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Frequently Asked Questions

Students

Part of ANMAC’s role is to monitor education providers and deal with complaints. If you have a concern with the program you are enrolled in, or a concern with your education provider, your first step is to address that concern with the education provider by following their policy on complaints. If you believe that your complaint has not been addressed after taking this first step, please contact us. ANMAC can only address complaints in relation to the relevant accreditation standard of the program. If possible, when writing to ANMAC about your complaint, please reference the standard and criteria you believe are involved.

If your complaint is not within ANMAC’s scope, you can refer your complaint to the Overseas Student Ombudsman who provides the following functions:

  • can investigate complaints about problems that intending, current or former overseas students have with private schools, colleges and universities (education providers) in Australia
  • provides information about best practice complaints handling to help private education providers manage internal complaints effectively
  • publishes reports on problems and broader issues in international education that we identify through investigations.

Part of ANMAC’s role is to monitor education providers and manage complaints. If you have a concern with the program you are enrolled in, or a concern with your education provider, the first step is to address that concern with the education provider by following their policy on complaints. 

If you believe that your complaint has not been addressed after taking this step, please refer to Complaints on our website for information on how to make a complaint to ANMAC.  

For general information about the status of your nursing or midwifery registration or endorsement contact the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). If you have further questions on registration or endorsement, including return-to-practice requirements, please contact the NMBA. 

You can find out by visiting the Approved programs of study list on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) website. If the program you want to enrol in is not on this list, it has not been accredited by ANMAC or approved by the NMBA and may not lead to eligibility to apply for registration as a nurse or midwife in Australia. 

Assessment Process

ANMAC accreditation assessment takes approximately 9-12 months. The process can take longer depending on the quality of the submission and the NMBA review is approximately one month. For more information please refer to Program accreditation on our website. 

When preparing for program accreditation, factor into your project plan the expiry date of your current NMBA approved program of study, time needed for new program development and submission preparation, as well as time for your organisation’s program approval process.

Carefully read the instructions in the application pack and supporting templates we sent you. For further information please refer to Program accreditation on our website or email accreditation@anmac.org.au 

ANMAC undertakes regular review of scheduled fees for program accreditation, program changes and program monitoring. For updates please refer to the fee schedule on our website.

Yes, each program requires its own site visit. In part this is because the assessment team needs to meet with the education provider for a face-to-face discussion and assess each program’s resources and delivery.

ANMAC can undertake annual routine and targeted monitoring of approved programs.

For more information about these processes, please refer to Program monitoring on our website and our Accreditation policy and procedure.

The Program Monitoring Report (PMR) is completed annually and is used to confirm program delivery continues to meet the relevant accreditation standards and to facilitate reporting of program changes that do not require prospective notification. PMRs are due on the anniversary date of your program’s NMBA approval. One month prior to this date, we will email you the PMR template to complete. 

Complete an Intention to Submit (219 KB) form and email to accreditation@anmac.org.au. On receipt of this form, ANMAC will contact you to provide advice on required documentation and process timeframes.  

For more information, please refer to Program changes on our website and our Accreditation policy and procedure.

Yes, education providers need to notify ANMAC of changes to approved programs. Some program changes require you to prospectively notify ANMAC so that an assessment of the change can be undertaken prior to implementation by the education provider.

For more information, please refer to Program changes on our website and our Accreditation policy and procedure.

Email a completed Intention to Submit (219 KB) form to accreditation@anmac.org.au. On receipt, ANMAC will contact you to provide advice on documentation and timeframes.  

Please contact ANMAC as soon as you know you will be offering a new program by emailing an Intention to Submit (219 KB) form to accreditation@anmac.org.au. On receipt, we will respond with information about our processes, including timeframes and required documentation.  

Education providers

Yes, however you must include a clear note in your advertisement that the program of study is subject to accreditation by ANMAC and approval by the NMBA.

Following the site visit, the Associate Director Accreditation Services (AD) provides you with a site visit report identifying if you need to provide further evidence. The AD will give you timeframes for doing so. You can discuss and clarify outstanding issues with the AD as required.

The accreditation standards for nurses, midwives and nurse practitioners all require that an education provider demonstrates suitable resources to run the proposed program. The assessment team therefore needs to conduct a site visit to ensure the education provider has adequate resources for the anticipated number of students to be enrolled. The assessment team needs to see evidence of teaching spaces, nursing or midwifery laboratory spaces and equipment, student services and support services. The assessment team also interviews students and industry partners, preferably face-to-face.

The outcome of the assessment team’s initial review of your program forms the Draft Collated Review and is the basis of the agenda ANMAC sends to you before our site visit. The Associate Director Accreditation Services is responsible for providing updates and communicating information on your assessment process, such as the outcomes of assessment team meetings or site reviews.

Yes. If you believe there is a real or perceived conflict of interest with a nominated assessment team member you should write to the Director Accreditation Services, within 3 business days, at accreditation@anmac.org.au outlining your objection. If we do not hear from you within this timeframe the assessment team will remain as nominated.

Your contact is the Associate Director Accreditation Services assigned to coordinate your accreditation process. The director will liaise with you on all matters relating to your application and assessment process.

Initial submission—1 electronic (USB or Cloud-based link)

You need to submit 1 electronic copy (UBS or Cloud-based link, such as DropBox) for the preliminary review by the assigned Associate Director Accreditation Services (AD).

Final submission—1 electronic copy (USB or Cloud-based link)

After the site visit the AD will ask you to provide a final submission. This updated submission must include all additional evidence requested by the assessment team. One electronic copy is required. Once your program is accredited, you need to provide ANMAC with a final electronic copy of your submission on USB or via Cloud-based link, such as DropBox. This copy is kept on file as your accredited program.

All programs leading to registration or endorsement must be first accredited by ANMAC's Board and approved as a qualification for registration by the NMBA before students can enrol into the program. Students who are applying to undertake a program of study leading to a qualification that enables graduates to register or be endorsed as nurses or midwives, must be advised of the accreditation status of the program prior to enrolling. The students must be assured that they will be able to complete an approved course of study leading to registration or endorsement.

 

Yes. It is mandatory to use ANMAC’s application pack (forms, checklists and templates). Each qualification has its own template which address the relevant standards and criteria for a nursing and midwifery education programs. If you do not use the correct forms, checklists and templates, we cannot progress your application for accreditation and will experience delays. ANMAC will provide the appropriate application pack with the Accreditation Schedule approximately 18 months before the expiry date of the approved program.

Yes. However, all advertising material used to inform potential students will need to include the notation: ‘This program of study is not yet accredited by ANMAC or approved by the NMBA and will not lead to registration as a nurse or midwife in Australia under the approved qualification pathway, National Law Section 53a.’ 

Students must not be enrolled into a program until it is accredited by ANMAC and approved by the NMBA. Approved programs appear on the NMBA Approved programs of study list

Education providers can choose to plan, develop and acquire the necessary resources to offer a program of study before receiving accreditation from ANMAC, however, this is at their own risk. 

No. Students must not be enrolled into a program until it is accredited by ANMAC and approved by the NMBA, as indicated by inclusion on the NMBA Approved program of study list

It is at their own risk that education providers choose to plan, develop and acquire resources to offer a program of study before receiving ANMAC accreditation and NMBA approval.

No. Enrolment of students can only commence once the program appears on the NMBA Approved Program of Study list. Graduates from programs appearing on this list will be eligible to apply for registration or endorsement as a nurse or midwife in Australia. Potential students must be informed of the program’s ANMAC accreditation status and NMBA approval status in all advertising material and prior to enrolment. 

The ANMAC accreditation assessment generally takes from 9 to 12 months depending on submission quality and education provider responsiveness. The start of the ANMAC accreditation assessment is the assessment phase. It requires the education provider to submit a completed application pack, completed ANMAC templates, supporting documentation and payment of the accreditation assessment fee. It concludes when the NMBA are notified of the ANMAC accreditation decision. Time taken by the NMBA to approve a program of study is separate to and excluded from ANMAC’s accreditation timeframe. 

When preparing for program accreditation, factor into your project plan the expiry date of your current NMBA approved program of study, time needed for new program development and submission preparation, as well as time for your organisation’s program approval process. 

Prior to submission of your completed documentation and accreditation assessment fee, please liaise with our administrative staff via accreditation@anmac.org.au. Your assigned Associate Director (AD) will contact you once the assessment phase of accreditation commences. You are then encouraged to liaise directly with your AD until the review of your program is completed by the assessment team and presented to the relevant accreditation committee.  

When submitting documentation during the accreditation process, please direct your emails to accreditation@anmac.org.au (for filing purposes) and CC your Associate Director. 

Yes. You can decline a nominated assessment team member only if you believe there is a real or perceived conflict of interest. You must email your objections to Accreditation Services, within 3 business days, via accreditation@anmac.org.au. If we do not hear from you within this timeframe the assessment team will remain as nominated. 

Yes. It’s mandatory to use ANMAC’s application pack, forms, checklists and templates. The documents are designed to help you address criteria requirements in the accreditation standards specific to your type of program. ANMAC will provide you with the correct application pack and latest templates on receipt of your completed Intention to Submit form. Please note our forms and templates undergo regular quality improvements and it is important to use the most up-to-date documents so that your application is progressed without delay.  

You can send all electronic submissions to ANMAC using a Cloud-based link to the document, such as DropBox. Please ensure any documents submitted throughout the accreditation process are also sent to accreditation@anmac.org.au.  

You will be emailed reports collating the team’s assessment of submitted evidence, including the:  

  • Collated Review Report incorporating outcomes from the team’s initial meeting and any further evidence requests 
  • Site Visit Report summarising outcomes from the team’s site visit and any further evidence requests
  • Outcome of Accreditation Assessment Report outlining the team’s accreditation recommendations to be presented to the relevant accreditation committee. 

You are encouraged to liaise with your AD if you require information or clarification about assessment team responses or about ANMAC accreditation assessment processes.  

Yes. Posted on our website is a note on English language skills requirements that provides responses to frequently asked questions about English language skills admission requirements for entry to practice registered and enrolled nurse programs.  

In summary:

  • Prospective students seeking admission to NMBA approved registered nurse and enrolled nurse programs must sign a declaration stating their primary language is English OR provide valid English language test results as specified in the NMBA English language skills registration standard. 
  • Please refer to our glossary for a definition of ‘primary language’.  

For more information, please contact accreditation@anmac.org.au  

Assessors

If you are interested in becoming an ANMAC assessor please visit Become an assessor on the ANMAC website for an overview of what is involved.

 

Yes. Assessors are paid a sitting fee for their time and expenses. For more information, please refer to the Assessor handbook.

Yes. For more information, please refer to Becoming an assessor on our website.  

For more information about CPD, please refer to the FAQs on the NMBA website.

 

ANMAC will contact you as vacancies for teams requiring your skills and qualifications arise. If you are contacted by ANMAC to be part of an assessment team, it is important you respond as soon as possible, so there are no delays in assessment team assembly. 

Please notify ANMAC on accreditation@anmac.org.au if your contact details have changed. 

No. ANMAC needs you to review submissions independently and not discuss your views or work with other members of the assessment team until the first team meeting is held to exchange views and collate outcomes. For more information, please refer to the ANMAC Assessor handbook. If you have questions when part of an assessment team, please contact your assigned Associate Director.

If you could not find your question on this page, please contact accreditation@anmac.org.au  

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