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Effective communication cannot be compromised when it comes to the healthcare sector. Patients might run the risk of poor treatment if the healthcare provider cannot grasp any information provided and respond in turn. Therefore, picking healthcare professionals from a host of medical graduates is not an easy task. To ensure patient safety, healthcare systems worldwide have devised professional standards that their doctors and nurses are supposed to meet in terms of communication. 

If you are part of the medical industry, you must be aware of how OET tests serve this purpose. You can validate your communication calibre in English with an OET test certification in case you are looking to migrate to a foreign country. But, are you aware that OET has expanded its range to accommodate yet another country to its list? Then let me inform you that this time OET has made its way to a country where most people prefer to migrate, which is- the US.  

Doctors and nurses can prove their English language efficiency with the OET to apply for positions in the US. The acceptance of  OET in the US comes with an advantage, it helps you to apply for residence and fellowship programs. 

If you are still not convinced about taking an OET test to make your American dream come true, let me help you in making a decision.  

Profession Specific 

American boards constantly assess the language ability of non-native speakers of English. Generally, Candidates take exams like the IELTS to approve their application to study or work abroad. But the IELTS insists on preparing yourself to answer questions from a wide variety of topics. 

The OET being a healthcare-specific exam will only contain questions corresponding to healthcare scenarios. As a healthcare professional, taking an OET exam will only need you to focus on the language skills specific to the medical field. 

OET does not simply prepare you to pass a test, but work by communicating effectively with patients, a group of other doctors, and even hospital staff. All in all, you get ready to carry yourself with confidence in every workplace setting with the OET. 

Accreditation 

There is yet another aspect to be glad about. Your OET certificate will be recognized by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates  (ECFMG®). This board ensures that foreign medical students/ professionals who enter the United States healthcare system are sufficiently prepared for the rigors of a U.S. residency. 

The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®) also collaborates with the ECFMG to ensure the appointment of quality health workers to improve standards of world healthcare.

• US recognizing OET is more promising to nurses as their valuable service will be recognized in two states of the country now, Florida and Oregon. 
• The Nursing Regulatory Board of these two states have also specified their minimum score required to pass the OET exams.

If you would like to work with the state of Oregon, a minimum score of  350 (4 Grade B’s ) is expected from you. Whereas, the score for clearance is only a minimum of 300 (4 Grade C+) for Florida.

Higher Achievability

Most of the states in the US approve an IELTS certification with an individual or overall score of 7. This posed a difficulty for many to succeed the IELTS in one sitting. But thankfully with OET,  you are required to score lesser in comparison to IELTS. Secondly, you tend to appear your OET exams with a greater sense of confidence as it puts you in familiar contexts, vocabulary or speech used in the healthcare sector. 

Hence, OET gives you the liberty to build and shape your existing ability to communicate in English so that you can survive in a completely professional English speaking environment.  An OET exam can be quite expensive to afford, so clearing it in the first go can save you from losing your valuable time and money. 

Increases Credibility

You are going to be part of one of the world’s largest healthcare systems. That being the case, it’s your job to prove your efficiency to become the perfect choice of your employers. The NCLEX-RN licensing exam checks your professional and practical knowledge as a nurse, but the only exam that can prove your English proficiency is none other than the OET. 

Since professional expertise and language, use goes hand in hand in the workplace. Getting an OET certificate will make you more suitable for employment in the US. 

Future Scope

Only two states, Oregon and Florida are open to nursing graduates. but this will not keep you from achieving more. If you attain your dream job with OET then you do not have to restrict yourself to working in Florida or Oregon alone. At a later point in time, you can apply for a practice license in other states of the US as well. Therefore consider migrating to Oregon and Florida with an OET as your first step to boost your career. 

Post COVID-19 Career Growth

The US retrogression for nurses had set a limit on the number of immigrant nurses for a long time. In the current scenario, the unprecedented rise of the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown massive challenges at the US healthcare system. Hospitals are in a desperate attempt to save lives and control the virus spread. Hence, the US has slowly lifted its cutback of nurses due to their immense shortage. Due to this, your chances of employment are likely higher. 

It might not be favorable to make a move to the US currently, but you can crack your OET and ready yourself to fly when the situation permits. 

Concluding Note

It is widely known that The Occupational English Test (OET) allows healthcare professionals to register and practice in an English speaking country. The news of the US being added to the list of countries can raise questions in the mind of all aspirants. By this time, you must have realized what makes OET the best choice for you. Especially in the present time when nurses and doctors are much sought after, it gives a renewed sense of hope. An invitation to all nurses and doctors to make the US their next destination.

Introduction

Are you preparing to take the IELTS test? Are you worried about writing your Task 2 essay? You’re not alone! For most students, IELTS Writing Task 2 is the hardest part of the test, so in this article I will give you some tips to help you prepare for it.

1. Understand The Assessment Criteria

The first thing you should do is find out how IELTS examiners assess Writing Task 2. You can download the public version of the assessment criteria from the IELTS website.

In this document, you will see 4 assessment areas: Task Response (TR), Coherence and Cohesion (CC), Lexical Resource (LR), and Grammatical Range and Accuracy(GRA). TR and CC mainly assess your academic writing skills; LR and GRA assess your English language skills. So getting a high band score in Task 2 is not only about your language skills, it’s also about your academic writing skills. This means your ability to develop and support your ideas in a logical way. This is difficult for many students so…

2. Read IELTS Model Essays…and IELTS Reading Texts

One way to help you develop your academic writing skills is to read academic texts. One very good source of these are model IELTS essays. You can find these online, but be careful…many websites containing “Band 9 model essays” are often not even close to a Band 9…or even a Band 7!

Another source of academic reading material are the texts used in the Academic IELTS Reading Test. These texts are written in an academic style, so reading these will show you how to write in an academic style yourself.

3. Build your vocabulary

If you want a high band score for Lexical Resource, you need to use vocabulary that conveys your ideas in a clear, precise way. This means using topic-specific vocabulary. So you should try to learn vocabulary that is related to topics that  often come up in the IELTS writing test, such as the environment, education and jobs.

One way to do this is to read model essays and IELTS reading texts. Look at the vocabulary used in these texts. How are the words and phrases used? What words are often used together?

4. Practise Using Authentic Essays

It is very important to practise writing IELTS essays, but be careful when looking for essay questions to answer. Some essay questions which you can find online are very badly written: they can be badly worded, and on topics that are almost impossible to write about.

Instead, try to use authentic IELTS essay questions: the best source of these are questions found in the Cambridge English Authentic Papers series. I have included some of these IELTS sample essay questions on my website. I’ve also included suggestions on how to answer each question.

5. Practice Planning Essays

Don’t just practise writing essays, practise planning essays.

To get a high band score, you need to write a well-structured essay with well-developed and supported ideas. To help you do this, you should plan your essay carefully before you write anything.

So find an essay question and spend 10 minutes planning it. Then look at another question, and plan that. You don’t need to actually write these essays – simply practise planning them. If you practise planning essays, your planning skills will improve…and so will your essays.

6. Use the official answer writing sheet

You should write at least 250 words in your Task 2 essay. But don’t waste time in the exam counting your words. Instead, you need to know roughly where on the answer sheet you will reach 250 words.

How do you find this out?

Count your words – where, on the answer sheet, do you reach 250 words? Maybe you need to write 25 lines, maybe 30. You will probably find that you hit the 250 word point at around the same with each essay.

This means that in the exam, you won’t need to count your words – you will know where on the sheet you should write to. This will save you time – time which you can spend planning, writing or checking your essay!

7. Get Feedback On Your Writing

You should try to get feedback on your essays, ideally by a teacher who has a good understanding of the IELTS writing assessment criteria. Getting feedback is the most effective way to improve your band score, because you will find out what you are doing wrong, and how you improve.

If you enrol in an IELTS class, ask the teacher for feedback on your essays. Alternatively, find a teacher online who offers IELTS tutoring or an IELTS writing correction service. These services can be quite expensive, but they are cheaper than having to re-sit the IELTS exam.

There are also free options. The best one is to join an IELTS group on Facebook, where you may be able to post essays and get feedback from teachers in the group. However, these groups usually have lots of students, and very few teachers, so you may not be able to get feedback immediately, so….

8. Read The Feedback Given To Other Test Takers

In these Facebook groups, read the essays that other students post, and look at the feedback they get from teachers. Many students will have the same problems as you, and they will make the same mistakes as you, so the feedback given to one student may also be useful for you.

Conclusion

So use these 8 tips to help you prepare for Task 2 of the IELTS Writing Test. I hope they help. Tell me what you think of these tips in the comments below, and please add any of your own preparation tips. Best of luck in the IELTS exam!