anmc accreditation standards - nurse practitioner

7/15/2019 ANMC Accreditation Standards - Nurse Practitioner

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Standards and Criteria for the Accreditation of Nursing

and Midwifery Courses Leading to Registration,

Enrolment, Endorsement and Authorisation in Australia

with Evidence Guide

February 2009

Nurse Practitioners

Report prepared by Dr. Denise Ryan


2/40ANMC National Accreditation Standards and CriteriaNurse Practitioners iii

AustrAliAn nursing And Midwiery CounCilnAtionAl ACCreditAtion stAndArds And CriteriA

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doMAin 2: CurriCuluM 14

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disCussion 23

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reerenCe list 32

Contents


3/40iv ANMC National Accreditation Standards and CriteriaNurse Practitioners

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Preamble

These standards and criteria or the accreditation o nursing and midwiery courses leading to registration,

enrolment, endorsement and authorisation in Australia are the result o the nal stage o the Australian Nursing

and Midwiery Councils (ANMC) National Accreditation o Nursing and Midwiery Courses Project. Stage 1 o the

project resulted in a discussion paper recommending the development o a national ramework. The national

ramework was subsequently developed as Stage 2 o the project and endorsed by the ANMC in February 2007.

These standards and criteria t the ANMCs national ramework. The ramework establishes a process within

which courses are granted recognition and approval or a specied time, having met dened requirements.

The standards and criteria provide specic indicators or measuring whether a course ulls the dened

requirements. The standards and criteria have been developed in conjunction with a steering committee o key

industry stakeholders, including regulators, proessional bodies, and academics.

The development o these standards and criteria, while part o the broader accreditation project, is also a

discrete undertaking. It takes advantage o research and consultation not available at the time the ramework

was established and consequently there are some emphases not ound in the ramework. Departures in principle

or intent rom the ramework are clearly identied. Otherwise, the two documents as congruent with and

complement each other and, together, they provide a comprehensive accreditation tool.

There are nine standards, each underpinned by a set ocriteria. These nine standards are divided into twodomains: course management and curriculum. They draw upon the 10 accreditation criteria or categories

established in the ramework (section 4 Accreditation criteria 4.2 Courses).

Each standard has a statement o intent drawing attention to the underlying motivation or the standard or

the principles on which it depends. Each standard is expressed as a requirement or the education provider to

produce evidence o the arrangements or aspects o quality assurance. The statement o intent is ollowed by a

list o the criteria that are pertinent to demonstrating the overarching standard.

Under the list o criteria is an evidence guide, providing suggestions on how compliance with each criterion

may be demonstrated. Alternate means o demonstrating compliance with criteria may be ound and the

education provider is ree to use other means. In some cases, evidence is mandatory and this is indicated with

an (M). Indications in the evidence guide o cross reerencing between the standards and criteria point to the

potential to cite evidence otherwise provided on related criteria rather than duplicating evidence. They alsoprovide an aid to understanding and navigating the intersections between the standards and criteria.

The explanation o terms claries key terminology. The discussion provides a rationale or the drat standards

and criteria in the context o current industry views and contemporary health care research, policy and practice

in Australia and internationally.

AustrAliAn nursing And Midwiery CounCil


4/40ANMC National Accreditation Standards and CriteriaNurse Practitioners v

The central dilemma conronting the development o the accreditation standards and criteria is the need to

balance the costs and practicalities o implementation with the need to protect the public. According to the

National Nursing and Nursing Education Taskorce (N3ET) (2006) Commonwealth Funding or Clinical Practicum

report, education standards should be practical, achievable and where necessary enorceable.1 In accordance

with this principle, the accreditation standards and criteria have been developed as minimum standards or

protecting the public. This acknowledges also that the education provider, having participated in quality

assurance processes in accord with the relevant education sector as a prerequisite or applying or proessional

accreditation, has already passed a rigorous validating process which is unnecessary to duplicate. The emphasis

in these accreditation standards is on producing competent practitioners to protect the public rather than

on the quality and integrity o courses and institutions, which is the ocus o the education sectors quality

assurance processes.

The principal standards or determining competent practitioners are the ANMC National Competency Standards

documents. These establish the national benchmark or entry to practise, indicating that the practitioner has

achieved a level o practice that is both adequate and sae.2 The competency standards establish the required

graduate outcomes or education programs and the minimum standards expected or the protection o the public.

