Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Cambridge Assessment English, a part of University of Cambridge, has seen a great demand for medical professionals in Saudi Arabia signing up for the Occupational English Test (OET), the English language test of the healthcare sector in 12 professions.

The test is used by students so that they can pursue their dream of an international career in healthcare. Demand for OET has grown since the inauguration of OET Testing Center, the first test center in Saudi Arabia in May 2019 at Dar Al Hekma University. Since 2013, OET has been owned by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, a venture between Cambridge Assessment English and Box Hill Institute.

OET is an Australian-developed English language test that assesses the language proficiency of healthcare professionals. It provides assessment of all four language skills — listening, reading, writing and speaking — through test material designed to reflect real healthcare scenarios.

This test is taken by professionals who want to work or study in the healthcare sector around the world. The center has administered two tests and there has been a huge demand with more than a thousand professionals signing up since May 2019. The test is fully booked for the next few months by health professionals from many regions in the Kingdom and from other countries in the Middle East.

An OET center in Saudi Arabia enables both local as well as expatriate health professionals to pursue their higher studies.

Nassim Abu-Ershaed, regional commercial head at Cambridge Assessment English said: “It is really encouraging to see so many Saudi healthcare professionals signing up for OET and it is really well accepted in the country. The demand for the test has been staggering and reflects the fact that many Saudi medical professionals are able to achieve high level of English literature. This opens up opportunities for them to work around the world and also by helping Saudi healthcare providers to meet the needs of international clientele.”

A nurse who works in a military hospital in the south of Saudi Arabia said, “I was extremely happy when I heard about the test which was held in Jeddah”. She also commented that she along with all her colleagues have signed up as it is more convenient for them to take the test in the Kingdom versus internationally, which will significantly save their time and money.

OET helps people to achieve the right level of English and reflects at the workplace tasks for 12 healthcare professions: dentistry, dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry, radiography, speech pathology and veterinary science. The test can be used as proof of English language ability for people who want to work and study around the world including the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine, Dubai, Singapore or Namibia.