No it is not compulsory but BAFEL, (British Academy for English Language) advice OET over IELTS. As writing and speaking skills are profession specific which healthcare professionals use in their day to day life at work. OET is medical English used by healthcare professional on day to day basis. The best part is that in writing skills no marks are deducted even if there are grammatical and spelling error unlike IELTS.
There are some major difference & similarities in OET & IELTS. They are:-
Similarities
1: The test takes place in one day.
2: Syllabus for both the test consists of listening, reading, writing and speaking.
3: Qualify according to graded score.
Differences
1: CONTENT
IELTS test academic English and OET test healthcare English.
2: VERSION
IELTS offers two versions of test, academic and general training. OET offers twelve version of test for different healthcare professions like: nurse, doctor, dentists, pharmacists, optometrists, podiatrists,
occupational therapists, vets, speech pathologists, dieticians, physiotherapists and radiographers.
3: PREPARATION REQUIREMENT
OET needs minimum of efforts as all that is required is streamlining your preparation as you are already working with the patients in the healthcare workplace. OET preparation portal resources make it easy to prepare for the test with the following:-
1) Online sample practice tests
2) Free online master class
3) Free online tips to improve performance
4) Customized feedback
5) Practice books for all skills
4: SCORING
IELTS OET
8-9 A
7.7-5 B
5.5-6.5 C
4.5-5.5 D
4 E
5: RECOGNITION:
OET tests real communication scenarios candidates will meet in the healthcare work place, whereas other tests assess English language skills using everyday scenarios. OET is accepted by most major Healthcare regulators in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore for registration purposes, and the Australian immigration department for all visa categories. OET is accepted as proof of English proficiency for registration, accreditation and licensing purposes in:
Australia: – OET is accepted for registration purposes by most OET professional boards with in the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and most healthcare profession councils for accreditation purposes.
Dubai Healthcare City Authority Regulatory (DHCR) accepts OET for licensing of healthcare professionals.
UK OET is accepted by nursing and midwifery council.
New Zealand OET is accepted by most healthcare boards and councils in New Zealand.
Namibia OET is accepted by the healthcare profession council of Namibia.
Singapore OET is accepted by the four major healthcare councils in Singapore.
The above facts prove beyond doubt that in case of a medico OET is the only situation.
So what are you waiting for? Join nearest BAFEL centre today.