The standards and criteria are relevant to the national registration and accreditation context o 2010 and

beyond. Transition arrangements will be put in place to ensure that education providers and students are not

disadvantaged in relation to current course oerings that dier undamentally rom the national standards. With

this in mind, the standards aim or single pathways to minimum qualications, understanding that where there

are existing alternative pathways, these will be able to continue during the transition period that comes into

eect ater 2010.

The ANMC acknowledges the assistance o the Australian Department o Health and Ageing and the expert

members o the Steering Committee which comprised nursing and midwiery regulators, academics, proessional

organisations and individual proessions in the development o these Standards and Criteria.

1 N3ET (2006). Commonwealth unding or Clinical Practicum: a report on Commonwealth unding to support the costs o clinical

practicum or undergraduate nurses and midwives in Australia, p. 26. Available at: [Accessed:

10 October 2007].

2 Pam McGrath & Jennier Anastasi et al. (2006). Collaborative Voices: ongoing refections on nursing competencies,

Contemporary Nurse 22(1), p. 48.


5/40vi ANMC National Accreditation Standards and CriteriaNurse Practitioners

ANMC Australian Nursing and Midwiery Council

AQF Australian Qualications Framework

ANF Australian Nursing Federation

AUQA Australian Universities Quality Agency

AUTC Australian Universities Teaching Committee

FTE ulltime equivalent

ICN International Council o Nurses

IT inormation technology

MCEETYA Ministerial Council o Education, Employment, Training and Youth Aairs

N3ET National Nursing and Nursing Education Taskorce

NMRA Nursing and Midwiery Regulatory Authority

OECD Organisation or Economic Cooperation and Development

RCNA Royal College oNursing,Australia

RPL recognition o prior learning

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organization

ACronyMs


6/40ANMC National Accreditation Standards and CriteriaNurse Practitioners 1

Terms used here that have equivalents in the ANMC National Accreditation Framework (2007) use the

existing defnitions rom the ramework and are identifed by an *. Where defnitions o terms rely on

other sources, these sources are identifed.

ACAdeMiC stA

Academic sta are education provider employees who meet the requirements established in standard 2 (must be

registered and hold a qualication higher than that or which the students they instruct are studying) and who

are engaged in the teaching, supervision, support and/or assessment o students in relation to their acquisition o

the required skills, knowledge, attitudes and graduate competency outcomes.

AdvAnCed PrACtiCe nursing

Advanced practice nursing denes a level o nursing practice that uses extended and expanded skills, experience

and knowledge in assessment, planning, implementation, diagnosis and evaluation o the care required. Nurses

practising at this level are educated at postgraduate level and may work in either a specialist or generalist

capacity. However, the basis o advanced practice is the high degree o knowledge, skill and experience that

is applied within the nursepatient/client relationship to achieve optimal outcomes through critical analysis,

problem solving and accurate decision making.

Advanced practice nursing orms the basis o the role o the nurse practitioner. The nurse practitioner role is an

expanded orm o advanced practice nursing specically regulated by legislation and by proessional regulation.

Legislation may allow prescribing and reerral, in addition to admitting privileges to health care acilities. (Glenn

Gardner, Jenny Carryer, Sandra Dunn & Anne Gardner (2004)Nurse Practitioner Standards Project: Report to

Australian Nursing and Midwiery Council, p. vi, rom the Royal College oNursing,Australias (RCNA) position

statement on Advanced Nursing Practice).

AgreeMent

Agreement is a shared ormal agreement between the education provider and any health service providers where

students gain their proessional experience, based on the policies demonstrated in relation to standard 1.

AssessMent

Assessment is the process o collecting evidence and making judgements as to whether a learning outcome

has been met (adapted rom assessment Nurses Board o South Australia (2005)Standards or Approval oEducation Providers and Courses).

AssessMent tyPes

Includes *ormative assessment (intended to provide eedback or the purposes o uture learning,

development and improvement) and *summative assessment (that leads to an indication o whether or not

certain criteria have been met or whether certain outcomes have been achieved).

AssessMent tAsks

Includes, or instance, written papers or oral presentations.

AssessMent ContextsIncludes the proessional practice context and the simulated or laboratory context.

