Motivations

Here we are. First time I need to write them all.... To find motivation again. I think I lost it in the middle of the red Centre .
- Show the kids that with hard work nothing is impossible.
- be able to provide for my family if anything happen to hubby
- being professionally responsible and keep learning. I won't learn anything much as an AHA.
- Prove to myself that I worth it and I'm a good Physio.

Maybe I will update this post later on. We'll see. Let's go and study.

Step 3

Ok I've been accepted to sit for the written exam in December. So since mid July, I'm studying nearly every night. Hubby is with the kids every time we should be together to allow me to study. I'm not quite sure I like it. Some days I feel so motivated and study so much and some days like today, I just feel What I'm doing is impossible to achieve.
Hopefully I'm not alone and work with a friend.
And I also know it is possible to achieve for French Physio. So let's do it.

Process in progress

I won't complain about the paperwork. as my mother used to tell me : " take your time to read every single word and it will be ok !" Even at 34 , I keep forgetting her advice.
Now I'm in . Definitely... My application form has been sent and I received the approval. So now I'm getting ready for the Written exam which will be in december. Yeah ! I'll be free for Christmas.
I didn't think I could work so hard. But yes I'm working, every single night . I've bought books. I'm on internet every day to look for info. I'm working hard.
I don't want to take the risk to fail that exam.
I soon realised that if I wanted to be 100% I needed to save time and have help from my family which is mainly reduced at Hubby as my little one are way to little to cook, drive, clean for me.
Hubby is great by the way and if I succeed it will be my victory as well as his. Love you hubby.
So I'm working 4 days a week as an AHA with great people and I'm studying every night. I try to find time the days I'm not working to study : kids in the pol with daddy. or during nap time. I will event try early morning...
So good luck to me and go back to your study :-)

OET result

Passed it. with success.
Yes.... A in each reading and listening and B in writing and speaking.
I think I could have been better in speaking. However, I won't complain.
Any way, I've been last, waiting for the beginning of July to start the application process. It is nearly done. Not as nasty as I thought but still frustrating...

OET Final

Hey,
OET is done. Let's see if it is good enough. I'll have my results at the end of this month. PFFFF.... long time to wait.
During that time, I'll need to work my english still. Just in case. Just for reassurance.  However as I don't really want to waste my time by doing OET tests, I need to work on my physio stuff. I need to be prepared for the application form, organise the papers needed, ask for translation if needed. Well, i think It can still be a busy month.

Alright. OET, how did it go ?

- listening : not the nightmare expected. I've been able to understand and to answer most of the questions. Will it be enough for a B ? I don't know.
I did improve during that last 2 months. I felt that it was very subject dependant : if you talk about youth  health services or cerebral palsy, you can bet than I'll score on cerebral palsy subject.
The test was about radiotherapy today, not really an easy one for me.
The part A was more common : a patient and doctor discussion about high blood pressure, eyesight, and prostate cancer.
This nice test is also "accent " dependant. If you have a lecturer who doesn't articulate enough, good luck.

- reading : if I'm enough objective about my level of english, it should be my best mark. However I can still do few silly mistakes.

- Writing : a referral letter for a doctor about a women with a plastered wrist ( radius fracture).

- Speaking : I think the lady who was with me was as uncomfortable as me. It was weird and worst than my tests with my teacher. I just hope it will be enough. 2 role plays.

Being at that test was weird. The first OET but the third english test. I had a "déjà vu" feelings. All those people coming to have their english tested, some of them for the second time.

- Give your passport first. " oh your actual signature doesn't match your passport one ". " Are you kidding ? I've signed that paper nine years ago few weeks after our wedding ; this signature was pretty new. It matured with years" :-). No way I had to erase it,  to look at the old one and do it again.
They needed to check our passport between each exam. Logical you'll tell me. Yes but if I tell you that between the 3 first exams I didn't even stand up, or leave the room. So I assume that the lady at the table 3 was still me from the beginning to the end. and yes I have glasses, and yes I've aged...
- Leave all your belongings in the clock room even your mechanical pen ( you're not allowed to have a mechanical pen, don't ask me why.... )
- You want my pictures taken twice in one afternoon with my candidate number : do you want my face or my profile ?
- don't forget to go to the ladies room as you won't be allowed to go during the test....
- "don't speak to anyone, please". "Yes I know". "NO you don't realise, dont' speak to anyone while you're waiting in the waiting room". "euh, but what's the matter I'm outside the examination room? " don't ask me why again.

