New English Tests for Health Care Workers
Posted Feb 21, 2003

At the end of 2002, the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) ceased to be accepted as an alternative to the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for health care professionals. This was reported in our December 13, 2002 MurthyBulletin article, MELAB Tests No Longer an Option for Health Care Professionals, available on MurthyDotCom. In that article we indicated the possible introduction of alternative English exam testing options for health care professionals seeking permanent residence in the U.S. In keeping with our prediction, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) recently announced that two new exams, the Test of English in International Communication (TOEIC) and the International English Testing System (IELTS), will be accepted as alternatives to the TOEFL for health care workers. The new tests will be acceptable as of February 24, 2003.

Readers of our October 22, 2002 article, Nursing as a Route to the Green Card, will recall some details about the English exams. [This and other useful articles are available on the MurthyDotCom section for Nurses and other health care workers.] For example, to pass the TOEFL the applicant must score a 540 on the paper-based exam or a 207 on the computer-based exam. Additionally, the applicant must score a 4.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE) and a 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE). Generally, the TSE is considered the most difficult portion of the exam for many foreign nurse applicants.

The TOEIC appears to be similar to the TOEFL. In order to pass the TOEIC, the applicant must score a 725 and, also, score a 4.0 on the TWE and a 50 on the TSE. The IELTS system is somewhat different, requiring a 6.5 on the exam overall with a band score of at least a 7.0 on the spoken portion of the exam.

While it is unclear which of these may be "easier," the acceptance of optional exams may reduce the number of applicants for the TOEFL. Fewer applicants could mean better exam locations and conditions. Improved conditions may lead to successful results for more applicants, quickening the pace towards filling our shortage of nurses and other health care professionals, while still ensuring that these foreign nationals have both the technical and language skills necessary to satisfactorily practice as Registered Nurses in the U.S.