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7/402 ANMC National Accreditation Standards and CriteriaNurse Practitioners

CAPAbility

Capability is the ability to use competencies in novel and complex situations. Capability orients nurse

practitioner competencies towards contextualised experiential learning and scenariobased evaluation. (drawn

rom Gardner et al. (2004)Nurse Practitioner Standards Project, pp. 9495.)

CoMPetenCe

Competence is the combination o the knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and abilities that underpin eective

perormance in a proession. It encompasses condence and capability (rom ANMC (2007)National Decision

Making FrameworkFinal Framework).

ConsuMer

Consumers are individuals, groups or communities who work in partnership with nurses to plan and receive

nursing care. The term consumer includes patients, residents and/or their amilies, representatives or signicant

others. Advising consumers o their right to make inormed choices in relation to their care, and obtaining their

consent, are key responsibilities o all health care proessionals (adapted rom ANMC (2007)National Decision

Making FrameworkFinal Framework).

Continuing CoMPetenCe

Continuing competence is the ability o nurse practitioners to demonstrate that they have maintained their

competence in their current area and context o practice (rom ANMC (2007)Drat National ContinuingCompetence FrameworkDrat 2).

*Course

Course is the ull program o study and experiences required to be undertaken beore a qualication recognised

under the Australian Qualications Framework (AQF) and approved by the regulatory authority can be conerred

(e.g., a Bachelor or Master o Nursing).

Crossborder higher eduCAtion

Crossborder higher education includes higher education that takes place in situations where the teacher,

student, course, education provider or course materials cross national jurisdictional borders. It may includehigher education by public/private and notorprot/orprot providers. It encompasses a wide range o

delivery modes, in a continuum rom acetoace (taking various orms such as students travelling abroad and

campuses abroad) to distance learning (using a range o technologies and including elearning). (adapted rom

United Nations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) guidelines denition o crossborder

higher education, p. 7 note 2; AQPN toolkit denition 2.1: the delivery in one country o education that directly

originates, in whole or in part, rom another country). Contrast with Department o Education, Science and

Training (DEST) denition o Australian Transnational Education in A National Quality Strategy or Australian

Transnational Education and Traininga discussion paper (2005) 2.1 which is a more restricted concept: As distinct

rom education and training provided in a purely distance mode, transnational education and training includes a

physical presence o instructors oshore.



CulturAl sAety

Cultural saety means the eective nursing practice o a person or amily rom another culture, and is determined

by that person or amily. Culture includes, but is not restricted to: age or generation; gender; sexual orientation;

occupation and socioeconomic status; ethnic origin or migrant experience; religious or spiritual belie;

and disability.

The nurse delivering the nursing service will have undertaken a process o refection on his or her own cultural

identity and will recognise the impact that this has on his or her proessional practice. Unsae cultural practice

comprises any action which diminishes, demeans or disempowers the cultural identity and wellbeing o an

individual. (Nursing Council o New Zealand (2005) denition o Cultural Saety, Guidelines or Cultural Saety,

the Treaty o Waitangi and Maori Health in Nursing Education and Practice.)

delivery Mode

Delivery mode is the means by which courses are made available to students: oncampus or in mixedmode,

by distance or by elearning methods.

*eduCAtion Provider

Education provider is an Australian university responsible or a course, the graduates o which are eligible to

apply or nurse practitioner authorisation, endorsement or registration in Australia.

grAduAtes

Graduates are students who, having undertaken a course, are eligible to apply or nurse pracitioner authorisation,

endorsement or registration.

grAduAte CoMPetenCy outCoMes

Graduate competency outcomes are learning outcomes that correlate with the ANMC National Competency

Standards and that establish the benchmark or nurse practitioner authorisation, endorsement or registration.

heAlth serviCe Provider

Health service providers are health units or other appropriate service providers, where students undertake a

period o supervised proessional experience as part o a course, the graduates o which are eligible to apply or

nurse practitioner authorisation, endorsement or registration (adapted rom denition or clinical acilities in

the ANMC National Accreditation Framework).

interProessionAl leArning And PrACtiCe

Interproessional learning and practice are where two or more health care proessionals learn with, rom and

about each other and/or work together to solve problems or provide services (adapted rom denitions o

interproessional education and interproessional collaboration in Zwarenstein and Reeves). Alternatively,

interproessional education occurs when two or more proessions learn with, rom and about each

other to improve collaboration and the quality o care. (Centre or the Advancement o Interproessional

Education, 2002).



leArning outCoMes

Learning outcomes are the skills, knowledge and attitudes identied as the requirements or satisactory course

completion including, but not limited to, the graduate competency outcomes.

