• By Anna

The Occupational English (or OET) is an alternative to the IELTS exam for nurses wishing to register for the NMC. It still tests Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing, but it does so within a healthcare context.

Earlier this week, IELTS Medical welcomed medical doctor Dr Michael Laurino on board to help our nurses prepare for their OET exam.

Dr Michael has a medical degree from Kings College London and a Master’s degree in Psychology from Middlesex University. He has been working as a Medical General Practitioner in the NHS for 25 years. As a doctor, he was also involved in the teaching of medical students and trainee general practitioners as well as mentoring nurse practitioners and other senior medical personnel.

Even though Dr Michael has just joined our IELTS Medical family, he already has a lot of experience as an English tutor. He has over 2500 hours of teaching adults students of all nationalities and abilities. Although at IELTS Medical he will be helping with OET preparation, he has also taught Business English and IELTS in the past.

We hold the OET classes during the week in the evenings from 6:30 pm up till 9:15 pm and during the weekends from 11:00 am until 2:15 pm. Our nurses have the ability to practice all of the four skills as we provide official OET materials to practice before the exam day comes.

Learn OET with us, call 02036376722!

The post OET Class – every week appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

We are slowly bracing ourselves for the Christmas season at IELTS Medical. Soon the festive decorations will go up and Christmas music will fill in the office and we have a quite exciting announcement for our employees and students. This year’s Winter Party will take place at Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland!

Get your festive mood and ice-skating skills ready before the day comes. Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland has been spreading the Christmas joy for over 10 years now, so it has become a landmark event for the Londoners. It offers various shows, rollercoaster rides, circus, festive bars and food stalls – and it just humbly started as a small, open-air Christmas market. Now you can find there over 100 attractions which is why thousands of visitors return to Winter Wonderland every year.

One of the most popular attractions is Ice Skating, which is also what we have booked for our Winter Party. Winter Wonderland is home to the largest open-air ice rink in the United Kingdom and this is where we will be practicing our ice skating skills. Surrounded by festive lights, magical atmosphere and live music from a bandstand, the ice rink will be the first stop for us.

After an hour of skating, we will move to Zippo’s Circus for a spectacular show that will take us through an array of the world’s finest circus acts. It lasts around 45 minutes so it is also a perfect length for the little ones. It will take place in The Circus Megadome which is the largest tented structure in the UK. It has comfortable theatre-like seating where you can snuggle up and enjoy the show.

Save the date – 17^th of December, starting at 17:00, however we will start gathering around half an hour before. Please feel free to bring your family, because the more, the merrier!

Get merry with us… Call 02036376722!

The post Winter Wonderland Merry-ness appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Emma

One of our most hardworking and determined nurses, has now passed the IELTS exam with a phenomenal score of 8.0. Nurse E only spent 3 weeks with us here at IELTS Medical; where she dominated i10 Advanced writing.

Nurse E first came to IELTS Medical, with the intention to go 0.5 up a band as she had a score of 6.5 in writing. As we all know – to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), a nurse needs an overall score of 7.0. Nurse E put a lot of time and effort in and made sure she was available for all of the Skype classes we scheduled for her, as a way of gaining all the knowledge and skills in prep for her exam. She had completed her training through online via Skype as she was based in Norwich (118 Miles away from London!) This just shows how effective our materials and tutors are.

By week 3, Nurse E had completed lengthy multiple pieces of homework given by our tutors, she had written many essays and was sent a lot of materials to help her complete it. In the end, we found that she surpassed her target with great perseverance and with the help of our best and experienced tutors (whom she had 1 to 1 tuition with). She obtained the amazing score of 8.0 overall.

Here at IELTS Medical, we would like to praise her for her hard work, resilience and consistency. We wish Nurse E the best of luck with her career and we hope that this motivates all of you, our awe-inspiring, future UK healthcare professionals.

Get your career started with us… Call 02036376722!

