National Registration Coming to Australia

For those who are already Nurses in Australia, you would be aware that Australia uses a system of Independent Registration for each State or Territory where you work.

This means that your registration is only valid for that particular State, and you need to seek registration in other places if you intend to work there.

All this is changing as of 1st July 2010, when the first national registration and accreditation system comes into effect throughout Australia.

The Council of Australian Governments has signed off on an Intergovernmental Agreement on the Australian health workforce, which includes the following ten health professions: chiropractors; dental care practitioners; medical practitioners; nurses and midwives; optometrists; osteopaths; pharmacists; physiotherapists; podiatrists; and psychologists.

This means that registration will be valid Australia Wide, and a single Nursing & Midwifery Board will function to oversee the following:

• Registration of nursing and midwifery practitioners;
• Development of nursing and midwifery profession standards;
• Handling of notifications and complaints in relation to the profession; and
• Assessment of overseas trained practitioners who wish to practise in Australia.

More information can be found on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) website, and minutes from the latest meetings related to Nursing and Midwifery can be found on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website.