MAsters degree in nurse PrACtitioner PrACtiCe

A Masters degree is gained ater completion o a Masters course approved by the regulatory authority that leads

to registration, endorsement or authorisation as a nurse practitioner in Australia.

nurse PrACtitionerA nurse practitioner is a registered nurse educated to unction autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced

and extended clinical role. The role includes assessment and management o clients using nursing knowledge

and skills and may include but is not limited to the direct reerral o patients to other health care proessionals,

prescribing medications and ordering diagnostic investigations. The nurse practitioner role is grounded in the

nursing proessions values, knowledge, theories and practice and provides innovative and fexible health care

delivery that complements those provided by other health care providers. The scope o practice o the nurse

practitioner is determined by the context in which the nurse practitioner is authorised to practise. (Gardner et al.

(2004)Nurse Practitioner Standards Project, p. 3).

nursing inquiry

Nursing inquiry has three levels: 1. Critical engagement in everyday practice through systematic refection oprocesses and outcomes; 2. collaborative and ongoing evaluation o local practices; and 3. nursing research or

the advancement o nursing knowledge (rom J Crisp & B McCormack Critical inquiry and practice development

in Jackie Crisp and Catherine Taylor eds.,Potter and Perrys Fundamentals o Nursing, 3rd edition, in press).

Portolio

A compiled portolio that demonstrates competencies and capability in practice (Gardner et al. (2004)Nurse

Practitioner Standards Project, table 3.3. p. 95).

PrACtiCe

Practice is any nurse practitioner role which the graduate, having become an authorised, endorsed or registeredpractitioner, undertakes. Practice is not restricted to the provision o direct clinical care only. Being in practice

thereore includes using nurse practitioner knowledge in a direct relationship with consumers, working in

nurse practitioner management, administration, education, research, proessional advice, regulatory or policy

development roles, which impact on nurse practitioner service delivery (adapted rom denition o practice used

in continuing competence project, itsel adapted rom Nursing Council o New Zealand 2004).

*ProCedurAl Airness

Procedural airness involves the ollowing principles:

> The decisionmaker must be impartial and unbiased regarding the matter to be decided, and must have no

pecuniary or [proprietary] interest in the outcome.

> Those who may be adversely aected by a decision must be given prior notice o the case and a airopportunity to prepare or and answer the case and present their own case.

> The decision must be based on sound argument and evidence.

> Those aected must be given the reasons or the decision.



ProessionAl exPerienCe

Proessional experience is any nurse practitioner learning experience, including in simulated environments or

proessional experience placements, which assists students to put theoretical knowledge into practice.

ProessionAl exPerienCe PlACeMent

Proessional experience placement is the component o nurse practitioner education that allows students to put

theoretical knowledge into practice within the consumer care environment (adapted rom Clare et al 2003 clinical

placement/practicum). It includes, but is not limited to, the hospital setting, and may include general practice,

remote and rural health clinics, and community care environments.

ProessionAl exPerienCe suPPort systeMs

An individual or group o health proessionals (this may be a multidisciplinary team o health proessionals)

providing students with a range o proessional support in the development o nurse practitioner competencies

which may include, but not be limited to, mentoring, discussion and assessment o nurse practitioner

decisionmaking, and recommendations or uture practice.

regulAtion

Regulation is all o those legitimate and appropriate meansgovernmental, proessional, private and individual

whereby order, identity, consistency and control are brought to the proession. The proession and its members

are dened; the scope o practice is determined; standards o education and o ethical and competent practiceare set; and systems o accountability are established through these means. (International Council o Nurses

(ICN) Regulation Terminology: .

nursing And Midwiery regulAtory Authorities

Nursing and midwiery regulatory authorities (NMRAs), including the state and territory nursing and midwiery

boards or equivalent authorities (adapted rom the ANMCAccreditation FrameworkNMRAs).

registrAtion/registered

Registration/registered reers to registered nurses, divisions 1, 3 and 4 in Victoria, and registered mental health

nurses, however titled, in other jurisdictions.

risk AssessMent And risk MAnAgeMent

Risk assessment and risk management together orm an eective risk management system. This system is one

incorporating strategies to:

> identiy risks and hazards

> assess the likelihood o the risks occurring and the severity o the consequences i the risks do occur