The post Nurse E needed IELTS 7.0, but preferred the 8.0 appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

Expanding your vocabulary is crucial while preparing for the IELTS test. It will definitely make it easier as you go through each skill on the exam. Having a broad vocabulary will also help you in your everyday life as words are one of the key predictors of someone’s profession, education level or social status.

The question now is – how to actually expand your vocabulary? The easiest and fastest way is to read. And not only books. If you are reading this at the moment, I would say you are on the right track. Read everything you possibly can: books, newspapers, road signs, and ingredients’ list on your shampoo bottle.  You will not only learn new words, but you can also improve your grammar and after some time, you may find it much easier to form complex sentences.

Look the words up. Whenever you see a word you don’t understand, look it up. Google and a dictionary are your friends. However, please do yourself a favour and do not search for equivalents of said word in your native language. Instead, look up the English definition of the word and check the examples, how it should be used in a sentence. This way, you have more chance to actually remember the word and use it in the future.

Search for synonyms of words you use the most often. It can especially help you while writing a paper. Don’t get too crazy, though and remember that sometimes, even though certain words can be synonymous, they cannot be used in the same type of paper.  It is all about the register!

Play word games. Who said learning new words cannot be fun? If a boring train ride is part of your commute, why not make it more interesting by doing some crosswords? If you prefer staring at the screen of your phone, there are also educational games you could install (e.g. the word game I am playing now is called Word Cookies).

As you probably already know, the key to learning new words or expressions is always your motivation and persistence. Appreciate the beauty of the language, dive into it, research the etymology of the words you learn – you will be surprised how interesting it can be.

Increase your vocab with us… Call 02036376722!

The post Easy ways to expand your vocabulary appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

As an IELTS Medical Administrator, I have to admit that it is one of the most frequent questions and at the same time – one of the most difficult ones to answer directly. This is due to the fact that the answer itself depends on many various factors.

1. Your previous IELTS score and the score you are aiming at.

It will more likely take more time for a Nurse A to score 7.0 if her last IELTS score was 5.5 than Nurse B whose last score was 6.5. On average, it takes around 5 weeks (while you attend classes twice a week) to go up 0.5 band. However, we have had medics who scored up higher and much quicker, so it is definitely not a rule.

2. Your determination.

It could be that Nurse A, even though her last score was much lower than Nurse B’s, will get 7.0 quicker. Why is that? Because she is motivated to learn and improve, she never misses her classes, she always does her homework and is not afraid to ask questions when she does not understand something. Remember that the tutor will never do all the work for you; they are here to guide you and help you learn. It is up to you to get the 7.0 or 7.5 score.

3. Give yourself time.

Please do not leave preparing for the IELTS exam for the last minute. Learning a foreign language is a process that has to take some time and it won’t happen overnight. Additionally, remember that discipline is a key to IELTS. You have to be in touch with the language every day, ideally all the time, in order to significantly improve. Besides attending classes, it would be a good idea to have a British radio in the background, watch British TV and speak to people in English.

To sum up – how long will it take you to get your score? The answer is: it depends on you. We can guide you in the right direction and assist you along the way, but it will still depend on you how quick you will get there.

Get your score with us… Call 02036376722!

The post How long will it take me to get my score? appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

The final stage of registration for overseas qualified nurses is the OSCE. The role of this test is to measure the candidates against the current UK pre-registration standards. Nursing in the UK is made up of separate fields of practice, each requiring three years of pre-registration undergraduate education.

The OSCE will test our nurses on their communication and clinical skills, as well as decision making and handling difficult situations. It is made up of six stations, each lasting 15 minutes. Four of the stations will be scenario based and relate to:

1) assessment- holistic patient centred,

2) planning,

3) implementation,

4) evaluation.

All of which are stages of nursing and midwifery care, where you will be expected to apply your theoretical nursing knowledge to a real-life situation. Two stations will be testing practical clinical skills. You have to keep in mind that in order to pass the exam, you will have to have done many of the nursing/midwifery scenarios before.

