Routes for foreigners to obtain qualifications to take the National Examination for Care Workers
Today BOW would like to introduce the routes to qualify for the national nursing exam for foreigners!
As introduced in the previous article, the national Care Worker exam is for current Care Workers eligible to take the exam to obtain a Japanese national Care Worker certificate and transfer to the status of Care Worker residence in Japan.
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯: Here Please refer to the article and choose the route that suits you!
◆𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞
Graduates of care worker training facilities
Graduates of schools designated by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, or training facilities designated by prefectural governors, who have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to become a care worker.
For more information on "Care worker training facilities," please visit the Japan Association of Care Worker Training Facilities website.
◆𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞
★ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝟑 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞) + 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 ★
Starting with the fiscal year 2008 (29th) examination, completion of "practical training" at a training facility, etc. is required in addition to practical experience.
In addition to work experience, completion of Basic Nursing Care Worker Training (介護職員基礎研修) and Sputum Suction Training (喀痰吸引等研修) (excluding No.3 training (3号研修)) is also required to qualify for the examination.
The work experience that qualifies for the examination requires the following period and number of days of actual employment. Both the requirements for the period of employment and the number of days worked must be fulfilled. The number of days worked can be totaled up to March 31 of the year in which the examination is administered.
⊳ Minimum of 3 years of employment (1,095 days or more) and 540 days of employment + training for practitioners (実務者研修)
⊳ More than 3 years of service (more than 1,095 days) and more than 540 days of service + basic training for nursing care workers and training in sputum suction, etc. (介護職員基礎研修・喀痰吸引等研修)
◆𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐄𝐏𝐀) 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞
An EPA is an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which aims to strengthen a wide range of economic relations, including not only trade liberalization, but also investment, movement of people, protection of intellectual property and rulemaking in competition policy, and elements of cooperation in various fields. The EPA is an agreement that aims to strengthen a wide range of economic relations, including investment, movement of people, protection of intellectual property, rules for competition policy, and elements of cooperation in various fields.
In the care work industry, EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements) refer to economic partnership agreements with three countries: Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Foreigners who come to Japan under the EPA system to become qualified as caregivers train at Japanese nursing care facilities while aiming to pass the national examination.
Each country has its requirements to become a candidate care worker. Although there are slight differences from country to country, it is mandatory to attend a school of nursing care or nursing for 3 to 4 years.
⊳ Indonesia: Graduation from a higher education institution (3 years or more) + certification as a caregiver by the Indonesian government
Or graduate from an Indonesian nursing school (3 years or more)
⊳ Philippines: Graduation from a 4-year university + certification as a caregiver by the Philippine government.
Or graduate from a nursing school in the Philippines (bachelor degree, 4 years)
⊳ Vietnam: Completion of 3-year or 4-year nursing program
Conditions to be eligible to take the National Care Worker Examination
① 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐏𝐀 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞
+
② 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟑 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 (𝟏,𝟎𝟗𝟓 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟓𝟒𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝.
Effective from the 37th examination (FY2024), the practical skills test has been abolished and only a written test is required.
EPA care worker candidates who entered Japan before May 2024 are required to take the "Care Process III" course (介護過程Ⅲ) before applying for registration as a care worker and submit a "Certificate of Completion of Care Process III" (介護過程Ⅲ修了証明書) when applying for registration.
Those who have completed a practitioner training program do not need to submit the "Certificate of Completion of Care Process III" if they submit the "Certificate of Completion of Practitioner Training Program" (実務者研修修了証明書) when applying for registration.
Those who completed the nursing care skills training course or the nursing care process by 2023 but have not yet completed it within the past three years, do not need to submit the "Certificate of Completion of Nursing Care Process III" if they submit the "Certificate of Completion of Nursing Care Skills Training Course" (介護技術講習修了証明書) or "Certificate of Completion of Nursing Care Process" (介護過程修了証明書) at the time of application for registration.
EPA Care Worker Candidates are Indonesians, Filipinos, and Vietnamese.
Application Procedures for the Examination for EPA Care Worker Candidates (Indonesians, Filipinos, and Vietnamese)
⊳ Application period: Wednesday, August 7, 2024, to Friday, September 6, 2024
⊳ For those who have returned to their home country to register for the examination [in preparation].
If you intend to become a care worker in Japan and live in Japan long term, above are the routes you can choose to become a national care worker in Japan as a foreigner. Please contact BOW if you are looking for a care worker job in Japan!
