Pursuant to the Medicines Amendment Act 1999, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 and the Medicines (Designated Prescriber: Nurse Practitioners) Regulations 2005, the Nursing Council of New Zealand gives the following notice.
N o t i c e
1. Title and commencement This notice is the Medicines (Designated Prescriber: Nurse Practitioners) Notice 2009 and comes into force on 3 November 2009.
2. The purpose The Schedule to this notice sets out
the requirements that the Nursing Council of New Zealand ("Nursing Council") has determined must be met by
nurse practitioners who wish to prescribe prescription medicines. These requirements are imposed under Regulations 6, 7 and 8 of the Medicines (Designated Prescriber: Nurse Practitioners) Regulations 2005.
3. Revocation This notice revokes the previous notice published in the New Zealand Gazette, 10 November 2005, No. 188, page 4750.
Schedule
A Requirements for commencing prescribing (Regulation 6)
The Nursing Council requirements for training that nurse practitioners must undertake before commencing prescribing for the first time are as follows:
(a) (i) The completion of an approved clinical master's programme which includes demonstration of the competencies, to the satisfaction of the Nursing Council, for advanced nursing practice and prescribing applied within the defined
area of practice of the nurse practitioner.
The programme must include relevant theory, research and concurrent practice; or
(b) (i) the completion of an equivalent overseas qualification which meets the requirements specified in paragraph (i) above; and
(ii) passing an assessment against the nurse practitioner competencies by an approved panel.
B Other training to be undertaken (Regulation 7)
Nurse practitioners authorised to prescribe within their defined area of practice, must undertake:
(a) a minimum of 40 hours per year of professional development aggregated over a five-year period; and
(b) a minimum of 40 days per year ongoing nursing practice aggregated over a five-year period within their defined area of practice.
C Assessments of competence to be completed (Regulation 8)
Nurse practitioners, authorised to prescribe, must provide evidence every three years, that they have maintained
their competence with their application for a practising certificate.
As part of this assessment, all nurses authorised to prescribe must provide the Nursing Council with evidence that they have completed ongoing training required by paragraph
B above and a competence assessment, which includes evidence of ongoing peer review of their prescribing practice by a registered prescriber.
Dated at Wellington this 15th day of October 2009.
CAROLYN REED, Registrar, Nursing Council of
New Zealand.