Finding your voice and raising concerns as an international healthcare worker in a new environment can be a challenge due to language barriers or unfamiliarity with workplace culture.
With October being NHS Speak Up Month – a campaign that encourages healthcare staff to voice concerns and promote transparency – it’s a great opportunity for healthcare professionals and employers alike to discover new resources to improve communication skills.
Our English test is designed to equip healthcare professionals with the skills to communicate effectively, building key clinical communication skills that will enable them to speak up when it’s most important.
Read on to learn how preparing to take the OET Test equips healthcare professionals with the communication skills needed to navigate healthcare environments and overcome these challenges, plus find key OET resources for employers to support these professionals.
How preparing for the OET Test empowers international healthcare professionals to speak up
1. Real-life communication practice
Our test simulates real healthcare conversations through the Speaking and Listening sub-tests. Candidates practise scenarios such as patient consultations and workplace discussions, building confidence in addressing concerns.
These role plays allow candidates to practise language skills in situations where raising concerns or providing feedback might be required, equipping them with the tools to speak up confidently in the workplace.
You can access OET Speaking sub-test role plays in our sample tests, available at oet.com/ready.
2. Assertive communication and workplace conversations
While preparing for the OET Test, international healthcare workers develop assertive communication skills. The Speaking sub-test equips candidates to raise concerns professionally, politely and confidently. It allows learners to practise sensitive yet direct language, which could be useful in clinical scenarios with colleagues and managers.
For more useful example scenarios and tips for conversation control, topic transitions, balancing listening and speaking, and moving the conversation forward, check out:
- Patient Advocacy in Nursing; How to be a patient advocate
- Why you need to take control of the conversation in the OET speaking sub-test to succeed
3. Cultural awareness and sensitivity
Preparing for our Speaking sub-test requires candidates to learn to communicate with cultural awareness and sensitivity, as candidates are assessed on skills like relationship building, adopting a non-judgmental approach and initiating the interaction appropriately and respectfully. This helps candidates understand the values and expectations for communicating professionally within an international healthcare system like the NHS.
Internationally-trained healthcare professionals may also find that that their previous healthcare environment may have discouraged speaking up, particularly with senior staff, or it may be less common in cultures where this is discouraged. Our Speaking role plays are designed to help candidates to practise communicating across hierarchical levels in respectful and effective ways through a range of patient scenarios with sometimes challenging encounters.
Our Speaking sub-test guides help candidates learn how to demonstrate strong communication skills across a variety of criteria:
Clinical Communication Criteria
Empower your team to Speak Up with OET resources
Managers and educators play a key role in fostering an environment where international professionals feel comfortable voicing their concerns.
By encouraging international staff to continue developing their language skills through OET resources, healthcare leaders can create a culture where staff feel increasingly confident about their communication abilities.
Here are our recommendations on the best OET resources for continued learning:
1. Sample tests:
Enable your team to confidently address workplace concerns by practising real-life conversations through role plays. Download Speaking sample tests here.
Improve your staff’s ability to engage in discussions and respond effectively to colleagues' concerns by enhancing their listening skills. Download Listening sample tests here.
2. Our blogs:
Explore more communication strategies for healthcare professionals:
- Use empathy to successfully build a relationship with your patients
- OET Speaking: taking learnings from the test into your career
- How OET helps you prepare for the OSCE and beyond
3. Living the Language guides:
Provide your nurses and doctors with communication guides tailored specifically to the UK healthcare environment. Download here.
4. NHS Values course:
Equip your team with a thorough understanding of NHS values and practical strategies to integrate them into daily practice. This course helps healthcare professionals align with core organisational principles, enhancing team cohesion and patient care. Buy here.
5. Mini Clinical Communication course:
Help your staff enhance their OET Speaking sub-test scores and workplace communication skills with this free, practical mini-course. It's a valuable tool for improving everyday interactions. Access it for free here.
6. Living the Language workshops:
Consider enrolling your staff in Living the Language workshops to help them feel empowered to overcome communication barriers. Register your interest here.
7. Clinical Educators Workshops:
If you are interested in empowering your team even further, contact us to discuss our interactive training course for clinical educators.
With these resources, international healthcare professionals can build the skills and confidence needed to communicate effectively and navigate international healthcare environments like the NHS. Our focus on healthcare-specific communication ensures that candidates are well-prepared to raise concerns, contribute to team discussions and prioritise patient safety. Both international healthcare staff and their managers can benefit from the enhanced communication skills that preparing for the OET Test fosters.