At IELTS Medical we offer OSCE preparation courses for nurses, in cooperation with the MyNursesLife. Helen and Mel are registered nurses and together our goal is to assist overseas qualified nurses to gain employment within UK hospitals (both NHS and private healthcare).

Our next OSCE coaching will take place next week, starting from 7^th of December and it will last 3 consecutive days in the Whittington Hospital.

Working in small groups, our nurses will receive coaching and guidance to help you pass the OSCE first time. We simulate a clinical environment, presenting you with scenarios that you will likely encounter as a Registered Nurse. At the end of the course you will be invited to sit a mock examination that is assessed.

Both Helen and Mel are registered NHS nurses and enjoy guiding our nurses to OSCE success.

Pass OSCE with us… Call 02036376722!

The post NMC OSCE Course – Getting ready for Helen and Mel from MyNursesLife appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

While overseas qualified doctors have to pass the IELTS exam with a minimum score of 7.5, the English proficiency test is not the only stop on their path to working as a practicing doctor in the United Kingdom. After they have passed the IELTS with a sufficient score, they have to go through the PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board).

The PLAB exam consists of two parts. The first part is made of 200 single best answer questions (SBAs). It is a multiple choice exam, also known as ‘best of five’ or ‘one of five’. Each question starts with a short scenario, followed by a question e.g. ‘What is the most likely diagnosis in this scenario?’

This part is designed to test your ability to apply knowledge to the care of patients. The questions relate to current best practice in the UK and you’ll need to answer having in mind only published evidence. The exam covers the most common and important conditions.

The second part is an objective structural clinical examination (OSCE) and comprises 18 different scenarios, each lasting around 8 minutes. You’ll be tested in settings such as a mock consultation or an acute ward. In this part, a doctor is marked in three areas: data gathering, technical and assessment skills; clinical management skills and interpersonal skills.

Did you know that at IELTS Medical we offer preparation courses for PLAB? Except for covering the practical skills, e.g. mannequin teaching or clinical examinations, we also focus on communication and ethics skills. Our tutors are practicing doctors who have significant UK working experience, so their input during the PLAB preparation course is priceless.You can check some of our previous customers’ testimonials: “Firstly, let me thank you and everyone at IELTS medical for their support and guidance. Yes I am applying for PLAB exam now and I am representing India in the IELTS medical world cup.”

“Whatever the results I will get, I want to thank you for your help, your professionalism, your fresh personality and your beautiful smile! You have been very supportive, very helpful and creative with the yoga session!!”

For 2018 course dates, visit our PLAB website for more information.

Qualify as a doctor with us… Call 02036376722!

The post Doctors’ path to working in the UK appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

We all know that Christmas time is exciting; not only because of the cheerful atmosphere, music and festive lights all over, but also because of the time you get to spend together with your family. For expats, this time of year could be especially challenging as most of them are away from their families who usually live overseas.

Nowadays, multicultural families are quite common, therefore the possibility that not everyone will speak the same language at the Christmas dinner is much higher. I mean, there is not that much you can express with hand signs (unless you know the sign language, which is another story).

This time of year is also when a lot of Christmas ads come on TV, as there is no doubt that the Christmas spirit drives the sales. There is this one particular Christmas ad which will make your hearts melt. It tells a beautiful story of an old, Polish man who gets his first English textbook in order to learn the language before Christmas. You can see him struggling, but also putting a lot of effort into it.

I believe it will be an amazing motivation for all of you who have relatives who do not speak the same language as you. Family is one of the most important values in our lives, so it is definitely worth the effort to actually sit down, get that language book and practice. Even though at first it seems like a lot of hassle and work; even though that sometimes it may drive you crazy when you cannot understand that one particular grammar rule; even though that you occasionally pronounce some words in a wrong way – it will all be worth it at the end, when you see the big smile on someone else’s face.

Spend the holidays with us… Call 02036376722!

