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12 Feb 2014
The National Board has introduced a new model for assessing the qualifications of international nurses and midwives.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (National Board or NMBA) has introduced a new model to assess the qualifications of international nurses and midwives, to make sure they are substantially equivalent to Board-approved Australian nursing and midwifery qualifications.
This critical information helps the National Board decide if an international applicant is qualified to provide safe care to patients in Australia.
The National Board and AHPRA have reviewed and strengthened the process in place to support the nationally consistent assessment of applications for registration from internationally qualified nurses and midwives (IQNMs).
The new model comes after:
The model is consistent with the requirements of the National Law. It applies a set of clear expectations about the educational standards to be met by all international applicants for registration, regardless of where the study was undertaken.
‘Our role is to make sure the public is safe,’ said Dr Lynette Cusack, Presiding Member of the National Board.
‘The assessment model will help us decide if an international applicant has a qualification that matches the standard of a current graduate of an Australian program of study,’ she said.
It is an important step towards national consistency in decision-making about whether a person is qualified to provide safe care to patients in Australia, she said.
Recognising that assessment and comparison of international qualifications continues to evolve internationally, the National Board will continue to benchmark its assessment model with international trends. The current model applies until further notice.
Information about the new assessment method is now published under Internationally qualified nurses and midwives on the National Board website.
AHPRA will be contacting international applicants who have already applied for registration and whose qualifications have not yet been assessed, to make clear if any additional information is required to support their application.
There is no change to the registration model for nurses and midwives with registration in New Zealand, who apply under trans-tasman arrangements.
International nurses and midwives who have not yet applied for registration in Australia should review the information published on the website.
Download a PDF of this Media statement - New model for assessing qualifications of international nurses and midwives - 12 February 2014 (194 KB,PDF)