An online questionnaire exploring how recruiting organisations support international nurses and midwives undertake the OSCE and gain UK professional registration.

Abstract

Background: There is an active strategy to recruit international nurses and midwives to help manage vacancy gaps in the United Kingdom's healthcare system. However, there is little evidence detailing how recruiting organisations prepare new recruits for the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) they are required to pass.Aims and objectives: To gather and analyse feedback from recruiting organisations on the preparation offered to international nurses and midwives on arrival in the United Kingdom, prior to undertaking an OSCE in order to gain Nursing and Midwifery Council professional registration.Design and methods: An online cross-sectional questionnaire. The data was analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Four main themes were generated from thematic analysis of the qualitative data: SAME IDEAS DIFFERENT PRACTICE; PASSING THE OSCE; INDIVIDUALISED SUPPORT; SUPPORT NETWORKS.Conclusion: Differences in how organisations prepare and support international nurses and midwives to undertake the OSCE suggest standardised approaches could benefit new recruits.Impact statement: Addressing an evidence gap, this research suggests recruits may benefit from standardised support around working and living in the UK.