> prevent the occurrence o the risks, or minimise their impact (rom the ANMCDecision Making Framework).

siMulAtion

Simulation is a teaching and learning strategy to assist students to achieve direct consumer care skills,

knowledge and attitudes in relation to a tool or environment (including skills learned in a laboratory setting)

which reproduces aspects o theproessional experience environment.



student

A student is any person undertaking a course leading to authorisation, endorsement or registration as a

nurse practitioner.

suPervision And/or suPPort

Supervision and/or support is where, or instance, an academic stamember or a nurse supports and/or

supervises a student undertaking a course leading to authorisation (or endorsement or registration) as a nurse

practitioner on aproessional experience placement.

university/universities

A university or universities are institutions listed as Australian universities on the AQF Register. Being listed

on the register indicates that the Ministerial Council o Education, Employment, Training and Youth Aairs

(MCEETYA) vouches or the quality o the institution; and which meet the requirements o protocols A and D

o theNational Protocols or Higher Education Processes (2006), are established by an Australian legislative

instrument, as dened in Part 3 o theNational Protocols, and may include institutions operating with a

university college title or with a specialised university title, where they meet these protocols. This ollows the

ANMC position statement (2008) Registered nurse and midwie education in Australia.



Standard one: Governance

The course provider demonstrates policies, procedures, processes and practices in regard to: quality assurance

and improvement; course design and management; consultation and collaboration; and ensuring resources

adequate to course implementation.

stAteMent o intent

That courses have adequate governance arrangements to produce graduates with the required graduate

competency outcomes, as detailed in the ANMC National Competency Standards or the Nurse Practitioner to

produce sae and competent practitioners.

CriteriA

The course provider is required to demonstrate or conrm:

Current quality assurance and accreditation in the relevant education sector in Australianurse practitioner1)

courses must show evidence o university quality assurance and accreditation.

Course development, monitoring, review, evaluation and quality improvement.2)

Collaborative approaches to course organisation and curriculum design between academic sta, students,3)

consumers and key stakeholders.

That students are provided with acilities and resources sucient in quality and quantity to the attainment o4)

the required graduate competency outcomes.

How shared ormal agreements between the education provider and any health service providers5)

where students gain their proessional experience are developed and reviewed, and justication o

their requirements.

How risk assessments o and risk minimisation strategies or any environment where students are placed to6)

gain their proessional experience are developed.

That credit transer or the recognition o prior learning (RPL) is consistent with both AQF national principles7)

and the expected outcomes o regulatory authorities or practice.

The equivalence o course outcomes or courses taught in Australia in all delivery modes in which the course8)

is oered (courses delivered oncampus or in mixedmode, by distance or by elearning methods).

The equivalence o course outcomes or crossborder education in all delivery modes in which the course is9)

oered (courses delivered oncampus or in mixedmode, by distance or by elearning methods).

Monitoring o sta perormance and ongoing academic sta development, and evidence o sta having10)

current relevant proessional registration.

doMAin 1: Course MAnAgeMent



evidenCe guide

Criterion Examples o evidence that may be produced to demonstrate compliance with criterion.

Except where indicated with an (M) signiying mandatory, the Evidence Guide represents

suggestions only and the provider may demonstrate the criterion with reerence to

other means.

Conrmation o successul completion o the Australian Universities Quality Agency1)

(AUQA) audit report, including date o expiration o approval (M). Listing on the current

AQF register. Account o any restrictions on accreditation status (M).

Current template or school course review documentation, such as evaluation, quality2)improvement plan, reports or descriptions o ways in which these processes have

impacted or will impact on course design and delivery. Documentation o the need or and

viability o the course relative to the jurisdiction in which the course is to be delivered:

(e.g., evidence o consultation with industry and support or course in region(s) where it

is to be oered. Scoping study.

Collaboration activitiesAdvisory committee membership and monitoring committee3)

membership. Documentation o collaborative curriculum developmentTerms o

Reerence or committees and minutes o meetings.

Evidence o resources (cross reerence with standard 8, criterion 3),4)

Guidelines that prescribe content o agreements. Meeting minutes o negotiation5)o agreements.

Guidelines or policies or risk assessments and risk minimisation strategies.6)

Credit transer/RPL policies, including description o how curriculum is matched to7)

determine RPL (M). Examples o RPL or an overseas nurse practitioner. Documentation

that identies process and outcomes or RPL.

