Australian nurses are campaigning to waive the English language test requirement for nursing registration, arguing that those who have studied and worked in healthcare professions in Australia for several years have a good command of English
Two Australian nurses, Biju Akkamparambil from Townsville and Joby Kizhakketatti from Brisbane, are campaigning to waive the English language test requirement for nursing registration in Australia. They argue that nurses who have studied in Australian universities and worked in healthcare professions in Australia for several years have a good command of the English language and have participated in programs and placements that require extensive use of English, which has developed their language skills to a high level of proficiency.
The Australian healthcare sector is projected to face a shortage of up to 123,000 nurses by 2030, and the nurses believe that waiving the English language test requirement would allow more trained nurses from Australian universities to receive their nursing registration. This, in turn, would help to share the burden of hardworking nurses and encourage more people to take up nursing as a profession.
Akkamparambil and Kizhakketatti are urging people to help by writing an email to AHPRA and copying it to federal and state health ministers, as well as their local state and federal MPs. They believe that this would bring attention to their campaign and could potentially bring about changes in the English language test requirement for nursing registration.
The issue of language barriers in healthcare is a global one, and it is important to recognise the efforts of healthcare professionals who have worked hard to overcome them. In this case, the Australian nurses are seeking recognition for their language proficiency and advocating for a change that could benefit the healthcare sector as a whole.
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