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06 Apr 2020
More than 400,000 nurses and midwives registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) are due to renew their general or non-practising registration by 31 May 2020.
Registered nurses, enrolled nurses, midwives and nurse practitioners – look out for an email from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) providing access to online renewal.
The NMBA and Ahpra are working with government, health services and others to support nurses and midwives during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sincerely thank nurses and midwives for their continuing commitment and care for people. We know you are on the frontline of the response.
Your registration fees go directly to regulating for safety in nursing and midwifery and keeping the public and practitioners safe. We know our regulatory approach must be modified to support you in these exceptional circumstances. While maintaining standards for safety, we are introducing new policies that will get more nurses and midwives into the health system, increase employer flexibility and cut red tape.
We encourage you to continue to do CPD that is relevant to your scope of practice and your current work environment. However, we understand that some nurses and midwives may have trouble meeting the CPD requirements during this challenging time.
You should answer all renewal questions honestly and accurately.
The NMBA will not take action if a nurse or midwife declares that they could not meet their required CPD hours for the 2019-20 registration period.
We are making a payment plan available for nurses and midwives experiencing genuine financial hardship due to COVID-19. If you meet the criteria, you will be eligible to pay half your registration fee now and make a second payment in October 2020.
The payment plan has been developed in response to the exceptional circumstances that the COVID-19 pandemic presents. When making decisions about financial hardship applications, the NMBA will consider the financial sustainability of the scheme to continue to protect the public balanced with the circumstances of individual applicants and access to the workforce.
Please note, you’ll need to complete the financial hardship declaration and application form prior to renewing your registration – we can’t consider an application for the financial hardship payment plan if you have already renewed.
The payment plan is expected to be available by the second week of the renewal period and information on how to apply will be published on the facts on renewal page.
Each year at renewal, we will ask if you have met the NMBA’s registration standards, these include criminal history, professional indemnity insurance, continuing professional development and recency of practice.
To avoid delays it’s important to answer your renewal declarations accurately and correctly. Read the facts on renewal so you’re ready to renew.
If this is your first time renewing make sure you check our tips in response to questions that apply specifically to you.
We cover common questions on how professional indemnity insurance, recency of practice and changes to criminal history apply to you at first time renewal.
You will also be asked about whether you have an impairment that is likely to detrimentally affect your capacity to practise nursing and/or midwifery. This question is about whether you have a physical or mental health condition or disorder (including substance abuse or dependence), that is likely to detrimentally affect your ability to practise safely.
It is important to think carefully about this question.
Remember, health conditions which are safely managed so that they don't 'detrimentally affect' your ability to practise, such as needing prescription glasses or taking time off work for a fractured arm, don't need to be declared.
If you do not receive a reminder email please check your contact details held by Ahpra are up to date.
Use the secure online services for health practitioners on the Ahpra website. Go to Login at the top right of the home page, enter your user ID, password and date of birth to log in and follow the prompts to update your contact details.
If you do not have your user ID, complete an online enquiry form and select the category ‘Online Services – Practitioner’. Ahpra will contact you. If you’ve forgotten your password it can be updated using the Reset your password function. You must have previously had an email address registered with Ahpra to be able to use this function.
If you do not renew your registration by 31 May 2020, or within the following one-month late period, your registration will lapse. Your name will be removed from the national register and you will not be able to practise without making a new application for registration.
The following pages on the NMBA website contain useful information for nurses and midwives, and their employers: