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01 Oct 2018
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) is moving to a new assessment model for internationally qualified nurses and midwives (IQNMs).
Changes under the new model will include reducing the current eight assessment criteria to three criteria, and implementing an outcomes-based assessment (OBA) for some IQNM applicants.
When the NMBA introduced the current interim IQNM assessment model in 2014, it committed to benchmarking the model with international best practice. Since 2014, the NMBA has been working on the underpinning research and evidence base for a new model of assessment. The new assessment model is based on the recommendations of this research.
The NMBA has revised the current eight qualification assessment criteria for IQNMs and will implement three revised criteria in early 2019. The new criteria will streamline the qualification assessment process; however, the outcomes from assessments will be the same as under the current criteria.
In the second half of 2019, the NMBA will also transition to an OBA for IQNMs who hold relevant but not substantially equivalent qualifications (and who meet the mandatory registration standards), replacing the current need for bridging programs for these applicants. Further information on the OBA model will be provided in 2019.
Implementation dates will be announced in the coming months. For more information on the new assessment model, please see the fact sheet.