MANILA โ On September 2023, Dr. Carl Balita Group of Companies, and its biggest review center in the country, Dr. Carl Balita Review Center (CBRC), entered a partnership with OET Philippines in a big project supported by the Department of Health (DOH) to deliver free OET reading training for nursing graduates and nurses taking the Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE).ย ย
Dr. Carl Balita Review Center (CBRC) is a known educational institution in the Philippines that provides comprehensive training programs for various professional licensure exams and test preparation courses. They are offering free review programs for all unlicensed nurses in partnership with the Department of Health. This OET and CBRC partnership will provide free OET Reading classes for the nursing students of CBRC who are preparing for the Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE) in the Philippines.
โThe beauty of this is weโre able to bring not only the review and preparation of this language test (OET) to where we are all over the Philippines, thatโs almost 200 branches all over and this will also be available on a face-to-face and virtual learning and of course, there will also be testing centers all over the country,โ said Dr. Carl Balita, President & CEO of CEB Group of Companies.ย
This project aims to improve nursing studentsโ reading comprehension skills and increase their confidence to use English in healthcare contexts as they prepare for their NLE. The training will be through a series of classes that focus on expeditious reading, deeper reading, and understanding the main ideas, attitudes, or opinions, in the provision of care.
“OET is occupational English test, it’s the world’s number 1 English language test for healthcare professionalsโฆthey can use it in the country to improve the English proficiency of our nurses,” said Krizelle Kilicaslan, Regional Manager of OET Philippines. “Carl Balita Review Center is the biggest review center in the Philippines in ASEAN and Asia. And we are glad to be a partner [of OET]. The leading English test for health professionals and the leading brand of review center is now one.” added Dr. Janus De Leon, CBRC Director of Academics and Services.
With Dr. Carl Balita Review Center (CBRC) focusing on strengthening the knowledge and capability of nursing students, this has helped bridge the OETโs vision which is to connect the world to better healthcare.ย
“Reading skills are important for our healthcare professionals, serving as a valuable asset not only for their Nursing Licensure Examination but also in building their confidence when understanding medical texts. Through this OET Reading skills training, we can empower our Filipino nurses to deliver effective patient care,” said Alvin Alonzo, OET Education Specialist.
“In CBRC, in all our programs, we are not just preparing them to be able to pass the test, but we really want to improve their competencies in the world of work wherever they will operate.” said Dr. Carl Balita, President & CEO of CEB Group of Companies.
Through CBRCโs extensive branch network throughout the Philippines, they can reach out to a wide number of Filipino nurses and allow them to enhance their knowledge in pursuing their potential.
“We are very excited [with this partnership] because we already kicked out the first launch with the OET-NLE review care of CBRC, in fact, last week we did a review for over 500 nurses and we want to increase the reading comprehension of our nurses to make sure that they will be successful in their NLE review and test-taking, that’s why we partnered with Dr. Carl Balita group because your [CBRC] reach with the nurses is really wide.” said Krizelle Kilicaslan, OET Regional Manager.
The OET Reading Training for NLE Preparation was conducted by Alvin Alonzo, OET Education Specialist, and Alex Austen, OET Education Content Manager, last September 19-22, 2023. It was attended by over 500 Filipino nurses. Having launched this successful project, OET and CBRC are aiming to offer training for the 2nd batch of nurses and students in January 2024.
OET and CBRC strategic partnership will strengthen healthcare communication in the Philippines, specifically reaching out to Filipino nurses to support their professional development and career in the country or overseas.ย
“This [OET] will greatly help our nurses and as you [Dr. Carl Balita] have said, our nurses are the best of the Philippines and the choice of the world,” said Dr. Janus De Leon, CBRC Director of Academics and Services.
