Fact sheet: Provisional registration information for nurses and midwives

Provisional registration is granted to eligible practitioners to enable them to complete a period of supervised practice or an NMBA approved re-entry to practice program. The requirements are set out in restrictions applied to the registration.

Nurses and/or midwives holding provisional registration for supervised practice must comply with the requirements and responsibilities specified in the NMBA Supervision guidelines for nursing and midwifery. When the requirements of the supervised practice or re-entry to practice program restrictions have been met, the practitioner is eligible to apply for general registration.

The provisional registration period is for 12 months and starts when the NMBA makes the decision. Renewal occurs on the anniversary of the initial registration date, noting that provisional registration may not be renewed more than twice.

This type of registration is for those who have not practised as a nurse or midwife for between five and 10 years and

• have previously held registration in Australia, and
• do not hold current registration, and
• are now seeking to re-enter practice.

If you hold general or non-practising registration or have not practiced for a period of 10 years or more, please refer to the NMBA Policy: Re-entry to practice for nurses and midwives for further guidance.

The Application for provisional registration for re-entry to practice – APRO-40 is available from the NMBA website.

The application form and required documentation collect information about your qualifications, work and registration history, continuing professional development activities, and length of time away from practising in the profession/s. The information collected is used to determine whether you require any additional training, periods of supervision or other requirements to meet eligibility for general registration.

The NMBA considers two types of applicants who have not practised for between five and 10 years:

• those who provide documentary evidence to confirm competence and knowledge and need to consolidate and confirm existing knowledge through supervised practice, and
• those who are unable to demonstrate that they have maintained competence and current knowledge and should be directed to complete a re-entry to practice program.

All applications are assessed on their merits by the NMBA, who must be satisfied that you are safe and competent to practise the profession/s in Australia. Examples of evidence that should be provided with your application are in Table 1.

Table 1: Evidence examples 

The timeframe for the assessment is determined by the completeness of your application and the complexity of the assessment. While your application is being assessed, it will progress through several stages:

• Stage 1: Your application will be reviewed, and further information may be requested. Only when your application is complete will it progress to the next stage of assessment. 
• Stage 2: Your application will be assessed and may need review by a Professional Officer for Nursing and Midwifery. Please note further documents may be requested at this stage. 
• Stage 3: Your application will be forwarded to the next available meeting of the relevant Board/Committee. Please note that meetings may only take place once a month and deadlines for sending applications to the meetings are a few weeks prior to the meeting. 
• Stage 4: Within 30 days of the Board/Committee meeting, you will be advised of the proposed outcome. 
• Stage 5: You may choose to accept the proposed outcome, and your application will be progressed, or 
• Stage 6: You may choose, within 30 days from the date of the notice, to provide a submission (a response) to the proposal. If you make a submission about the proposed outcome, your submission will be reconsidered by the Board/Committee for a final decision.

Your application for provisional registration must be approved prior to commencing practice and for the duration of your supervised placement or re-entry to practice program.

The NMBA will let you know the level of supervision, commencing at Level 1 – direct supervision, progressing to Level 2 – indirect supervision (see definitions). It is a requirement that you work under the supervision of your principal supervisor or, in their absence, your secondary supervisor (as per the supervision agreement). In the absence of any approved supervisor, you must cease practice.

Table 2 provides an overview of the documents and reporting requirements for supervised practice.

¹Where the supervisor’s formative evaluation report is that the nurse or midwife’s performance warrants a change in the level of supervision, this can occur without waiting for acknowledgement from AHPRA.

For re-entry to practice and prior to commencing a re-entry to practice program, an acceptance letter from the approved re-entry to practice program provider must be submitted to AHPRA.

A nurse and/or midwife holding provisional registration must:

• meet the requirements of the Registration standard: Continuing professional development
• not practice the profession unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements are in place
• participate in a prescribed program of supervised practice as set out in the Supervision guidelines for nursing and midwifery or as determined by the NMBA, and
• undertake an examination or assessment approved by the NMBA, when required by the NMBA.

Connection to the profession: demonstrated with evidence of professional development courses, study, conferences or reading that demonstrates maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge, expertise and competence. This may include on-going memberships with professional organisations or colleges, where ongoing learning and/or an active role can be evidenced.

Recency of practice: a health practitioner has maintained an adequate connection with, and recent practice in, the profession since qualifying or obtaining registration.

Re-entry to practice program: a program of study accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) and approved by the NMBA as preparation for nurses and midwives for re-entry to the register. This may be after a lapse in practice and/or removal from the register for a period exceeding the requirement in the Registration standard: Recency of practice. It contains both a theoretical and a clinical experience component.

Supervised practice: a period of practice under supervision. It is a formal process of professional support and learning which allows a nurse and/or midwife (supervisee) to develop knowledge and competence, assume responsibility for their own practice and enhance public protection and safety. Supervision may be direct or indirect according to the nature of context under which the practice is being supervised. It is the responsibility of the nurse/midwife to arrange a placement that meets the requirements of the NMBA for re-entry to practice, including that:

• the practice setting must give the maximum opportunity to demonstrate the full spectrum of the respective standards for practice
• the supervisor meets the minimum requirements listed in the Supervision guidelines for nurses and midwives
• the nurse/midwife will not engage with an employment agency for supervised practice, and
• the NMBA does not allow for supervision in private practice (where a nurse or midwife is working as sole practitioner, in partnership or in self-employed models or working on their own account).   

Levels of supervision

² This refers to the usual reporting frequency for re-entry to practice but may be modified by the supervised practice plan. The NMBA or the supervisor may, at any time, exercise its discretion to ask to for/provide a report.
³ This lists the typical use of a supervision level. The NMBA may, at any time, exercise its discretion to determine the supervision level.

• Registration standard: Continuing professional development
• Registration standard: Professional indemnity insurance arrangements
• Registration standard: Recency of practice
• Supervision guidelines for nursing and midwifery 
• Fact sheet: Provisional registration information for health services and employers 
• Fact sheet: Re-entry to practice 
• Policy: Re-entry to practice for nurses and midwives 
• Visit the Contact us page to lodge an online enquiry form
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (in Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers)