How Oversea Trained Midwives Can Live and Work in the UK

Nurses and midwives continue to be in short supply in the UK so that foreign trained nurses and midwives are warmly welcomed. Anyone wanting to work in the UK as a midwife must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

To be accepted for registration applicants must have successfully completed an approved programme of midwifery education and must also meet the NMC requirements of good health and good character. The registration requirements for midwives are different depending on where the applicant qualified.

Information about this can be found on the NMC website. Registration with the NMC does not guarantee that you will find employment within the UK, it also does not provide the right to work in the UK.

Non-European Economic Area nationals

If you are not a UK/EEA national, you will need to meet the requirements of UK Visas and Immigration regulations to gain the right to enter and work in UK.

The NMC sets requirements and standards for midwives from outside of the UK and EEA. These must be met by any midwife whose initial training was not within the EU or UK and wishes to apply to join the NMC register. Visit the NMC website for a full list criteria to join the register.

Process for midwives trained from outside the EEA

Since October 2014, individuals who trained outside of the UK or EEA and meet all the minimum requirements set by the NMC, need to successfully complete a 2-part application process.

• Part one – a computer based multiple-choice examination which will be accessible in many countries around the world for applicants to access in their home countries.
• Part two – a practical objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) which will always be held in the UK.

This process does not require applicants to complete a period of supervised practice.
For further information about the application process and the test of competence please visit the NMC website.

All applicants must have successfully completed this 2-part process before the NMC will consider placing them on the Midwives Register.

European Economic Area nationals

The NMC will compare the training you received in your country, with that required in the UK. Where there are significant differences between the two, the NMC will detail these and you may be invited to make up the differences through a period of adaptation.

Midwives who received their training outside the EEA and have not been registered and practised in another EU member state for three years, will need to apply through the overseas route. This applies equally to overseas trained midwives who hold EU nationality or EC Treaty Rights.

Following the recognition of qualification, and before entry to the register, all applicants are required to supply evidence that they have the necessary knowledge of English. Communication is defined as speaking, reading, listening and writing.

Read more information about EEA registration on the NMC website.

Related reading: Guide to live and work in the UK for medical and allied health professionals

Source:
The above article is reproduced from material entitled 'Information for overseas midwives' as provided by NHS Careers. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.