The post His first English textbook appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

You have taken the IELTS exam multiple times already and you still cannot get the scores you need. Perhaps you were studying by yourself; perhaps you were attending classes at some English school. It could be that you are getting the score you need from three skills, while in one you still get that disappointing 6.5.

Sound familiar? 

There are actually a few ways to deal with that. We very often come across medics who, for some reason, have issues with scoring 7.0 or 7.5 in writing. This is usually due to lack of proper preparation and not doing enough writing at home. When you are preparing by yourself, it gets a bit tricky when you are doing the writing tasks, because you need someone to check them for you and give you feedback. Sure, your grammar or spelling mistakes can be corrected by any good English teacher – however, the format of your essay, what needs to be included in each paragraph – you can only get that feedback from a qualified IELTS tutor / examiner.

We had a medic who booked in for a writing course of 10 classes, as she needed to get from 6.5 to 7.0 in writing. She was eager to improve and she attended classes three times a week. Bear in mind, that after each class she would get homework which she had to hand in before the following class, which required a lot of effort from her. She never complained, though, and found time to do the homework religiously and when the exam date came, she got the score without any problems.

For nurses, there is also another way to get unstuck. Some of them decide to switch to the OET exam, where the writing skill seems to be much easier for them. The OET writing exam is much more predictable as it usually is a referral letter or a discharge letter. The whole exam is entirely healthcare oriented, so it seems less difficult for some of our nurses.

Remember that when you’re stuck in one place, it is always worth trying new things or new approaches to studying. There’s never just one way to do get ready for IELTS. Various things work differently for various people, so don’t be afraid of trying out something new.

Get un-stuck with us… Call 02036376722!

The post What to do when you’re stuck appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

Speaking two languages instead of just one has obvious benefits in rapidly changing, multicultural, globalised world. It is clear that being bilingual opens a lot of different doors, not only in terms of your professional career, but also in terms of your personal development.

It turns out that bilingualism can have much more perks that you would think at first. The most obvious benefits would be being able to talk to a wider range of people, easier travelling or being able to watch a film in its original language. However, there appear to be many more, not-so-obvious advantages.

It has been scientifically proven that being bilingual makes you smarter. Speaking more than one language can have a profound effect on your brain, improving your cognitive skills, and even preventing dementia in old age.

The image of bilingualism is much different now than what it was a century ago. Back in the day, it was perceived as an obstacle, especially for children and teenagers. Many scientists and educators insisted that being able to speak more than one language could interfere with one’s education. Today, that opinion has changed completely. Although, the researchers were never wrong about the fact that bilingualism interferes with a person’s education, it is definitely not a burden, but more like a blessing in disguise. There is scientific evidence that when you speak in one language (while being fluent in two or more), all languages that you can speak are active in your brain. This could lead to a situation where one language system obstructs the other. But this interference forces the brain to resolve the conflict and at the same time it gives the mind a valuable workout which strengthens the cognitive muscles in the brain.

Bilingual people are also usually better at resolving mental puzzles or tasks. The collective evidence from a number of studies implies that bilingualism improves people’s solving problem and planning skills as well as remembering complicated directions, for example when driving a car.

I hope this article motivated you, even if just a little, to learn a foreign language. Keep exercising your mind and gain those bilingual superpowers!

Change the world with us… Call 02036376722!

The post The benefits of being bilingual appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

Even though we are an English learning school, we do not necessarily function like a typical school; not in terms of the holidays at least. That means that upcoming Christmas time does not mean no more classes until the New Year. Although we are in fact closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, we are open on other days.
Remember that learning a language is a process and you have to be systematic and thorough in order to improve – that means that too long breaks from studying could set you back in your progress and it would be a huge shame to let that happen.

If you want to attend classes during the Christmas week, but for some reason, you cannot leave your house, e.g. because of guests or because of your children being off school, we will still be available on Skype. You could then reserve that 1 hour and 15 minutes for yourself, you can make yourself your favourite tea or grab some Christmas leftovers and connect with our IELTS tutor and examiners. You do not even have to dress up and have a class in your pyjamas.

Please remember that our Skype lessons are always one to one, which means that you will be alone with our tutor, having all of their attention. It’s a good opportunity to raise questions or doubts you may have regarding the exam or anything that you have learnt so far.
Be sure to give us a call as soon as possible as the Winter schedule is filling up quickly!

Warm up your skills with us… Call 02036376722!

The post Winter opening times appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

This time of the year makes people all excited for many different reasons. Some love the Christmas atmosphere in the air, some just prefer when it is winter-ish outside, so they can cosy up in front of a fireplace, and some look forward to Christmas because of… THE PRESENTS.

If you are one of those people who enjoy this time of year because of the great opportunity it makes to give (and receive) gifts, then we have some amazing news for you!

IELTS Medical is holding a WINTER LOTTERY! We were thinking about how to make our Medics’ lives even better during this magical time and we came up with this exciting idea. And you do not even have to do much – all you need to do is text WIN as well as one of your medic friend’s phone number to 07520632722. This way both of you will be taking part in the lottery and you will both get a chance to win fantastic prizes.

The prizes are pretty universal – something you will definitely be able to use. They are £50 worth of either Amazon vouchers or just simply cash – to not overcomplicate things.

We will be also sending out postcards with holiday greetings to all medics in our system, so please make sure to look out for the mailman! The instructions how to enter the lottery will be written on the postcard as well, but if you have any questions whatsoever, you know the number – 0203 637 6722!

Additionally – this weekend we are having our Winter Party. On Sunday, the 17^th of December, we are going to Winter Wonderland to spend some quality time together. It is going to be a perfect opportunity to catch up with your classmates as well as network with other medics! If you are going to come, please give us a heads up so we know to wait for you in case you are running late. See you then!

Get frosty with us… Call 02036376722!

The post Christmas lottery and Winter Party – this Sunday appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

New Year usually means new beginnings.  As the old year comes to an end, it is worth thinking about New Year’s resolutions. It is a perfect time to start off fresh, no matter if in your personal or professional life.

What better way to step into 2018 than to promise yourself you’ll finally get that 7.0 or 7.5 score on the IELTS exam? If you have been struggling to get the right score, the beginning of new year is a perfect starting point to shake off all of these bad exam memories, pull yourself together and nail it so you could move on and start working in your profession.

Here, at IELTS Medical we can help you achieve your goal. We enter the new year with our brand new course called i10 IELTS 4×4. It is an intensive course of all four skills which lasts a minimum of 3 and maximum of 12 weeks. You will have classes for 4 days a week, 5 hours per day, going through each skill to make sure you get your scores right this LAST time.

This course is also suitable for medics who haven’t taken the IELTS yet and don’t really know how to prepare for it. Since it tackles all four skills from the very start, it gives you a fresh idea of how to go through the exam without much hassle.

Please bear in mind that it is a very intensive course and it will require a lot of work and self-perseverance from you; loads of homework will be coming your way, after every 3 weeks you will be expected to sit a mini mock exam to check if you are making progress and what aspects of the IELTS exam you need to focus on more. But trust me – in the end it will be all worth it.

Get intensive with us… Call 02036376722!

The post New for 2018 ielts 4 x 4 appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

When you are learning a foreign language, especially as a busy professional, it can become quite tricky to organise some free time for yourself to sit down with your textbook and study. And when you in fact sit down with your textbook and study, you may find yourself yawning and wishing you were on a sunny island, drinking delicious cocktails.

It is therefore important to make studying fun, engaging and accessible wherever you are. What is the thing that you always carry with yourself? That’s right – a smartphone. Did you know that you can actually learn from your phone?

I have prepared a list of the most useful apps you can download to make learning English much more enjoyable.

1. DUOLINGO

Duolingo is my favourite one for many reasons. Once you open it, you can create your account to track your progress, but if you do not want that, you can use it without an account. When you are learning English, you can actually do a placement test which will assess your English level so you could start your journey with Duolingo learning new things and not having to go through the very basics. It uses text, pictures and sounds to assist you with studying the language; it will even check your pronunciation, as you will be asked to repeat out loud certain sentences.

2. MEMRISE

Memrise is not as smooth as Duolingo, but just as useful. It is very easy to use and it also supports offline courses, so you do not have to worry if you lose Internet connection in the tube. What is really unique about Memrise, is that it teaches you new vocabulary by putting words into sentences with similar words from your native language so your brain can build the connection. This helps you remember more new phrases.

3. ACCELLA STUDY

It offers a variety of different tasks to help you study English, including quizzes, flash cards, spaced repetition and others. It even has a hands-free mode, so you can use it while driving a car! This app is great for learning vocabulary, as it allows you to create your own vocabulary sets. You can use this feature to practice words which you have problems with.

4. LEAF

Leaf is like a phrasebook for every context and it was designed to make you fluent in every situation you encounter. This app is so intelligent that it will even use your location and phone usage to determine which lessons you may find useful.

5. LY

Another amazing app, however this one can help you with the IELTS Reading part. It gathers various texts on different topics, which firstly you have to read, and then work on. The app will go through the vocabulary of the particular text and help you understand and remember it. The algorithms’ aim is to make you familiar with 90% of the vocabulary you read in the text.

Get techy with us… Call 02036376722!

The post Language tech – the best apps for learning a language appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

Even if you read 7 books a week, it does not matter, unless you understand fully what you have read. Understanding what is written is called reading comprehension and it is one of the four skills you will come across doing your IELTS or OET exam.

To lift your spirit a little bit, I can say that very often even native speakers struggle with reading comprehension. It could be that your vocabulary requires work, it could be that the text is just so boring you cannot focus your attention on actually understanding it; it could also be that you are not familiar with certain grammatical forms so it makes it impossible for you to understand a particular sentence.

There are two main methods to improve your reading skills: intensive reading and extensive reading.

Read intensively if you want to practice the fundamentals and learn new vocabulary. This method will allow you to focus on the details of what you’re reading. When you are reading intensively, first thing you should always do is look for the gist of a text’s meaning. Do not worry about words you don’t really understand. As long as you get the general idea behind the discourse, you are fine. Later on, read the full text, preferably out loud, putting attention to the rhythm and pronunciation. As you go, underline words you do not understand and come back to them later. Then read the full text again and try to guess the meaning of the words you’ve underlined. If you can do that – awesome. If you can’t, then grab the dictionary and keep looking. After that you can make a list of words you want to learn for future reference, so you can remember them next time.
After that – repeat it with different texts. It is also helpful rereading things you’ve already read – it will build up your confidence and maybe let you notice something you haven’t noticed before.

Reading extensively is helpful if you want to learn how to understand the general meaning of a text quickly. This method focuses on the general picture; it’s great for studying a newspaper, a textbook or an assigned book for school. The first helpful practice to do while reading extensively is to take notes as you read: for example you can make bullet points to summarise every time you go to a major idea; underline key terms or dates in the text which you think are important for understanding a particular paragraph; note down questions you ask yourself while you are reading and not understand something. In the end, write a short summary of what you’ve read – this will help you grab the meaning of the text as well as practice writing in the meantime.

Remember, the key to improving is always practice. No matter the method, the more you read, the better you get.

Read intensively or extensively with us… Call 02036376722!

The post How to improve your reading skills appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

What is the most fun way of learning a language? Watching films and TV series! (For some it could also be playing video games, but we’re not going to focus on that now…

Learning a foreign language is already hard if you think about the grammar and pronunciation, especially if it vastly differs from your native language. Let alone the cultural differences – some concepts may not even exist in your mother tongue, so sometimes it can be extremely difficult to understand certain ideas.

That is why watching film and TV series in English is so beneficial. It may not teach how to write an opinion essay, but it will certainly teach you a bunch of other skills.

