The Nurse and Midwife Accreditation Council is reviewing its standards and Universities Australia has weighed in on whether a specific level of English is necessary to start a registered nursing course.  The council’s discussion paper points to research suggesting that students whose English is not good enough to practise at the start of a course do not necessarily get up to language speed over the length of their study. However, UnisAus says findings from small studies with varying methodologies “need to be treated with caution” and “the current registered nurse accreditation standards also make adequate provision for English language proficiency.”

“Universities Australia acknowledges the apparent logic behind aligning English language requirements for commencing study with those for registration however believes there is currently inconclusive evidence to support this as an accreditation requirement.”