We are a group of internationally qualified nurses living in Australia desperate to serve our communities, but our clinical examination keeps getting delayed due to COVID-19 lockdowns. We have years of experience in critical care and other essential areas but we are helpless, unable to work due to an inflexible licensing system.

We are calling on AHPRA, the Federal Health Minister and state Health Ministers to urgently find a temporary alternative to the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) so we can support hospitals in the pandemic. 

Every day we read about nurses in hospitals across different states being overworked and hospitals overwhelmed. It pains us to wait and watch when we could be out there serving the community. I urge our leaders to help us help Australians. 

Most of us have had our exam postponed twice or thrice because of the border closures and lockdowns. We are struggling to take care of our families and hospitals are struggling to cope with the load - it’s a win-win for everyone. 

Many essential services such as breast screening are being paused because nurses have to be deployed to COVID-19 clinics. We can help ease the burden if we are given a chance.

Right now, candidates can only take OSCE in a facility in South Australia (Adelaide Health Simulation) which can accept only a limited number of applicants. Since 2020, only 2-3 exams have been conducted with just 40 students at a time. There are more than a thousand of us ready to take the exam and begin working.

We call on AHPRA and relevant ministers to re-assess the current assessment model. We need temporary alternatives such as clinical placements or other exam equivalents to OSCE which can be implemented soon to meet the demand.