is there a reason you did that over the OET? Is that just what everyone does in Nigeria? Or did you pick that for a personal preference?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yeah, I choose to write IELTS because it was less expensive compared to OET.
Christina:
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Fair enough.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yeah.
Christina:
You did your IELTS and your CBT back in Nigeria. And so you did your OSCE when you came to the UK, is that right?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Christina:
How was that exam? Because I know you mentioned there that it was difficult doing it back home. What was it like then having to do the OSCE after moving to the UK?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yeah. It was also not easy to prepare for the OSCE exams. But [inaudible 00:06:46] to IELTS Medical, because one of our tutor, I don't want to mention her name, she was able to at least put us through for the exams. Me, I wrote 10 stations. Ten station is new, very new in the OSCE exam. I think it was because I had support from IELTS Medical that I was able to pull through. The exam to some extent, if you read is not difficult, but you need a guidance. You need someone to show you what to read. Even though you just be moving, beating around the bush, trying to source for [inaudible 00:07:29] yourself. But if you have someone to point it to you, "Oh, read this, go through this, do this," I think it's a lot easier. So I would say it wasn't easy, but IELTS Medical made it easy for me. Yeah.
Christina:
Oh, well, good. Well, I'm glad you found them then and you got through that more easily than the other two. So I just want to ask, I don't think I've ever asked this question before actually, but it's just come to me now. So obviously, the OSCE is the practical exam. Is the reason it's difficult and you need the help because of the differences between the countries, between how nursing is in Nigeria and how nursing is in the UK? [inaudible 00:08:09] the OSCE specific to practicing in the UK?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
I think. Yeah. Yeah. Let me say in nursing, generally, there are certain things that is common in all like the things we do in Nigeria could be done in the UK. But also, there are some aspects in the UK that is different. Those aspects that is a bit different from our home country was the one I was finding difficult to [inaudible 00:08:39].
Christina:
Yeah. And that's where you need the guidance.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yeah. That [inaudible 00:08:44]. You cannot just come from maybe any of the African country down to the UK and go straight direct the exams without learning the processes and the way things are done in the UK. Because it is amazing that there are some variations.
Christina:
Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. Yeah. Obviously, at the beginning of this conversation, you mentioned the equipment, the differences in equipment and how the UK has more equipment. Is that something you noticed while studying for the OSCE as well? Because I imagine, I don't know, I haven't done the OSCE, but because you are essentially taking an exam on practicing in the UK, did you learn a few things about the equipment that then helps you in your career as a nurse in the UK?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
The difference that I saw was that back there at home, we could read all those things in the book. We could see them. "Oh, this one is being used for this. This one is being used for that." But here in the UK, you had the opportunity to touch the instrument.
Christina:
Oh, right.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
[inaudible 00:09:47] instrument. Yes. [inaudible 00:09:51] without imagining how the instrument is on Facebook. You have the opportunity to do it, to use the instrument. I think that's the best part of it because IELTS Medical gave us the opportunity to touch some of the instrument that we only saw on Facebook.
Christina:
Yeah. Oh, wow. That's really interesting. That is. It must have been great, that, coming and getting to use everything for the first time. And now I guess you use them all the time, don't you?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yeah. [inaudible 00:10:23] them all the time in the work area. Okay. Just for instance, in my former place of work, I was taught that, "Oh, you could do ECG as a nurse," but never for one day was I able to touch ECG machine.
Christina:
Wow. Okay.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Because if a patient is being prescribed [inaudible 00:10:46] to do ECG, you send the patient to another hospital that had ECG machine.
Christina:
Wow.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
But yeah. In UK, next door. I will just go pick it, do it on a patient. Any time, any day. [inaudible 00:10:59] morning, afternoon, night.
Christina:
Yeah.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
I can do it on a patient. Those are the differences.
Christina:
Yeah. Because it's a really common machine, that, over here, isn't it?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
In practice. It's one of the things that some of [inaudible 00:11:11] nurses must do.
Christina:
Yeah. Oh, wow. So since you've got your pin then, how are you finding being a band five, how's work? Do you like it?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yeah. I like it. I like it. Yeah. I like it. I like everything about it.
Christina:
Oh, good. Well, that's good.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yes.
Christina:
I'm glad you do. Well, I'm glad that it's, yeah, that it's all worked out for you and you like your job and you've got your pin and here you are. Before I let you go, do you have any final words of advice for anyone that might be thinking about starting the process of moving to the UK and becoming registered here?
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Yes. I would say if you're a nurse outside the UK and you think you can maybe pass the IELTS and the CBT, what are you waiting for? Live in the UK. It's paradise. Don't waste your career staying and be reading everything on the textbook. Come here, learn the profession, grow in the profession, grow in your career. Probably someday you could go back home and build your country. Rebuild your country health sector with the knowledge you're going to acquire in the UK and the privilege of handling some of those equipments. It'll really help you even if you want to go back home later in life to also rebuild your own healthcare system in your own country. So I would say, come here. Come here and gain the experience. Come here and make the money. Come here and live a good life.
Christina:
I love it. I love the positivity. It's so nice. Yeah, well, I hope you've convinced some people to do it there with that advice. Thanks so much. Thanks for sharing. Yeah. Thanks for being so positive. It's been lovely. Right. Well, yeah. Thanks again for coming on and best of luck with everything and congratulations.
Mental Health Nurses Dorothy:
Thank you. Okay.
Christina:
Thank you so much for listening to another episode of License to Practice. I really hope that you enjoyed my chat with Dorothy and that wonderful verse of positivity at the end. I hope that if you are thinking about becoming registered in the UK and making the move, that Dorothy's positivity has inspired you to start the journey. Don't forget to like and subscribe so that you never miss an episode. I will see you next time. And as always, to your success.