Description o processes to ensure equivalence o course outcomesdocumentation8)

o arrangements or online courses to satisy proessional experience component o

course (M).

Description o processes to ensure equivalence o course outcomesdocumentation o9)arrangements or oshore courses to satisy proessional experience component o course

(M)e.g., breakdown o onshore and oshore teaching. Declaration regarding teaching

and assessment in English (also standard 4, criterion 7, nal placement in Australia).

Copies o policies/descriptions o processes or sta perormance review, policies/10)

processes or identiying and dealing with sta noncompliance o requirements or

maintaining nursing registration (or other proessional registration where applicable).

Descriptions o sta proessional development activities. Policies regarding personal sta

perormance development plans.



issues to note

The argument or mandating that courses should be oered by a university is articulated in the ANMC position

statement Registered nurse and midwie education in Australia. Available at: and and .

Standard two: academic StaffinG

The course provider demonstrates policies, procedures, processes and practices to demonstrate that sta are

qualied and prepared or their roles and responsibilities in relation to educating and supervising students

working at an advanced level.

stAteMent o intent

That sta are qualied and sucient in number to provide students with the support and the expertise necessary

to attain their graduate competency outcomes to produce sae and competent practitioners.

CriteriA

The course provider is required to demonstrate that:

the Head o Discipline and academic sta members hold a tertiary qualication relevant to their nursing1) proession as a minimum qualication.

that the Head o Discipline and academic sta are registered nurses with a current practising certicate.2)

in cases where an academic sta members qualications are not in nursing their qualications are relevant3)

to the education o the given students (e.g., in crossdisciplinary courses)

academic sta hold a qualication that is higher than or equal to the qualication or which the students they4)

educate are studying (or justication o where exceptions to this criterion should be made)

academic sta are qualied to ull their teaching responsibilities, including current competence in area5)

o teaching.

stang arrangements around course delivery are aligned with course outcomes.6)



evidenCe guide




other means.

Position descriptions indicating minimum qualications. Sample copies o1)

curriculum vitae.

Position descriptions indicating requirement or current practising certicate; description2)

o processes or checking that sta maintain current practising certicate. Sample copies

o relevant current practising certicates.

List o current academic sta, including teaching experience, qualications and courses3)

taught (M).

As per criterion 3.4)


Policies or sta recruitment; justication o sta selection against course delivery (cross6)

reerence with standard 8, criterion 6).

Standard three: StudentS

The course provider demonstrates policies, procedures, processes and practices which establish: equal

opportunities or students to successully meet the requirements or authorisation (or endorsement or

registration); that students are inormed o preenrolment o specic entry requirements or learning styles that

the course may require and that they are aware o regulatory authorities requirements or authorisation (or

endorsement or registration).

stAteMent o intent

That courses are underpinned by equal opportunity principles in terms o recruitment, enrolment and

support o students and establish that students are given the opportunity to make inormed course selections

preenrolment, understanding:

> any specic requirements o the provider or entry to the course

> any specic teaching and learning approaches through which the course is delivered, or

> any regulatory authorities requirements or authorisation (or endorsement or registration).

CriteriA

The course provider is required to demonstrate:

Recruitment:

that students are inormed o specic requirements or right o entry to proessional experience placements1)

that students are inormed o regulatory authorities criteria or authorisation (or endorsement or registration)2)to practice.



Enrolment:

that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are encouraged to enrol3)

that4) students rom other groups underrepresented in the nursing proession, especially those rom culturally

and linguistically diverse groups, are encouraged to enrol

that students who have diverse academic, work and lie experiences and achievements are o diverse5)

social and cultural backgrounds, and o diverse ages, and whom meet the essential admission criteria are

encouraged to enrol.

Support:

provision or the range o support needs or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students6)provision or the range o support needs o students: rom other groups underrepresented in the nursing7)

proession; rom diverse academic, work and lie experiences and achievements; o diverse social and cultural

backgrounds; and o diverse ages

that all students have equal opportunity to gain all graduate competency outcomes regardless o the mode o8)

course delivery.

evidenCe guide




other means.

Course handbook or equivalent with details o requirements or police checks, vaccination1)

etc. or proessional experience placement, including processes or noncompliance (M).

Course handbook or equivalent with details o requirementsEnglish language2)

requirements, demonstration o good character, immunisation complianceand links to

regulatory authority inormation and criteria or registration to practice (M).

