I recently published a book series on English “Grammar Essentials” for Internationally Educated Health Professionals. There are four volumes, three are available internationally from Amazon:
The idea for the books came from my work with these professionals. Through my experience, I noticed that errors in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure can cause confusion and misunderstandings in the medical field, which can have serious consequences for patient outcomes. I realized that there was a need for a comprehensive resource that could help these professionals improve their English language skills and effectively communicate in the medical setting.
Here are some effective ways to improve your grammar and sentence structure for the Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN):
I know I have to practice more and harder. I am frustrated. I can’t get my timing [for my writing assignments] right. At some point, I lost my enthusiasm to write but I know I can’t stop and I need go on and never give up. Now, I am reflecting and asking myself on the things that I should be thankful. After some thinking and motivating, I am slowly gaining back my enthusiasm to write. You know, there are times that I am at a point of giving up. Honestly, it is true. But, I always find myself reading to your words of encouragement and to your articles Dear Kim. Really, those words lift my spirits up. They always remind me that the only thing I can do is to never give up. Thank you Kim, for everything.
Hi Kim! Before im working as a Live in Caregiver and got my open work permit last December now i’ve started working as an HCA … but got in my thoughts in everytime i am giving a care to the Residents i am glad & enjoying with them but at the same time feels like theres something lacking on me because i can’t function as what i am doing before as a Nurse. These makes me sad on the other part and sometimes feeling emptiness. Can you please what advise you can give me i am now ready for a Review at you for CELBAN.
I would like to prepare for celban with you. I would like to let you know that I took celban twice and I didn’t get expected score. Very first time I was with you.
First result: L-8, R-9, W-7, S-7
Second result: L-10, R-10, W-6, S-6
Naturally, I won’t go for my third trial without your permission. Please enroll me with you. Dosen’t matter, I will work for some extra hours. But I would pay you happily. And, I am sure that with your valuable guidence, I will definately pass this test. I am ready to work hard and also will improve my mistakes according to your guidence.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration,
Hi Kim,thanks to google I was able to found you.i read a lot of your blog articles for dear Kim.i’m now encourage to take my celban exam.i took my ielts once last year, my score was as follows Listening-6,reading-4.5,writing 5.5,speaking-6.0.from that time I didn’t have anymore interest to take again.because I’m afraid to fail,I feel also that I would not be able to pass.i wanted to try celban last year but I keep on postponing,I don’t have the confident,I feel that I will fail,I even thought that I would not pass.now I want CELBANPrep. Hope to hear from you Best regards L..
Hello again! First of all, i want to say thank you for all the support you have given me despite the fact that i was not able to become an active student that time. My first experience to take the CELBAN early this year still went smooth despite my tremendous lack of self confidence and time ( as i described to you my condition before). Kim i got 8 for speaking, 10 for listening, 9 for reading…..BUT a very huge BUT only 6 for writing. The result was fine at first because i tried to console my self that i could just try LPN and not go for RN anymore for when i got my result that was the time that CLPN in our province were accepting applicants with some differences in the English assessment results. After 6 months CLPN approved me for CCA but they still want me to update my English result. That was the time that my heart shattered because first, i tried to settle for less than what i dream to become; second was that the next available spot for CELBAN is March ; third, i din’t know anymore how to approach the writing and lastly, i will have to be retested again for listening. Its just recently that i managed to forgive myself and forego of the wrong decisions that i made. From this moment , my experience made me more matured in approaching my goal. I had learned another life lesson and now i need to apply it. Kim, with humility, please recommend to me any [reources] for the writing and listening that you think would be able to help me. Thank you very much for reading my letter. S
I’ve been reading your “Dear Kim” blog articles less than a year. I’ve contemplating to do my bridging program for RN in [province]. I procrastinated though, due to my fear of not passing the IELTS.
[My city] is such a nice place, it’s growing so fast. Sometimes, I like it. Sometimes, I don’t. I came here to Canada 5 years ago as an LPN from the Philippines. I used to be an RN back home. I am currently working in a busy floor, it’s a combination of Labour and Delivery, Postpartum Unit and Gastrointestinal Surgery. Once in a while we also get the not so very young. I have a permanent resident status and just recently submitted my citizenship application.
I love what I do, I know that I was born to be a nurse. Lately, our LPN scope of practice in Alberta has expanded. There are only 3 things an LPN in our unit can’t do. Be an Obstetrical Nurse, spike a blood bag and be a charge nurse. Other that than, LPNs do everything. However, we get paid less. Less than $20/hour.
I want to be honest with you, I want more. I want to get paid more on how good I am.
Does this make me a less nurse? I hope not.
I have a long history with IELTS. Back in 2007, I started taking up the test in Manila for my New Zealand application. They were requiring a band score of 7 on each modules. I took the test 9 times! You know why? Because my writing was always a band score of 6.5. So, I gave up.
I took the plunged again. I sat for IELTS exam. Even though, at the back of my mind, I should’ve taken CELBAN. My test score was L: 8.5 R: 7.5 W: 6.5 S: 7.5 Overall Band Score: 7.5. I was broken-hearted. I was 0.5 away, again.
I speak English everyday at work. I am well-read. I follow CNN newsfeed on social media and loves watching documentaries. I love travelling. I can speak with confidence and smitten anyone with my charming genuine smile, but I suck on writing.
After checking the CELBAN site that test dates and locations will be posted soon, I decided to seek your help. I promised to work hard. I borrowed all the IELTS materials I could borrow from our public library. But, I have nightmares on writing. So, could you please help me prepare for the test? I need your guidance.
Thank you for your time and I hope to talk to you soon.
As you may have known me, I’m K, from Philippines….I have been following your blog for quite some time now. … I’d like to let you know a bit of myself. I’m a BSN, and currently a registered nurse. I worked in a tertiary hospital here for only 14 months. Since then, I stopped practicing my profession because I’m actually looking for a greener pasture. Otherwise, I wouldn’t flourish knowing that wages here are very, very low and can’t compensate for your wants, needs, and assistance to your very own loved ones. Based on this, maybe you will have an idea that I’m a man with big dreams, and eagerly relentless on pursuing them. =)
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I believe in the saying that, “success starts with IELTS.” However unfortunately, I already took the IELTS twice (April and July this year), but never found the luck especially in my Writing. Taking the exam twice in a row, I always got 6.0 bandscore in my Writing while the rest of the components L, R and S were okay. My writing sucks, isn’t it? I usually practiced my writing part before like 2x a week. But I admit I almost gave up knowing that I’ve had the same mistakes and no matter how hard I tried to improve my writing skills, I fairly didn’t have the chance of getting 7 especially during my practices. In my mind I believe that writing skill takes a talent, which I obviously don’t have. I’d like to think that I didn’t get a score of 7 because of the technicality of the IELTS writing topics and the topics themselves are difficult to be explained explicitly, to the point that I ran out of ideas, or no ideas to be input at all 😦
However, sooner, I will be reviewing and sitting for the CELBAN may be early next year if everything goes well. Right now, I have this ambivalent feeling, again. To be honest, I really don’t have any ideas right now what CELBAN is all about except its meaning, Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses. I have with me again this feeling of fear, completely mixed emotions because I don’t know how difficult the CELBAN exam is, or if I can make it with just one take. Although a lot of IENs from the agency where I have applied as student visa for Canada took and passed the exam with just one sit, still I’ve lessened down my expectations to make it….How do I improve IELTS or CELBAN writing? Ielts writing topics are getting more difficult than the ones established few years ago.
Dear Kim 