ANMAC is pleased to share that the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has approved the new Registered Nurse Prescribing Accreditation Standards.

The NMBA’s Registration standard: Endorsement for scheduled medicines - designated registered nurse prescriber aims to promote safe, timely and improved access to medicines for communities, and promote workforce flexibility to meet consumer needs.

In terms of the educational preparation for practice, the new accreditation standards enable a health professional prescribing pathway that sees appropriately trained and educated RNs prescribe within their scope of practice, under the designation or supervision of an authorised health practitioner.

The following FAQs are intended to support education providers planning to deliver programs under the Registered Nurse Prescribing Accreditation Standards.

Prospective students may also find this information helpful in understanding how RN prescribing programs will be developed and delivered.

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Key features of the Registered Nurse Prescribing Accreditation Standards

• Graduate outcomes reflecting the NPS Prescribing Competencies Framework, demonstrated through mapped criteria.
• Focus on patient safety, effective care and improved health outcomes, guided by the principle of public safety.
• Preparing practitioners who understand the health models and legislation in Australia, and their roles and responsibilities when working within the health system.
• Embedding intra-professional learning and preparing practitioners to engage in interprofessional practice.
• Preparing practitioners who have the knowledge, skills and professional attributes to deliver culturally safe care.
• Ensuring consistency within the national scheme by adopting the five standard framework that is consistent with the practice of other accreditation councils within the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

When can students commence the program?

Education providers may begin enrolling students after 1 July 2025, provided the program has been accredited by ANMAC and approved by the NMBA.

 

If our RN program is due to be accredited next year, how will this affect our RN prescribing accreditation and fees?

Education providers can apply for initial accreditation of an RN prescribing program at any time, regardless of when their existing RN program is due for accreditation.

Once accredited, ANMAC will seek to align the RN prescribing program’s accreditation with the entry-to-practice RN program and accredit them together in the future. Where this means a shorter period between assessments, fees will be calculated on a pro-rata basis to reflect the shorter period.

Please refer to the Accreditation fee schedule.

 

We do not deliver an entry-to-practice RN program. Can we still apply for accreditation of an RN prescribing program?

No. To deliver an RN prescribing program, education providers must have current ANMAC accreditation and NMBA approval for an entry-to-practice RN program, either as:

• A self-accrediting Australian university, or
• A higher education provider accredited by TEQSA.

 

Will our submission require an assessment team for review?

Yes, an assessment team will undertake an independent review prior to a virtual presentation by the education provider and review by the RN Accreditation Committee.

The assessment team will include:

• An ANMAC Associate Director
• Assessors with expertise in RN and NP education programs.

 

Will the assessment include a site visit?

No.  A site visit is not required for the assessment of your RN prescribing program.

However, evidence from the most recent site visit to your institution may be drawn upon to support the assessment.  The process will include a review of submitted documentation and a virtual meeting to discuss evidence and support.

 

How do we ensure the program meets the RNPAS and supports continuous improvement?

ANMAC will apply a condition requiring post-program evaluation of both graduate student cohorts and staff.  Ongoing monitoring will continue in accordance with standard ANMAC processes.

 

What is the scope of the registered nurse prescribing in partnership?

This is well-described by the NMBA.  Prescribing under this endorsement is within the normal scope of a registered nurse and is not considered to be advanced practice under the NMBA’s definition.

An endorsed RN is qualified to administer, obtain, possess, prescribe, supply and/or use scheduled 2, 3, 4 and 8 medicines for the purposes of practice of nursing.

Relevant state and territory legislation authorises the endorsed registered nurse to prescribe in partnership.  A person must administer, obtain, possess, prescribe, supply and/or use the scheduled 2, 3, 4 and 8 medicines in accordance with state or territory legislation at all times.

 

Can we use units from our Nurse Practitioner program in an RN prescribing program?

Units from existing Nurse Practitioner programs may be used if they are adapted to ensure that all RN prescribing students are taught to prescribe within the registered nurse scope of practice and in partnership.

Because Nurse Practitioners are autonomous prescribers working at an advanced practice level, content from NP programs must be carefully reviewed.  ANMAC will look closely at programs that offer units from Nurse Practitioner programs to ensure that the content reflects RN prescribing at the level of a registered nurse.

 

Does clinical mentorship need to be part of the education program?

No. Clinical mentorship is part of the practice model in which the RN prescriber will work, not part of the education program itself.

 

What are the entry requirements for students?

To be admitted, the applicant must be a registered nurse.

While NMBA endorsement requires three years’ full-time experience as an RN, this is not a requirement for course entry.  It should be noted that this requirement must be met before the nurse is eligible for endorsement.

Graduates who have not yet completed the number of hours required to be eligible for endorsement will be ineligible for endorsement until they do.

 

What academic level does the program need to be?

The RN prescribing program must be delivered at AQF level 8.  It is important that the learning aligns with the Higher Education Qualifications Framework AQF level 8 descriptors and has been reviewed and approved by the education provider’s academic senate for self-accrediting universities or by TEQSA.

The program can be delivered as a discrete Graduate Certificate, or as part of an approved program at AQF level 8.

 

Who is responsible for the conduct of the program, including the assessment of students?

The education provider is ultimately accountable for all aspects of program delivery and assessment.

This includes both theoretical and practice contexts. Regardless of the model, ANMAC expects:

• Clear roles and responsibilities
• Strong communication between all parties
• Provider accountability across all learning and assessment settings.

For questions relating to applying for endorsement as an RN prescriber, or the model for working as an RN prescriber, please refer to the NMBA Registration Standard, Guidelines and Fact Sheet for Endorsement for scheduled medicines designated RN prescriber.