First of all, you will learn real English and not textbook English. You will get a grasp of a colloquial language and some less informal phrases you can use in your everyday life. Usually, English spoken in films is more natural and sounds more like what you’d hear in the street – therefore it is a nice way to improve your speaking.

You will learn English words in context. Normally, when you learn vocabulary, especially at school, you would get a list of words and you would learn what they mean. When you watch films, you can see in which context specific words are used. You could also learn words you would probably never come across. For example, after watching a few seasons of one of my favourite shows “Suits”, my vocabulary of legal English was much richer.

Another perk of learning English via watching films is learning the right way to pronounce words. Not only that – if you are ambitious enough, you can even practice different accents!

However, please remember that this method will not teach you academic English which you need for passing the IELTS. Although, it is a great way to be in touch with the language at all times without even noticing it – and this will certainly help you in the long run.

Watch movies with us… Call 02036376722!

The post Learn English through film: a guide appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

Is OET a difficult test? How does it compare to the IELTS? Is it an easier option for the nurses? Are there any tips as to how to pass it first time round? These are the questions that you often ask about the Occupational English Test, OET for short. In this article I will tell you a little bit more about the exam itself and give you some tips to pass it quicker.

The Occupational English Test was first designed in the late 1980s by Professor Tim McNamara, under the guidance of the Australian National Office for Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR). The test has been researched and developed since then multiple times, mostly by the University of Melbourne, but now also by Cambridge English Language Assessment.

OET is widely recognised in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, Malaysia and the Philippines. From 1^st of November 2017, the Nursery and Midwifery Council in the UK started accepting OET as one of the tests you could provide as an English proficiency requirement when you are an overseas qualified nurse.

It is believed that the OET exam may be easier than the IETLS, mainly because of the fact that everything in this test is healthcare based, while the IELTS can be quite random.  If you’re a new test taker, I would advise you first of all to familiarise yourself with the format of the exam, so you have more or less an idea what it looks like.

Another tip I would give you is to remember that OET is still an ENGLISH test, even though it is healthcare-themed. It will not test your medical knowledge and even though it may be a bit easier for you to understand the tasks as a healthcare professional, the test will still mark your English skills. Please do not think that if you take the OET exam, you do not have to prepare that much, because it is not true. You still have to put in much work and effort in order to get that grade B.

Invest in your preparation. Preparing by yourself for such exam can only be effective if you are already a fluent English speaker and have an academic knowledge of the language. Otherwise, you may need to ask for help of an experienced tutor to guide you. At IELTS Medical we offer OET preparation courses for our nurses, so they can be 100% ready once the exam day comes. We offer classes during the week in the evenings as well as during the weekends, so we can accommodate their busy schedules. Remember that even the natives struggle passing the exam with a satisfactory score! That is why getting the right guidance is essential.

Pass the OET with us… Call 02036376722!

The post How to pass the OET appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

I have some tips for you as for how to make sure you actually stick to the plan. Well, first of all – make a plan. If your resolution is studies-focused, especially when it comes to IELTS, it can’t just be ‘This year I will get 7.5 on my exam’. That’s too general and too much wishful thinking. If you want to succeed, you need to commit. If your starting point is 6.0 in Writing and you need to get to 7.5 in the end, give yourself time. Don’t commit to getting a 7.5 straight away, because it will discourage you quickly. Instead, plan it out. For example, you can promise yourself you would get from 6.0 to 6.5 in a month. It’s perfectly doable and not too extreme.

Once you achieve your mini-goal – reward yourself. You may think that achieving your milestone is a reward in itself, but it is important that you give yourself that little additional prize and a big one once you get to your main goal. That will keep you extra motivated.

