Cambridge highlights need to bridge English skill
Cambridge highlights need to bridge
English skill gap for healthcare workforc e at EbekMed Summit
The summit, themed “Redefining Nurse Talent Acquisition and Retention,” brou ght together industry leaders to address the growing workforce crisis in healthca re.
Chennai, December 4, 2024: With a glob al shortage of nurses posing a significant threat to healthcare systems, the re is a pressing need for strategic intervention . India alone faces a shortage of over 2 m illion nurses, reflecting a critical gap in h ealthcare staffing. Camb bridge Univers ity Press & Assessment addressed this challenge, emphasising on the need for immediate action to br idge the gap at the 2nd edition of the EbekMed Workf orce Summit for Nurse es. Dr. J. Radhak rishnan, Additional C hief Secretary to the Government of T amil Nadu graced the event along with Arun Rajamani, Ma naging Director, C ambridge University Press & Assesam ent, South Asia, Arun TK, Cambridge’s Head of Combined Engl ish, South Asia and Mr Sreekanthan Gob alakrishnan, Managing Director, EbekM ed.
The global nursing shortage is a loomi ng crisis, with the WHO estimates a sh ortage of 4.5 million nurses by the year 2030. While the COVID-19 pandemic was a significant catalyst that aggrava ted the situation, there are countless facto rs contributing to this issue. Two urgent issues that stand out are the ong oing communication breakdown and the skills scarcity that India’s nursing sec tor is experiencing. Moving beyond short-term staffing solutions is crucial. It is ess ential to cultivate a resilient nursing wo rkforce by addressing chronic challenge ges like attrition and talent shortages.
In his Presidential address, Arun Raja mani, Managing Director at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, South Asia emphasised, “Despite substantial global investments in healthcare, the 2024 Ipsos survey found that less than half of respondents were satisfied with their healthcare experience, with over two-thirds acknowledging overstretch ed systems and 44% identifying mental health challenges as the top concern. We can attribute these issues to two ke y problems — the severe shortage of n urses and the lack of adequately skille d talent within the healthcare system. So we need to look at improving traini ng, working conditions, and mental he alth support for our nurses.”
Effective communication skills and a strong proficiency of the English lang uage are crucial in today’s hypercom petitive global landscape. Research s hows that around 80% of significant m edical errors are caused by inadequate communication, especially during patient handoffs. This emphasises how urgently better communication is need ed. As many as 100 delegates attended the summit and the audience compris ed of representatives from Fortis Heal thcare, Rainbow Children’s Hospital, S ri Ramachandra Medical College, Glen eagles, Continental Hospital, Kauvery Hospital, MGM Hospital, Chettinad Co llege of Nursing, Alagappa College of Nursing, to name a few.
While moderating a session on ‘Health care English Training: A strategic Leve er from Talent Acquisition to Retentio n’, Arunachalam TK, Cambridge’s Hea d of Combined English, South Asia, me ntioned, “Thriving in today’s world, de mands strong English communication skills regardless of the profession. In healthcare too, English language profi ciency is crucial and an essential com ponent for both recruitment and reten tion. Additionally, we also need infrast ructure and tools to measure not only language but also clinical and behavio oural skills like teamwork which is vit al for improving the overall workforce quality.” The panel featured experts including Peter Rodway, Director, SLC, UK, Amit Upadhyay, Regional Director, OET, Dr Shyamala Kumar, Chief of Nur sing, Yashoda Hospital, Manashi Bhask ar, Chief Nursing Superintendent, Peer less Hospitals, Dr Seethalakshmi, Prof essor and HOD, Department of Nursin g foundation, SRMC CON, and Prof Sun itha PC, Principal, JDT Islam College of Nursing.
The summit also witnessed speeches d uring the plenary session led by othe r prominent industry experts like Mr. R oy K George, President of the Trained Nurses’ Association of India (TNAI), D r. Latha Venkatesan, Principal of the College of Nursing at AIIMS New Delhi, and Dr Jogendra Sharma, Vice Preside nt, Indian Nursing Council.
Cambridge offers various resources f or healthcare professionals, focusing on enhancing English language profici ency and communication skills for glo bal healthcare landscape. The pionee ring Occupational English Test (OET) stands as the premier English langua ge testing platform for healthcare prof essionals worldwide. The test thoroug hly evaluates reading, writing, speaki ng, and listening abilities for 12 health care occupations. Developed in collabo ration with healthcare professionals, the test replicates actual healthcare sit uations and includes specialised medic al vocabulary ensuring relevance and accuracy for global healthcare career s.
About Cambridge
Cambridge University Press & Assessm ent is a world-leading academic publis her and assessment organisation, and part of the University of Cambridge. W ith Cambridge English, we are involve d in developing and producing the mo st valuable range of qualifications for learners as well as teachers of English, worldwide. Over 5 million Cambridge English exams are taken each year in more than 130 countries and more tha n 20,000 universities, employers, gove rnment ministries and other organisat ions rely on Cambridge English exams and qualifications as proof of English language ability. Together, we help Ca mbridge learners be ready for the wor ld.
For more info: https://www.cambridge.org/
