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Divisions, dual registration and endorsements
Nurses by division
Nurses and midwives
Nurses with endorsements
This figure was updated to show the correct categories for ‘Nurses with endorsements’ post-publication.
1The 2019/20 annual report omitted dual-registered nurses and midwives from two totals in this corresponding display. The correct figures were 445,169 and 55.5%; 415,433 and 51.8% were nurse-only registered. The tables in the report were correct.
Midwives with endorsements
In October, nurse and midwife Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey AM was appointed Chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). Adjunct Professor Casey began her tenure by thanking nurses and midwives for their service to their communities, in recognition of 2020 being the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.
The NMBA supported the professions and the public health response to COVID-19, working with state and territory health departments to uphold vaccination efforts with a national survey of nurses’ and midwives’ vaccination experience.
The NMBA also offered consideration of financial hardship for registration renewal fees in 2021 for those affected financially by the pandemic and temporarily amended some registration requirements. The pandemic response sub-register, initially due to end in April, was extended for a year to support the COVID-19 vaccination effort.
The NMBA successfully delivered the first objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) for registered nurses in February, as part of its new assessment model for internationally qualified nurses and midwives (IQNMs). The OSCE is a clinical exam to assess whether candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills and competence of a graduate-level nurse or midwife from an Australian NMBA-approved program of study.
The NMBA also released new guidelines for employers on best practice for orienting IQNMs to the Australian healthcare context. Using the NMBA guidelines to shape the content of local (employer-based) orientation programs will enable IQNMs to have the best opportunity to start practice in Australia safely, effectively and professionally. The guidelines, An employer and manager’s guide to registration and orientation for internationally qualified nurses and midwives, are available on the Orientation Part 1 and Part 2 sections of the NMBA website.
Nurses, midwives and students have had access to free nationwide health support for the past four years through Nurse & Midwife Support.
Launched in March 2017, Nurse & Midwife Support offers 24/7 phone and online health support, delivered for and by nurses and midwives. It also provides support for employers of nurses and midwives. The NMBA acknowledged the Nurse & Midwife Support team for their outstanding service to the nursing and midwifery professions in times of most need. To find out more about the service, visit www.nmsupport.org.au.
Revised Nurse practitioner standards for practice took effect on 1 March. These standards build and expand on the practice standards required of a registered nurse and set the expectations of nurse practitioner (NP) practice in all contexts. The standards inform the education accreditation standards for NPs, the regulation of NPs and determine an NP’s capability for practice. The standards are used to guide consumers, employers and other stakeholders on what to reasonably expect from an NP regardless of their area of practice or their years of experience.
Recent developments in the theory and practice of NPs, including the key concepts and definitions, have been incorporated into the revised standards. The revised standards also include culturally safe and respectful practice, and consider the impact the standards could have on people’s health and safety, particularly for members of the community with limited support, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The presentation of the revised standards has been improved and aligns with the presentation of the Registered nurse standards for practice and the Midwife standards for practice.
The NMBA consulted on the proposed revised Registration standard: Recency of practice. The proposed revised standard gives practitioners more flexibility to meet the recency of practice requirements: these can now be met over two, three or five years. This aligns the NMBA with other National Boards and international regulators. The proposed revised standard incorporates changes to recency of practice requirements for recent graduates, clarity for deferred graduates and for those who have been absent from the profession for 10 or more years. The standard is with Health Ministers for approval.
Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey AM