Why do I need an IELTS or OET certificate, I am not becoming a teacher, I am a doctor.
The Irish medical Council (IMC) didn’t ask for an IELTS or OET certificate, so why does the HSE need one.
Yes I have an IELTS or OET certificate, yes it is out of date but I shouldn’t need to sit it again, as you an see I passed it the first time.
Above are some of the responses we have received from doctors over the last few months and there seems to be a lot of frustration and annoyance over this topic, so let us break it down for you.
An IELTS or OET certificate is not asked for the purpose of catching you out, or denying that you don’t have a good understanding or level of spoken English, or singling you out because you weren’t born or studied in the following countries: Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, The United States of America or The United Kingdom.
The purpose of having an IELTS or OET certificate for when you start your first official role/position here in Ireland is:
- Confirmation of your ability to communicate clearly with patients and colleagues. This is a key requirement for all healthcare professionals.
- Under Section 6 ‘Standard duties and responsibilities’ of NCHD Contract 2010, NCHDs are required to be able to communicate effectively with patients and clients; and comply with statutory and regulatory requirements, corporate policies and procedures and human resource policies and procedures.
- It is an extra protection and proof for yourself and for the hospital, in case it is ever called into question that your level of English, whether it spoken, written or understanding, isn’t sufficient.
Proficiency in the English language is therefore a core competency for NCHDs working in the Irish public health service (HSE).
The HSE are very strict on their requirements and if you were not registered with the Irish Medical Council in any of the divisions of the Register of Medical Practitioners prior to 1st January 2015, or who did not complete the entirety of their under-graduate medical training in the Republic of Ireland, then you need one of the following:
Category 1. Doctors who completed their Medical degree in English from any of the following countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, The United States of America or The United Kingdom must provide:
- A copy of their Medical Degree Certificate
Category 2. Doctors who completed:
- The Irish State Leaving Certificate examination or A Levels in the United Kingdom
and a Medical Degree in English must provide all three of the following:- A copy of Irish Leaving Certificate/UK A-Level transcript results
- A copy of their Medical Degree
- Certificate/confirmation from their University confirming their Medicaldegree was taught and examined solely in English.
Category 3. Doctors who meet the English Language requirements by attaining certification either the International English Language Test System (IELTS) (Academic EXAM) or Occupational English Test (OET).
In summary, if you haven’t registered with IMC prior to the 1 st of January 2015 or completed your studies in Ireland, you need to show evidence of one of the following categories 1, 2 or 3.
For further information with the HSE, click here: https://www.hse.ie/
