Government initiatives to strengthen nursing workforce in primary care
Peak nursing bodies have welcomed initiatives to bolster the workforce in primary care, including the national program to increase student nursing placements in primary care. The federal government announced $4.2 million for the National Nurse Clinical Placements Program (NNCPP) in the 2023-24 Budget. Federal Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney, a RN […]
Queensland announces first nurse-led clinic site
Queensland has announced the first location of four new promised nurse-led clinics aimed to improve healthcare access with a focus on women and girls. The Miles Government committed $46 million to deliver four walk-in clinics in regions that need it most as part of its Queensland Women and Girls’ Health Strategy 2032. The Adelaide Street […]
ACT NPs and authorised midwives to prescribe MS-2 Step
Nurse practitioners and authorised midwives in the ACT will be able to prescribe abortion medication under legislation passed last week. Up until now, only medical practitioners have been allowed to prescribe oral MS-2 Step (mifepristone and misoprostol). The new legislation, the Health (Improved Abortion Access) Amendment Act ll 2024 passed in the ACT Legislative […]
NPs made to wait
After more than a decade of lobbying and advocacy, the May Federal Budget saw the introduction of funding for long-awaited reforms for NPs and for, most importantly, the people for whom they provide care. But the joy felt following the Budget announcement was short-lived, as NPs, yet again, have been made to wait. Health Minister […]
Nurse practitioners enabled to prescribe medical abortion pill
Women across Australia are set to have easier access to medical abortions under landmark changes that will remove restrictions on health professionals, including nurse practitioners, doctors, and pharmacists, prescribing, and dispensing, termination pills. The Therapeutic Goods Administration decision means that, from 1 August, doctors and pharmacists will no longer be required to register and be […]
New Nurse Practitioner Workforce Plan set to ease demands on health and aged care
A Nurse Practitioner Workforce Plan (Plan), which aims to expand the services of highly-trained Nurse Practitioners (NPs), will help address increasing demands for health and aged care and chronic workforce shortages across the country. The Plan, Supported by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, builds on a number of reforms for NPs announced in the […]
‘Red tape’: Collaborative arrangements for Nurse Practitioners scrapped
NSW Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Jo Perks needed the tick of approval from a doctor to provide care to women, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, at a health centre in south-west Sydney. Since 2010, legislation has required NPs and eligible midwives across Australia to establish collaborative arrangements with doctors in order to practice in a range […]
How do I become a Nurse Practitioner?
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses (RNs) with the experience, expertise and authority to diagnose and treat people of all ages with a broad range of acute or chronic health conditions. The innovative role, which requires education at Masters Level, aims to improve access to treatment, provide cost-effective care, target at-risk populations and provide clinical […]
Electronic prescriptions rolled out in Melbourne to support those at risk of COVID-19
Electronic prescriptions rolled out in Melbourne to support those at risk of COVID-19
NP Endoscopists pioneer procedural sedation
The Nurse Practitioner Endoscopist (NPE) is an advanced practice role enabling the Nurse Practitioner (NP) to perform colonoscopy procedures within a legislative and regulatory framework applied in Australia. The NPE model was implemented at the Townsville Hospital in 2015 with two NPEs, Kylie and Grace, credentialed to perform colonoscopies in March 2018. Colonoscopy is a […]