What's May Parsons' tip for fellow Filipina nurses? | ABS-CBN

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What's May Parsons' tip for fellow Filipina nurses?

What's May Parsons' tip for fellow Filipina nurses?

Willard Cheng,

ABS-CBN News

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Filipina nurse May Parsons urged healthcare professionals and those who aspire to work in the health industry to improve their English proficiency, saying it helps ensure patient safety and care as well as help professionals in their career advancement.

Parsons is currently in Manila and was introduced as the global ambassador of Occupational English Test (OET), an English language assessment organization that provides training, development, and assessment of English communication skills that healthcare professionals need to excel in local and global healthcare.

Currently associate chief nurse of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS in the United Kingdom, Parsons credits her fluency in English as a key factor that enabled her to provide exceptional care and develop her skills to take on leadership roles in the healthcare setting.

“It’s really integral and pivotal to the success of this, not only in provision of really safe patient care but also for their personal and professional advancement. I think I wouldn’t be here standing in front of you today without strong language skills or English skills. I think it is prominent in the work that we do in England or in the UK, across the world," Parsons said.

"Filipinos are well known in being able to provide that best care, the preferred nurses in the world because of our culture, of our tradition, and strengthening our English skills is going to add on to that preference for our service because for patient safety, you need to be able to communicate as effectively and efficiently not just to your patients but also to their relatives, to their families, but also to enable you to have that career development that you aspire to be,” she added.

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She was chosen to administer the world's very first COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020 at the peak of the global pandemic.

Queen Elizabeth II awarded Parsons with the George Cross, the highest civilian honor in the UK, making her the first and only Filipino to receive this prestigious award.

She urged students and professionals in the healthcare setting to “practice, practice, practice” their English skills to develop and improve their language proficiency and communication skills along their clinical practice.

“We are the preferred nurses of the world. So if you wanted to advance, whether you wanted to stay locally [or go in a global setting], English is something that you would want to be in your pocket because that’s going to literally bring you closer to your dream. The things that you would do with the language is literally that’s something that would unlock your future and your success,” Parsons said.

OET Regional Manager Krizelle Kilicaslan said OET is partnering with various universities, hospitals and companies including the Dr. Carl Balita Review Center for initiatives to improve Filipino medical professionals' English proficiency, helping them become confident in the use of English language in healthcare settings and prepare them for licensure examinations.

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“We all know that communication is very essential to deliver patient safety and quality care. And in the Philippines, we are very proud to partner with different universities and hospitals to encourage everyone to improve their English communication skills not just for the intention of working overseas but to make sure that they would develop their career in the Philippines and be one of the centers for medical tourism and be confident and say that we are globally competent Filipino nurses working in the Philippines, not just overseas,” Kilicaslan said.

Established in 2013, OET provides the English language test designed specifically for healthcare, helping equip countless healthcare professionals across more than 100 countries with language expertise.

The OET Test assesses healthcare professionals in reading, writing, listening, and speaking using real workplace scenarios and healthcare terminology.

OET will also hold fairs in Manila, Quezon City, and Pampanga in December for Filipino nurses or healthcare providers interested in enhancing their communication skills.

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