Confused About Taking OSCE Before CBT Expiry - Need Advice

Hello everyone,

I'm currently working as a staff nurse in the Cayman Islands since 2023, in a Medical ICU. I'm originally from India and I also have around 4 years of clinical experience from India.

I passed my NMC CBT in October 2024 for the Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK). However, my CBT will expire in October this year, so I'm trying to decide whether I should go ahead and take the **NMC OSCE before it expires.

The issue is that if I go to the United Kingdom for the OSCE, I will probably need to spend around $5,000-$6,000 USD for travel, accommodation, and exam expenses. At the same time, I'm hearing that recruitment for overseas nurses in the UK is currently very slow, which makes me worried about spending that much money.

So I'm really confused:

Should I take the OSCE before my CBT expires and try to get my NMC PIN?

Or should I save my money and explore other countries instead?

My goal is to move from the Cayman Islands to another country for better career opportunities, and my first preference is the UK, but I'm not sure if it's the right decision right now.

I would really appreciate any advice from nurses who went through the same situation or who recently moved to the UK.

TL;DR: ICU nurse from India working in Cayman Islands. Passed CBT in Oct 2024 for UK, but it expires this Oct. OSCE will cost about $5-6k. With slow overseas recru+~ent in the UK, I'm unsure whether to spend the money t other countries. Looking for

advice.