NMC clarification following questions about its registration processes for internationally educated professionals

Published on 14 June 2024

Our clarification

We’ve received some questions about a historical third party blog from 2020 relating to our requirements for internationally educated nurses to join our register in the mental health field.

We have made no recent changes in this area and the current approach has been in place since 2019.

Before being able to join the register, internationally trained professionals must hold a qualification that will or has allowed them to register in their country of training. In the field of mental health, internationally trained professionals must also complete our test of competence (ToC). The ToC is mapped to our standards and assesses skills and knowledge in the fields in which professionals join our register - mental health, adult, children’s or learning disability nursing. It includes a computer based test and the in-person objective structure clinical examination.

While internationally trained professionals do not need to hold a specific mental health nursing qualification to take the mental health nursing ToC, they would have to be able to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in this field of nursing practice in order to complete the ToC.


Other recent news…

Sam Donohue discusses nursing associate role on Just a Sharp Scratch podcast

Published on 13 February 2025

Sam Donohue, Acting Executive Director of Professional Practice, recently joined registered nursing associate (NA) Martyn Davey on his podcast Just a Sharp Scra


NMC increases diversity of FtP panel member pool

Published on 30 January 2025

The NMC has increased the diversity of its pool of panel members, who make decisions at fitness to practise hearings. This has been a key aim of successive recr


NMC updates on fitness to practise plan

Published on 29 January 2025

The average age of fitness to practise (FtP) cases continues to fall across several stages of the process, as the NMC starts to reach quicker decisions for peop