Panoni te āhua
Change of condition
What is a condition in a scope of practice?
Your annual practising certificate states your scope of practice and any conditions that are included in your scope. The condition identifies the clinical area of nursing you are deemed competent and qualified to practise in.
Examples of common conditions are:
- Registered nurse: may practise only in general and obstetric nursing.
- Registered nurse: may practise only in mental health nursing.
- Registered nurse: may practise only in settings which provide services for consumers with intellectual disability.
Can I change a condition in my scope of practice?
Under section 21 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 the Council may authorise a change to a scope of practice. This means a registered nurse may apply to the Council to have a condition removed from their scope of practice.
To change a condition you will need to undertake additional theoretical study and provide evidence that you have successfully completed the course. You will also need a period of clinical experience in the relevant clinical area and have your competence assessed. The competence assessment must be undertaken by a Council approved assessor against the competencies for the registered nurse scope of practice.
How do I apply for a change of condition?
You must submit the application form, a non-refundable fee of $200 and supporting evidence.
Supporting evidence includes:
- a current curriculum vitae detailing your work history.
- evidence of recent professional development.
You may at this point submit a proposed plan of study and associated clinical experience.
What happens next?
Your application is assessed to determine the requirements of your programme of learning and clinical experience.
The programme of learning may include one of the following:
- A competence assessment (in the clinical area you have applied for) by a Council approved assessor against the competencies for the registered nurse scope of practice.
- Completion of a graduate or post-graduate course relevant to the clinical area you have applied for. And following a period of clinical experience, you will have your competence assessed by a Council approved assessor (in the clinical area you have applied for) against the competencies for the registered nurse scope of practice.
- Completion of a approved pre-registration nursing programme including any recognition of prior learning.
How will I be informed?
The Council will notify you in writing of its decision.
What do I do if I disagree with the decision?
You may appeal the decision to the Registrant Quality Committee. This means you will be invited to meet with the committee and you can provide further information in support of your application.
Application process
For the application form you can login to your MyNC account and click on the blue 'Change of Condition' button.
If you need more information, please email [email protected].