OET is used and accepted by healthcare authorities and regulators, hospitals & universities in the UK, the US, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai and Singapore etc., as proof of one’s ability to communicate effectively in a healthcare environment.
Successful OET learners have demonstrated their English language and clinical communication skills to provide high quality and safe patient care. This translates to better healthcare services for all.
OET has been developed to cover 12 different healthcare professions. The test assesses all four language skills, using test materials that reflect typical communication scenarios from the healthcare industry.
Recently, there was shock and disbelief as 97% of Kenyan nurses who had applied for the jobs with the UK’s National Health Service failed the required English language test. This was largely due to lack of preparation for the test.
However, in 2019, 73% of candidates achieved the results required to register with the UK’s nursing and medicine regulators after training by OET Premium Preparation Provider Specialist Language Courses (SLC), such as the one we propose.
Although there is perception that OET is easier to pass than IELTS Academic. Unfortunately, this is not true. The level required from each examination by Regulatory Authorities in the UK is the same. This misleading perception seems to have appeared because many healthcare professionals who sat OET passed first-time.
As expected, the two tests vary in difficulty. The OET is easier in some ways because it is more specific to healthcare, so you can make use of your healthcare knowledge, vocabulary and experiences. … The speaking test will involve having a conversation with the examiner based on some specific topics.
The first and foremost thing we do when we receive a new candidate(s), we subject them to a pre-training assessment of their skills. This is to help us determine their current level of English proficiency, as well as to identify their weaknesses. This assessment is pegged at KES 2.000 and takes about 2 hours.
After the initial assessment, the candidates are grouped together into their respective levels according to the Common European Framework for Reference for Languages (CEFR). The levels are normally A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2
We only consider candidates from CEFR level B2 for the OET training.
Candidates at lower levels than B2 are advised to take several hours of General English before attempting to do the OET test. Candidates at level B1 can be accepted for the training after 100 hours of General English, which we provide at an extra cost.
The content for listening is the same for all healthcare professions.
The candidate should demonstrate sufficient ability to listen and understand a range of healthcare-related spoken materials such as patient consultations and lectures.
The content for reading is the same for all healthcare professions. The candidate should demonstrate sufficient ability read and understand different types of text on healthcare-related subjects
This is specific to your profession and is typically based on different workplace scenarios. The candidate should demonstrate sufficient ability to write a letter, often a referral letter, a letter of transfer or discharge, a letter to advise a patient, caregiver of the group.
This is specific to profession, based on different workplace situations. The candidate should demonstrate sufficient ability to participate in two role-plays based on typical healthcare workplace situations. You take your professional role while the interlocutor plays a patient or client, or a relative or caregiver