Kirkcaldy course brings healthcare staff from across globe to advance careers

The University of Dundee’s School of Health Sciences campus in the Lang Toun is welcoming a new intake of learners every month as part of a course that allows international healthcare workers to prepare for work in the UK.

The intense, week-long period of study is preparing learners from countries including India, Mali, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. The nurses undertake the training as preparation for their Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), which they are required to pass to work within health and social care settings. The course is also supporting nurses returning to practice after a period away from the profession. An online information event with further details will take place on Wednesday, December 13, with registration in advance required via Eventbrite.

Suzanne Bell, programme lead, said: “The university has always provided the highest standard of training for learners from different backgrounds and levels of study. This course has the opportunity to empower international healthcare workers to fulfil their aspirations for working here in the UK. Welcoming these learners to our campus here in Kirkcaldy is a great privilege and those we host here speak in glowing terms about the town and the University.”

The course was initially piloted by Dr Kevin Stirling, lecturer in clinical skills and simulation coordinator - and the benefit to those sitting the nursing and midwifery council exam was quickly apparent.

Participants stay in Kirkcaldy throughout their period of study, with the university capable of training up to 120 people per year. Given their distance from home and the time away from friends and family – often several weeks - it devotes a portion of the course to ensuring their mental wellbeing.

Paul Smith, lecturer in mental health at the university, added, “This course has the potential to transform the lives of these candidates. Ensuring they are prepared both practically and psychologically is important and a responsibility that we take seriously as part of the programme.

“Knowing that we are preparing our learners for a new chapter in their careers is hugely rewarding, but also a big responsibility for us. The time these nurses spend here in Kirkcaldy has the potential to change their lives forever.”