At the University of Canterbury in the suburb of Ilam in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Attendance and completion of the OPC is highly recommended as it will introduce candidates to nursing practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Booking for the Orientation and Preparation Course is required in the first enrolment in the clinical competence assessment process. Payment covers the two components of the assessment – the OPC and the OSCE.  

The course is two (2) days , 8.30am - 3pm each day. These two (2) days could fall on any day between Monday – Saturday.

Yes, the OPC is completed before the OSCE.

Tidy Casual

If attending the OPC, you will be registered to attend the Monday and Tuesday before your OSCE. OPC dates are affected by NZ Public Holidays, please click here to view the Orientation Preparation Course date guide.

At the Nurse Maude Simulation & Assessment Centre 15 Mansfield Avenue, Merivale, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Login to your exam portal. Start a new exam application. Payment for the first attempt includes the OPC and OSCE in one payment.  Payment for the second and third attempt is separated into the OSCE and/or OPC.

You will receive an email confirming payment has been received. You will also receive a credit card receipt processed by Wind Cave. In your portal you can view your receipt under your Store.

All dates that are available to book will be shown on the drop-down list when making a booking. All exams have the capacity of up to 10 candidates.

You will need to contact your card issuer if you are having trouble using your card to make payment. Please advise your bank that you are using Wind Cave to process your payment.

The dates that are available to book your OSCE, are available to view in your portal. If the date is not shown, it is either at capacity or no OSCE is held on that day. You may be able to book an earlier date if someone cancels or reschedules their exam, but that is not guaranteed. You will need to keep an eye on your portal to see if anything becomes available. 

The clinical competence assessment takes at least three (3) hours. However, be prepared to be at the centre for five (5) hours. 

Professional clinical attire (i.e. uniform or scrubs)

You have two (2) further attempts to resit the OSCE. You will be charged for each attempt. 

You have two (2) further attempts to re sit the OSCE. You will be charged for each attempt. 

Your results will not be available immediately after the OSCE as they need to be processed, calculated and verified by the Council. Feedback on your individual performance will not be provided. You can expect to receive an email notification from the Council within six (6) weeks of completing the OSCE, informing you of your pass or fail status and outlining the next steps you need to take. This notification will be sent to the email address you provided to the Council during your application process.

Please contact Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) with your updated information. We require NCNZ to notify us formally of the change, once we hear from NCNZ we can update your profile in the OSCE booking system.

Nursing Council of New Zealand contact details: 

Email: iqn@nursingcouncil.org.nz 

If you are calling from within New Zealand, please call 04 385 9589. 

If you are calling from outside New Zealand, please call +64 4 385 9589. 

https://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/IQN/