Taking a high-stakes English language test for migration or registration with a country’s healthcare board can be stressful. This is because success leads to more than registering and working, it’s an opportunity to start a new chapter in your life!
Because the stakes are so high, it’s important to feel comfortable taking an English language test.
This is the reason why so many healthcare professionals take the Occupational English Test (OET). It uses real-world healthcare scenarios that can help you feel at ease when you sit OET.
Let’s look at some of the other benefits of taking OET.

1. Learn the language skills needed in a healthcare job
OET is the only English language test designed for the healthcare industry. It can help you learn the language skills you will need to succeed in your role.
OET uses role-plays to simulate healthcare environments. When you practice and take OET, you learn how to communicate with patients in a safe, controlled environment.
By putting these skills into practice, you’ll gain valuable experience that can help you when you perform your duties in an English-speaking healthcare job

2. Build your confidence
A key aspect of communication that tends to be played down is confidence. Healthcare professionals whose English is a second language can often lack the confidence to communicate effectively in English.
OET’s is specifically designed for 12 professions, including medicine, nursing and dentistry. OET’s test materials assess listening, reading, speaking and writing skills in a language a healthcare professional will understand.

For example, the Writing subtest requires candidates to produce a letter, such as a referral letter or a letter of discharge, based on case notes and other documentation. For a healthcare professional, this is a better test of English than writing an academic essay.
Taking OET helps you prepare and practice communication tasks you can expect to find when working in an English-speaking healthcare role.

3. Register and practice in an English-speaking country
OET is recognized as proof of English by healthcare regulators around the world.
Alongside the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, OET is recognized by the UK’s General Medical Council and the Nursing Medical and Midwifery Council, as well as regulators in Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and several other countries.
If you’re looking to start working in an English-speaking healthcare industry, then OET is the ideal test to achieve this.
OET can help you kick start your internal healthcare career, so make sure to register today!

4. Taking control during OET
You need to start the role-play and move the conversation forward to cover as many of the tasks as you can in the 5 minutes.
Listening and responding appropriately to the patient is part of managing the conversation. You should balance the amount of time you talk and the amount of time you listen.
Knowing that OET is like real-life patient-professional communication is one of the reasons many candidates pick OET. Not only does it test you in ways you are familiar with but by preparing for OET, you’re also preparing for work.