DAPITAN CITY – The Jose Rizal Memorial State University (JRMSU) has recognized Occupational English Test (OET), the first government institution that officially accepted the global English language proficiency test for healthcare professionals undertaken by Cambridge English Assessment and Australia’s Boxhill Institute.
OET is one of the two internationally acknowledged English tests, the other is International English Language Testing System (IELTS) though OET is designed specifically for nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals.
Professor Vesper Sebastian-Sieras, head of JRMSU International Affairs, said April 19 the “recognition is the first step towards making the university a preparation provider or review center and eventually to become an OET test venue.”
English proficiency tests are required to healthcare professionals wishing to work in mainly English speaking environment and OET is recognized in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Dubai, Singapore, Namibia and Ukraine.
OET is available in 12 professions – dentistry, dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiography, speech pathology and veterinary medicine.
Sieras said that as of now, they can already accommodate enrollees from other countries who are OET holders who want to get masters in nursing at JRMSU.
“But we are looking forward to become OET review provider and eventually testing center so we can send our own nursing and midwifery graduates, and those from other schools who get OET from us. I know that United Kingdom and Canada prefer Filipino nurses,” Sieras said.
“Hospitals here in London prefer nurses from Philippines because of their reputation as competent, efficient, compassionate and extra caring nurses,” said Venus Sumile-Co, a senior nurse at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, under the National Health Services of England.
Sieras explained that the test areas include listening, reading, writing and speaking, which are focused on their medical knowledge and on their soft skills “like personality, attitude, flexibility, motivation and manners towards patients.”
OET is run in the Philippines under the name Digital Services Cambridge Limited ROHQ with Securities and Exchange Commission license number FS201213077. It has also been cleared by the International Affairs Secretariat of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Although OET has put up several testing centers in the Philippines, only Ateneo de Davao University and JRMSU has direct collaboration with OET.
JRMSU maintains five campuses and an External Studies Unit throughout Zamboanga del Norte province with its main campus located here in Dapitan.
