Allied healthcare professionals seeking to work in the UK must register with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). It’s an important step that helps ensure a high standard across a range of healthcare professions, including radiographers, dieticians, podiatrists and many more.
For internationally trained healthcare professionals, you may need to prove you have an appropriate level of English to work in the UK. You can do this by sitting an English language test, such as OET. OET is the only English language test specifically designed for healthcare professionals. Candidates taking OET prove their English through familiar workday scenarios that prepare them for success from day one in their new role.
One notable success story is Spanish podiatrist Andrea Richarte Lopez, who learned through her university about a Health Education England pilot programme that offered internationally qualified podiatrists a supported pathway to a job as a podiatrist in an NHS Trust in England. Supported by the teams at HEE and OET, Andrea prepared for her OET exam with an official third-party preparation provider endorsed by OET and passed her test on the first time. With OET results and a certified statement of comparability, Andrea successfully registered with the HCPC and now works for the NHS in the UK as a podiatrist.
To use your OET results to successfully register and work in the UK, you will need to request a certified statement of comparability.
Requesting a statement of comparability
When applying to HCPC, you will need to submit a statement of comparability from OET. The letter outlines the equivalency of OET scores with IELTS scores.
You can request a statement of comparability by writing to OET at applications@OET.com.au. Once OET receives your request, they will confirm your identity and test score before issuing a certified statement via email.
You can then submit your statement to HCPC as part of your registration application. If you would like to know more about the process or the OET/IELTS score comparability/equivalency, check out our frequently asked questions.
Why do allied healthcare professionals choose OET?
OET is a high-stakes English language test that assesses the four language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
Unlike general English tests, OET is designed specifically for 12 healthcare professions. Tests simulate real workplace tasks and use language drawn from those specific healthcare professions.
Radiographers, for example, would be asked to role-play as a radiographer during the Speaking assessment. The task is based on a real-life scenario and could require you to reassure a patient and explain their result to them.
General English tests on the other hand would assess your Speaking skills through an interview on a randomised topic, which could range from democracy to beekeeping.
If you take a look at the Writing sub-test, the task is also specifically designed for each of the 12 professions. Each profession is assessed through a letter task that is drawn from real world scenarios. A dietician, for example, would write a letter to a patient’s referral GP with a dietary menu plan based on notes provided during the assessment.
As you can see, OET is designed specifically for allied healthcare professionals, providing an assessment that helps test-takers feel more confident on test day, while helping them improve the language they would use in their new role.
You can then submit your statement to HCPC as part of your registration application. If you would like to know more about the process or the OET/IELTS score comparability/equivalency, check out our frequently asked questions.