study nursing in uk without ielts

The Royal College of Nursing is the professional organisation for nurses in the UK with a membership of around 435,000. They are committed to providing the best educational opportunities for nurses and have over 150 years of experience in doing so.

# RCN

The

The RCN programme allows you to study while continuing in employment and the course will normally take four years to complete. There are usually three blended learning modules per year, with eight modules in total.

• How long will the course take?

You can complete the course in 1 year on a full-time basis or 2 years part time.

• What is the entry requirement?

You need to have a degree and be working as a nurse or midwife. You must be employed for at least 21 hours per week in an appropriate clinical setting for at least 14 weeks a year and you must have access to patients with complex needs and who require health care intervention. You also need to provide two references, one from your current manager or tutor and another from your head of nursing/midwifery services or equivalent that confirms your ability to study at this level.

How is this taught?

Blended learning is an approach to education that incorporates face-to-face teaching with online learning, allowing you to interact with your course materials and tutors in a variety of ways. This type of learning is ideal if you prefer having an element of personalised support in your studies or have a busy schedule that makes inflexible, online modules less appealing.

If you decide to opt for blended learning, your studies will be taught through a combination of:

• Online learning – this can include pre-recorded lectures and other activities designed to help you engage with the subject matter and get the most out of each module.
• Self-study – self study allows you the freedom to work on your own, at times that suit you. How much time this takes largely depends on how well organised you are – it can involve reading books and articles, writing essays, taking part in discussion forums or completing projects related to your module.
• Webinars/online discussion sessions – these are live chat rooms led by tutors and fellow students where questions can be discussed and shared ideas explored as they arise rather than waiting until the next scheduled lecture.

The course is made up of eight modules which are taught through an online learning platform. You will be able to access any resources at any time and there will be weekly discussions through discussion forums and webinars.

The course is delivered through an online-learning platform which allows you to study at a time and place of your choosing. This means that you can access the course from anywhere in the world and do not have to attend regular classes.

There is no formal start or end date for the course, but it does have set modules with deadlines for submission of work. The weekly content will be released to you by 10am each week, meaning that if you choose to download it on a Wednesday evening, you will still be expected to fit in any scheduled activities or due dates around this. The course can therefore only be studied part-time; although there are no restrictions on how many hours per week you want to study (for example, if you want to spend 20 hours per week studying one week because your life is quieter then this is fine). It should however take about 8-10 hours a week over 24 weeks on average including guided learning time and self-study.

You will have access to all of the resources as soon as they are uploaded onto the system and can interact with other students via discussion forums and webinars (which are recorded so can be watched later).

What is the supporting framework?

The University provides extensive support to all students studying online. All students have access to the following Student Services:

• An online learning platform
• Discussion forums and weekly webinars
• 24 hours a day, 7 days a week technical support with their studies

In order to study on a postgraduate degree programme at the RCN Institute you will need to be working as a registered nurse or midwife in your home country but if you are not, then you do have alternatives as shown below.

To register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), you need to meet the English language requirement, which is that you must have knowledge of written and spoken English.

The NMC will accept equivalent qualifications in English to GCSE grade C or above.

These are:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at band 7.0 overall with no component below 6.5
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) at level 66 overall with no component below 62
• Occupational English Test (OET) at Grade B for all components
• Cambridge Advanced Certificate in the FCE examination at grade C or above

Am I eligible?

Are you a nurse or midwife? If you are, then you’re eligible for an overseas nursing visa. In addition, either one of these must be true:

• You have a first degree in nursing (three years).
• You have a master’s degree in nursing (two years).
• You have a bachelor’s degree in nursing (four years).

You must have a first degree (three years) from your home country either a Masters (two years) or Bachelors degree (four years) with honours.

Students can apply for the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Nursing without having to sit an IELTS exam if they meet the below criteria:

• You must have a first degree from your home country either a Masters (two years) or Bachelors degree (four years) with honours. The registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council requires all students to have a bachelors degree prior to being accepted on the programme.
• If you are an overseas student and have a nursing qualification from a country outside of the UK or EU then you will need to have a minimum of three years experience as a registered nurse.

You need professional experience, preferably with at least two years of post registration experience as a registered nurse or midwife.

• Be a professionally qualified nurse or midwife. You need professional experience, preferably with at least two years of post registration experience as a registered nurse or midwife.
• Have an undergraduate degree (BSc Honours) in nursing/midwifery from your home country, which is equivalent to the above qualification here in the UK.
• Provide evidence of English language proficiency, which is equivalent to IELTS 7.0 with no less than 6.5 in each banding for student visa applications.
• Provide evidence that you have successfully completed all the theoretical components of an undergraduate pre-registration nursing/midwifery programme within 5 years prior to commencing your studies on the MSc module(s).
• Have a current practice learning plan and be able to demonstrate how it will meet your personal learning needs during the time you undertake your studies at UCLan Cyprus campus.
• Identify someone who can act as mentor and discuss this role with them before applying for any place(s) on this course