Rules sometimes understandable, sometimes silly. But just follow them :-)

Ok so, I'll cross my fingers and toes for the results. Please don't ask me to re-sit. I don't want.

OET.

First step of the equivalence. Without that result nothing can be done.

First days of the course ( week 3 apparently).

The first week was only e-mailing the coordinator to be assessed, to file all those B..... forms. One form was asking for a certificate of equivalence delivered by the australian government ! Are you kidding ???? you're asking for a certificate that I can't have before months. ... Apparently I've been quick to grumble for something I finally didn't need. So French....

Second Week : try to figure out how this website worked. Not good. Couldn't find any of the reading task part A or listening. Had only few reading part B and few writing.

After my speaking task with my teacher who seems to be a great teacher, I realised that I wasn't so bad. The coordinator didn't give me access to the reading and listening tasks. Relief.... I have access now and start working.


Feedback of the speaking role play : I felt a little bit stupid at the beginning. But everything went well.
The teacher was surprised that my English was good as I'm not living with an English spoken husband.
Maybe those ideas to study AHA last year, to volunteer in a day Therapy Centre and now to work there were fantastic.

End of second week : easter week end, not a week end planned for studying. It was more a week end of fun . But I did work. I spent the 4 days with my friends speaking English. By the way, thank you for correcting my mistakes.

Third week. a full Wednesday of fun studying.... kids at the swimming pool with their dad, then off to bed and to the beach. A full day to be alone and do assignments.

- Reading task might not be so hard : 15 min to fill the missing words of  a summary of 3 to 5 texts or graphs. Not simple but feasible. the hard part is for example : the part of the first summary is not always related to the first text. it might be another one.
Second part : 2 texts with 8 to 10 questions each. NOt so hard. I just need to be really careful and concentrated.
Did you know that I 've always read the questions of an assignment too quickly and I have often lost some marks because of that ?

- writing : I had some problems to introduce the subject. It is a letter for a colleague regarding one of my patients. I'll have the feedback at the end of the week.

- Speaking 2 : I felt so bad. Or not s much but at least not good enough. In my opinion, I did too much mistakes. especially grammar ones. In my teacher's opinion, i'll succeed at that part of the test.

- Listening : part A : It is a conversation between a patient and a general practitioner with note taking questions. If I'm 100% concentrated, I won't miss too much.

Part B : will be my nightmare. It is a lecture on a health-related topics with short questions, MCQ and note- taking questions. So hard so quick.... Some of the lecturers don't articulate very well or speak too quickly. Like in real life I know... I submitted my first assignment this afternoon. I'm impatient to have the result.


Plan : Start reading health related paper, start listening health related lectures or interview and take note during that time.

First step done !

Here we are.  I've decided that I needed another challenge. I came in Australia to be bilingual and discover this part of the world. check ( ok I don't feel I'm totally bilingual and haven't discover much!). And so ? is that a problem ? sure not...
but  first I needed to feel this country as mine. I needed to be ready and more confident in my skills.
Which challenge am I talking about ? My degree equivalence !
My degree is well recognised back in my country. It is a good job, well paid or not , depending on which area you are working in, but always well considered by the others.
I wasn't the best neither the worst. Just the average one.
As a student I did not have a lot of self-confidence, not sure I'm better now. And I guess I'll have to find resources and confidence for the next few months or years...
Anyway, after studying in English to be an assistant. I soon realised that I'll miss my real job once I'll get settled in the health area as an assistant.
 as it seems tough to do all the process, I want to share my experience. However, I want this blog private first then maybe public.

So let's go....
step one : english test.
The academic IELTS or OET ( occupational english test) which is specific for health professionals. The academic one might be too " academic". So I decided to do the OET. I need a rate of A or B in each components of the test.

A is very high level of performance.
B is high level of performance
and you also have C (good), D ( moderate), E(low). I'm pretty sure that I can avoid the D or E but the C, I don't know. With some stress.... And ...
The 4 components are writing and speaking ( specific to each profession) and listening and reading which are more general health...
It seems similar to the IELTS but more health specific.

undertaking an exam without being prepared especially when you're not sure of your level of performance is a waste of time and more important money... When you'll spend more that $500 on that, you want to be prepared.

The problem is that there are a lot of course available but which can take months and months.... and so expensive.... The other thing is with my job, my family.... it is not achievable if it's not on line... Hopefully I've found a course.... on line with Vic Uni. It is a serious uni so I expect good teacher and counsellor. I'll see.

The course star the 18/03 and the OET is on the 11/05 : so 8 weeks to be prepared and to succeed....

C'est parti mon quiqui....