Immigration And Nationality Services (IANS) started out as an immigration practice in 2010 and entered the healthcare recruitment industry in 2014 and found another opportunity to extend its services to providing Objective Structure Clinical Examination (OSCE) in 2015 making it since a one stop shop for all the services required both by international nurses seeking work in the UK and care providers in the UK filling the massive gaps in the nursing workforce.
4-6 Weeks Recruitment Timeline
The average hiring time of most NHS Trusts when recruiting international nurses is 24 - 36 months from job interviews, during which time the role is unfilled. This period is a cost. There is either no productivity or productivity is diverted by diverting someone else, likely the manager, or another nurse, or an agency nurse. All these options incur expensive costs.
IANS developed a unique & effective international recruitment process that guarantees deployment of nurses within 4-6 weeks from start to finish. This ability to reduce the hiring process to 6 weeks has a significant impact on the cost line, saving the Trusts from £37,500 against productivity loss or from £26,034 against agency cover cost. This means by recruiting 14 nurses for a Trust, we saved them a total of £525,000 against productivity loss and and £364,476 against agency cost. See full story and basis of calculation here.
This is what Cathyrn Fairhurst, Chief Operating Officer of New Care Group has to say about their experience in using our full recruitment service:
The speed of the process is amazing although sometimes you catch your breath. The team are fabulous, very knowledgeable and helpful. they literally walk me through the process.
Excelcare Holdings, a leading, family-run company with 33 warm and welcoming care homes and a compassionate home care service, situated amongst local communities within Cambridge, Essex, London and Milton Keynes, followed the same 6 weeks timeline when they needed to fill 20 nursing vacancies across their home after their sponsor licence was reinstated. Watch the full story here.
100% OSCE Pass Rate
In October 2014, the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) introduced the 2 Part Test of Competence for international nurses to register in the UK. Part 1 Test of Competence is a Computer Based Test (CBT) and can be taken by eligible overseas nurses in countries where there is Pearson View Testing Centre. Part 2 Test of Competence otherwise known as Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), however, is only available at the NMC accredited test centres in the UK. The NMC had an OSCE test pass rate of around 50% in the first 6 months of its new registration test regime, which meant that international nurses were being deported in massive numbers because paragraph 77K(c)(ii) of Appendix A: Attributes of the Immigration Rules provides that:
the applicant will cease to be sponsored if full Nursing and Midwifery Council registration is not achieved within 8 months of the stated employment start date (or, if the applicant is applying for leave to remain and was last granted leave as a Tier 2 Migrant to work as a nurse or midwife, within 8 months of the start date of that previous employment).
IANS helped hundreds of overseas nurses who failed their OSCE exams remain in the UK by submitting fresh applications to challenge the unfair and restrictive rules enforced at the time. In addition, IANS developed its own OSCE training programme that will provide international nurses adequate and effective preparation before sitting OSCE. IANS piloted this programme by training the 12 international nurses of Four Seasons Healthcare in Belfast which resulted to a pass of 99%. With such a remarkable initial result, IANS have continued improving its curriculum, delivery until it has achieved a 100% pass rate over the years. Jump here to see the full range of our OSCE Training Services and more success stories.
2-4 Weeks To NMC Pin Number
It is important to note that until these international nurses pass their OSCE, they are unable to work as registered nurses in the United Kingdom. IANS found that these nurses were being given once a week training by the NHS Trusts over a period of 3-4 months and because of this staggered training programme, these nurses more often than not could not achieve competence and therefore were failing the exams. As a result, a big number were failing and being deported and those who eventually passed their exams after 2-3 attempts had taken up to 8 months to do so. Again, such period adds to the spiralling agency cost of care providers.
IANS developed a strategy to cut the unnecessary length of time it was taking overseas nurses to achieve NMC pin numbers from entering the UK by doing two simple but effective planning:
- First - Booking the OSCE test at the point of submitting the Tier 2 visa applications during which the nurse was still outside the UK. The normal practice is to arrange the test date on arrival but test availability is always not earlier than 8 weeks from the time of booking and so by doing this earlier within the predicted arrival date, we are able to secure test dates within 3-4 weeks of arrival.
- Second - Providing an intensive two weeks OSCE training within days of arrival. With a test date secured within 3-4 weeks and giving these international nurses immediate intensive training, our experience proves that it is possible to get these nurses fully registered with the NMC within 4 weeks of joining their employers in the UK. This meant eliminating their agency spend within a very short period of time as well, just like the speed in which we normally bring in nurses from overseas.
What's new then?
Whether you are a candidate or an employer, you will have the ability to choose the most appropriate service that matches your requirements in achieving your goals or solving your problems. If you are an international nurse for example, you can create a stunning career profile, showcase your skills and accomplishments and get found whereas employers can post their vacancies to the right audience knowing that there will be no time-wasters and ineligible applications to fill up their inbox. All of these happen in a private and secure online community platform called connectIANS©.
Feel free to navigate around our new site and we recommend you start on the candidates page or sponsors page whichever is relevant to you.
Enjoy your visit and we look forward to working with you.
COMMENTS