Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) is a statutory body that ensures the quality and integrity of nursing and midwifery practices. NMBI has specific standards for education, registration, and professional conduct of nurses and midwives for maintaining this practice.
There are ample job opportunities and better career potential for overseas nurses and midwives in Ireland who are eligible for NMBI registration. In addition, the nursing career in Ireland offers attractive salary packages as well as further benefits.
An applicant must meet various standards in order to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
Education Requirements
A degree or diploma in nursing that has a duration of a minimum of three years is required to apply for nursing jobs in Ireland. A specialised Education Assessor will be evaluating the transcripts of the programme in order to ensure that the training and syllabus meet the standards of NMBI.
Requirements for English Language Proficiency
Every applicant must meet the English language requirements of NMBI as language competence is a critical aspect of patient safety. Communication is defined as speaking, reading, listening and writing. Applicants must provide evidence that confirms their level of competence meets the requirements in all four divisions of communication.
There are three pathways to prove the applicant’s English proficiency.
Pathway 1: Trained in English in an NMBI Recognised Country
The pre-registration nursing or midwifery qualification which an applicant is relying on for registration was taught and examined in English in one of the NMBI recognised countries.
NMBI will recognise the following countries as majority English speaking for the purpose of registering and practising in Ireland:
- Australia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- The United States of America
- United Kingdom
Evidence required:
- Document showing evidence of qualification completion and location of college
- If the college is based in one of the French provinces of Canada (Quebec or New Brunswick), the college must provide confirmation that the qualification and practice placements were completed in English.
Exemptions:
- NMBI will also accept if an applicant completed their pre-registration qualification in an EU country where English is listed as a co-official language. The applicant must hold automatic qualification recognition under the EU Directive. The college must provide confirmation that the qualification and practice placements were completed in English.
- NMBI will consider any evidence of English language competency, equivalence to CEFR (C1) from EU Directive applicants only.
- NMBI will consider secondary or third level qualifications in, or through, English if evidenced as equivalent to CEFR C1 from EU Directive applicants only.
Pathway 2: Registered and Practised in an NMBI Recognised Country
Applicants must be able to prove that they have three years of post-registration practice within the last five years in one of the recognised countries.
An applicant who wishes to rely on evidence that that they have registered and practised in English must be able to prove that they have 3 years post registration practice within the last five years in one of the NMBI recognised countries.
- Australia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- The United States of America
- United Kingdom
Evidence required:
A letter on headed paper or an email from the applicant’s employer/s or nursing authority covering the following:
- Location of employment
- The dates of employment
- Applicant’s job title (nursing or midwifery)
- If the employer is based in one of the French provinces of Canada (Quebec or New Brunswick), the employer must provide a statement confirming that the applicant was practising as a nurse or midwife primarily in English.
Pathway 3: English Language Tests
The applicant must clear either the International English Language Test System (IELTS) Academic or Occupational English Test (OET) with scores that meet NMBI requirements.
Please refer to the tables below for the minimum levels in each of the tests that are accepted by NMBI:
| IELTS Academic Test | Minimum International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Score | |
| Listening | 7.0 | Overall IELTS score of 7.0 with a minimum of 7.0 in any three components and 6.5 in any one component. (please see table for example) |
| Reading | 7.0 | |
| Writing | 6.5 | |
| Speaking | 7.0 | |
| Overall | 7.0 | |
| OET | Minimum Occupational English Test (OET) Grade and Scores | |
| Listening | B (350 – 450) | OET (Nursing) with Grade B in three components and C+ in one component. (please see table for example) |
| Reading | B (350 – 450) | |
| Writing | C+ (300 – 340) | |
| Speaking | B (350 – 450) | |
Please note that:
- NMBI only accepts IELTS Academic or OET as evidence of English language competency
- The test results must be less than two years old
- The applicant must provide IELTS Academic Test Report Form (TRF) number OR OET Candidate Number
- NMBI will not accept combined results and will independently verify the scores of each applicant
- If an applicant applies without meeting the English language competence requirements, the assessment fee will not be refunded.
Important Information
- Do not submit an application for registration until you have earned the requisite IELTS Academic or OET score.
- The assessment cost is non-refundable if you submit an application but do not meet the English proficiency standards.
- IELTS and OET test scores older than two years are not accepted by the NMBI. The candidate must retake the IELTS or OET if their exam scores have expired.
- The candidate must provide IELTS Academic Test Report Form (TRF) number OR OET Candidate Number.
- NMBI will independently verify each score.
- NMBI accepts only a single test score (one sitting) and does not accept combined scores.
- NMBI only accept test taken on a computer in a test centre and does not accept tests taken at home.
- NMBI processes applications chronologically on a first-come-first basis. Hence, the organisation does not fast-track applications for any reason.