If you have trouble getting to where you need to be – write down the things that usually distract you from achieving your goal. It could be that for example you’d rather procrastinate than do your homework. Try to eliminate those factors by making studying more fun (we’ve had some articles on that). If you can’t find any motivation to learn, think of WHY you want to do it. All of our learners attend the classes in order to pass the IELTS or the OET so they can register and work as doctors or nurses in the UK. If you get lost along the way, not being motivated enough to pass the exam, think of where you’ll be once you pass it. You have spent many years in a university, studying your profession with the main thought of helping people and saving lives. If you truly want to do that – that should be your motivation. If that helps, imagine yourself working in your dream hospital, wearing scrubs, earning much more and feeling accomplished as a professional. And keep working towards that!

Keep your resolutions with us… Call 0203637672.

The post How To Fulfil Your New Year’s Resolutions? appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna

Any exam or test is usually a very stressful event. I, for example, remember my driving exam as the most stressful day in my entire life, even the exams that I had when I studied at the university were nowhere near as stressful as that driving exam was. It got to the point where I didn’t know how to control the stress level and eventually failed the test. It was only when I learned how to prepare mentally for the exam when I actually passed it.
I will give you some tips as for how to prepare for your OSCE exam beforehand and on the day to feel more self-confident and comfortable.

1. Try not to be nervous and stay calm – I know it’s easier said than done. But you have to believe in yourself and that you are properly prepared. You are a qualified nurse and the exam is for nurses entering registration at an entry level. You got this! You have spent many years studying to be a nurse, you have probably also worked in your profession for some time so you know what you’re doing.

3. The day before the exam just relax. Don’t think about it. Let your mind rest. If you can, take a day off. Make yourself a nice, long bath. Try to get a good night’s sleep as well so you are properly rested and fresh the day of the exam.

5. Remember that you are presented as you would need to be in practice – that means no jewellery, if you have long hair – tie it up, no nail polish, wear flat shoes and short sleeve.

7. Give yourself enough time to get to your test centre; keep in mind the traffic or if you’ve never been in the area, give yourself extra time to find the way.

You definitely got this. You’ve been preparing for the exam, you’ve been working in your profession in your home country, you’ve read everything you can about this test – passing it is just one of the steps on your way to being a practising nurse in the UK. You’ve already passed statistically the most difficult part which is the language proficiency test. OSCE should now be a piece of cake!

Get OSCE review with us… call on 0203 637 6722.

The post The Best Time For OSCE Review appeared first on IELTS Medical - call today - 0203 637 6722.

• By Anna 

When you are a nurse wanting to register with the NMC, the last step, after completing the language requirements and passing the CBT is moving to the OSCE exam which will test your practical nursing skills.

During the OSCE exam, the nurses and midwives are required to act out certain scenarios which will assess their clinical skills. There are six separate stations using simulated patients in a clinical setting, each lasting between 10-20 minutes; the first four stations will test the candidates’ knowledge and understanding of the assessment. The last two stations will focus primarily on the practical skills.

Since OSCE is a very important part of your NMC registration, it is vital that you come properly prepared for the actual exam. If you are employed at a hospital as a pre-registered nurse, your trust will most likely provide you with the in-house training; the nurses who work in domiciliary care, care centres, clinics or nursing homes are at a huge disadvantage and that is why we offer a thorough OSCE review in London.

Additionally, those nurses who have training at their hospitals very often benefit from a private OSCE training with us as well.
Our OSCE training sessions last consecutive days and they usually take place at the Whittington Hospital where the learners can use specially prepared exam rooms with all of the necessary equipment. Our tutors are Helen and Mel – nurses from MyNursesLife.com who have been delivering the OSCE training for over three years.

During our OSCE review you will go through each step and as many possible scenarios as possible to make sure you are ready for the exam. Our tutors will give you feedback, tips and guidance throughout the 3 days as well as the time before the training as they have a special WhatsApp group for the students where they share their feedback and experience. In that WhatsApp group you will also be assigned homework which will be checked and marked before the training.

Our next OSCE review in London is on the 22nd of February. If you wish to sign up or if you have any questions, feel free to give us a call on 0203 637 6722.
This is how the OSCE training looked last time: