The joint-adult Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) training programme launched in June across University Hospitals Tees and has seen eleven of their internationally educated nurses (IEN) pass their OSCE exams, first time.
The OSCE is a crucial exam for nurses seeking UK registration. It assesses their competence in UK healthcare settings, ensuring they meet high standards for safe and effective practice.
The course was open to IENs across University Hospitals Tees which encompasses South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, who are registered nurses in their home country but wish to gain NMC registration in the UK.
Over the course of 12-weeks, they learnt how to navigate the complex exam which involves completing 10 stations within a set time, covering care delivery in the practice setting.
Candidates learnt the exam format, expectations, and standards and became familiar with the layout, flow of stations and timing.
Lindsay Garcia, head of nursing for University Hospitals Tees said: “Recently we realised our IENs were receiving different types of OSCE training; North Tees and Hartlepool were accessing external training whilst South Tees Hospitals delivered it in- house.
“When we came together as hospital group, we wanted to create an aligned training programme that was accessible for all our IENs working across University Hospitals Tees.
“We wanted to ensure they had the best possible support to complete their OSCEs as it is a vital step towards completing the NMC registration process.
“I am delighted that the candidates have successfully passed their OSCEs.
The milestone of passing the exam represents the culmination of a long-term goal and they can now contribute their years of expertise to support the NHS workforce and deliver safe, effective, and high-quality nursing care to patients.”
With support from the education and practice development teams, the bespoke in-house adult OSCE programme was delivered by clinical educator, Mylene Amoroso who completed her own OSCE exam in 2020 during the peak of the pandemic.
Mylene said: “Having had the opportunity to train these nurses and to witness their unwavering commitment and sacrifices firsthand, I am incredibly proud of their well-deserved achievement.
This celebrates not only their personal success but also a milestone in collaboration between our hospital trusts— a powerful reminder that perseverance, dedication, and teamwork can turn dreams into reality and inspire excellence in patient care.
“I would like to say a huge congratulations to the candidates who have successfully passed and to those who’ll be taking the exam in the future.”
Since the bespoke course launched in June; eleven have successfully passed on their first attempt, and further students will take their exams in the coming months.
Head of nursing education, Jean Angus said: “It was a pleasure to be involved with the OSCE training, and the success rate is testament to commitment of the students, who have been required to maintain consistently high standards in all stages of the NMC registration process.
“Everyone who was involved in the pilot is very proud of all our IENs and we hope to be able to offer further training like this in the future.”
Following the success of the pilot, there are plans to run a second cohort in 2026.