General nurses off UK shortage occupation list

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration announced that United Kingdom, one of the favorite destinations of Filipino nurses, now removed general nurses from the shortage occupation list, and is retaining only those with specific fields of specialization.

The new policy, which will take effect on August 14, means that UK employers, both the National Health Service and independent health providers will have to satisfy first the resident labor market test before they can recruit general nurses from abroad.

According to a POEA report, employers recruiting general nurses will have to advertise any vacancies first and demonstrate to the Work Permit UK that they cannot fill the same with a UK applicant or that no resident nationals were considered suitable.

The new policy does not cover audiology, sleep/respiratory physiology, neurophysiology, operating theater nursing, clinical radiology, pathology, and critical care because they are still included in the shortage occupation list. The policy will also have no effect on nurses currently working in the UK.

Last year, UK also had major changes in the registration of foreign nurses and midwives by requiring nurses and midwives from the Philippines and other non-European Union member-countries to apply for registration with the UK's Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The new policy is a requirement to complete the new overseas nurses program, which will ensure consistency in preparing the applicants for their practice in the UK. It was developed also to ensure those requirements for nurses and midwives from non-EU nations will be comparable to the requirements for UK-trained nurses and midwives.

One of the main components of the program is to place nurses and midwives under 20 days protected learning time, which NMC registration applicants must undertake. The applicants may also be required to undergo a period of supervised practice.

Nurses seeking to work in the UK will also be required to attain at least a 6.5 percent proficiency grade in the International English Language Testing System. - Wenna A. Berondo