Equal opportunity policies with regard to admission; evidence o University policy and3)

course application (M).



Description o student support services or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students;6)

university policy and course application (M).

Description o student support services or students rom diverse cultural and linguistic7)

backgrounds, or mature age students etc; disability support services; university policy

and course application (M).

Course handbook or equivalent with details o mode(s) o delivery o courses, including8)

proessional experience requirements and inormation technology requirements (M).



AdMission CriteriA

(including adapted ANMC 2004 Accreditation Standards or Nurse Practitioners, standard 1).3

Required evidence must include documents that demonstrate:

a) current registration as a nurse in Australia

b) length and depth o experiencea minimum o ve years ulltime equivalent (FTE) experience as a

Registered Nurse, including three years FTE as a Registered Nurse in a specialty area and one year FTE at an

advanced practice level in the relevant specialty area o practice

c) requisite education or equivalent in a specialty eld as entry to the nurse practitioner programBachelor o

Nursing or equivalent and Postgraduate qualication in a specialty eld that has prepared the student oradvanced practice (either as a prerequisite or integrated into the masters degree)

d) required proessional activityactive involvement in proessional organisations and contribution to the

ongoing development o the proession

e) conrmed support or the applicant to complete all proessional experience requirements o the course.

evidenCe guide




other means.

Course handbook or equivalent with details o requirements or current practising1)

certicates (M).

Course handbook or equivalent with details o requirements or preadmission length and2)

depth o experience (M).

Course handbook or equivalent with details o requirements or preadmission3)

education (M).

List o proessional memberships. Membership o proessional committees. Publications4)

related to proessional activities. Additional proessional roles and activities (e.g.,

mentoring).

Letter/statement o support rom the students employer o organisational support or the5)

student to complete all the proessional experience requirements o the course both at

the students place o employment and at other agencies. This includes role development

support as required and a description with corroborating testimony rom the student o

how all proessional experience requirements o the course, including role development

support, will be met (cross reerence with standard 1, criterion 4).

issues to note

The criteria adopt the 2004 ANMC Accreditation Standards or Nurse Practitioners, standard 1, rom the Gardner

et al. Nurse Practitioners Standards Report as the basis or the admission criteria. Further details have been

added, drawing partly on existing or drat criteria rom a number o jurisdictions.

3 Glenn Gardner, Jenny Carryer, Sandra Dunn &, Anne Gardner (2004)Nurse Practitioner Standards Project: Report to

Australian Nursing and Midwiery Council, ANMC, Canberra). Hereater noted in text as Gardner et al. NP Standards Report.



Standard four: courSe lenGth and Structure

The course provider demonstrates policies, procedures, processes and practices to establish that the total

length o the course and the time and place in the course allocated to proessional experience is appropriate

to the graduate competency outcomes to be developed, with evidence o an integration o theory and

proessional experience.

stAteMent o intent

That the course structure is sucient to gain the graduate competency outcomes.

CriteriA


or courses leading to authorisation (or endorsement or registration) as a nurse practitioner, the minimum1)

qualication is a Masters degree in nurse practitioner practice*

the total length and structure o the course is sucient to allow all graduate competency outcomes to be met2)

the academic content o the course prepares students or the timing and length o proessional3)

experience placements

proessional experiences are sucient to allow all graduate competency outcomes to be met4)

where the structure o the course allows or qualications or entry and exit these are outlined and that the5)

exit points meet standards or exit qualications.

evidenCe guide




other means.

Course handbook or equivalent with details o course length and structure (M).1)

Copy o ull course outline (M).2)

Map/grid table o total proessional experience outcomes in relation to graduate3)

competency outcomes (M).


Documentation o exit processes and standards.5)

issues to note

* The second pathway wherein a completed masters degree in something other than, though relevant to, nurse practitioner

practice is used as the basis to meet requirements or nurse practitioner authorisation (or endorsement or registration) that

currently operates in some jurisdictions would be able to continue under the transition arrangements beyond 2010 reerred to in

the preamble. Thereater, the single pathway, indicated as criterion 1, would be the national standard.



Standard five: curriculum content

The course provider demonstrates policies, procedures, processes and practices to establish that the curriculum

comprehensively addresses the graduate competency outcomes and has been developed in consultation with

relevant specialty organisations.

stAteMent o intent

That the curriculum is tailored to the advanced skill and knowledge competencies o the role o nurse

practitioner.

CriteriA


curriculum has been mapped against the ANMCs National Competency Standards or the Nurse Practitioner,1)

to demonstrate how the graduate competency outcomes are to be achieved

selection, organisation, sequencing and delivery o learning experiences provides students with the2)

opportunity to attain all required graduate competency outcomes

the curriculum addresses specically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples health and culture and3)

incorporates the principles o cultural saety

the central ocus o the course is on advanced nursing practice addressing, across the length o the course,4)

oundation, proessional and contemporary nurse practitioner knowledge and skills:> Foundation knowledge and skills:

That the central ocus o the curriculum is on extended and specialised nursing practice (within

a specialist context where applicable), understood as advanced nursing practice knowledge and

skill in conjunction with legislative provisions that enable the nurse to deliver a health service that

encompasses a complete episode o care to [consumers].

(See also Gardner et al NP Standards Project Report, denition o extended practice, vii.)

That the ocus on extended and specialised nursing and nursing practice involves the assessment and

management o consumers using nursing knowledge and skills, and may include but not be limited

to: direct reerral o consumers to other members o the healthcare team; prescribing medications and

ordering diagnostic investigations (Adapted rom ANMCs National Competency Standards or the Nurse

Practitioner (2006) p. 1).

> Proessional knowledge and skills:

Demonstrate that the curriculum comprehensively addresses the knowledge and skills associated with

extended and specialised nursing practice, including but not limited to: the proessional, legal and

ethical responsibilities o extended and specialised nursing practice; an understanding o cultural

saety; and an understanding o regulation and health policy issues as they relate to extended and

specialised nursing practice.

> Contemporary knowledge and skills:

Demonstrate that the curriculum is responsive to and refects healthcare matters that have national and

international signicance, including but not limited to the national health priorities, remote and rural

health, mental health and chronic disease selmanagement, aged care, and primary health care.

Demonstrate that the curriculum incorporates the healthcare priorities o the region or locality

where the course is oered or any specialist research or practice available to the course provider thatcomplements the study o extended and specialised nursing.

doMAin 2: CurriCuluM



that the curriculum includes research and its application to the nurse practitioner role5)

that technology, including inormation technology and inormation management, to support health care is6)

integral to the curriculum

that the curriculum addresses knowledge in advanced pharmacology and therapeutic medication7)

management or prescribers (or or nurse practitioners to prescribe competently, legally and ethically)

that specialties and/or electives* in the course complement the nurse practitioner role and scope o practice8)

the curriculum, approaches to teaching and learning, and assessment procedures are developed cognisant o9)

best practice research and practice.

evidenCe guideCriterion Examples o evidence that may be produced to demonstrate compliance with criterion.



other means.

Map/grid table o competency standards against specic curriculum content/units,1)

including cross reerencing with standard 4, criterion 3 (M), where applicable.

Rationale/philosophy or course content and organisation o units.2)

Identication o Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content across the course with3)

evidence o reerence to ANMC position statement on Inclusion o Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander Peoples Health and Cultural Issues in Courses Leading to Registration and

Enrolment (M).

Detailed description o course content relative to the requirements indicated, including4)

reerence to relevant current reports (report on mental health in preregistration

nursing courses and chronic disease selmanagement report/toolkit). Identication o

contemporary legal, proessional and published inormation sources in support o the

content (M) (cross reerence with standard 4, criterion 2, where applicable).

Identication o content ocused on or related to research and application o research5)

across the course (M).

List o content ocused on or related to health/nursing inormatics across the course.6)

Identication o content ocused on or related to pharmacology and therapeutic7)

medication management or prescribers across the course (M).

List and description o electives, including their relevance to nurse practitioner practice,8)

where applicable (M).

Benchmarking against selected examples o national and international best practice.9)

Examples o research and evidenceled curriculum.

issues to note

Drat criteria 1 and 8 incorporate the 2004 ANMC Accreditation Standards or Nurse Practitioners, standard 2,

rom the Gardner et al. NP Standards Report.

Working group participants advised o a need to have pharmacology singled out or particular attention.

*specialties and/or electives here mean any approved units that are not part o core units.



Standard Six: aPProacheS to teachinG and learninG

The course provider demonstrates policies, procedures, processes and practices to establish that the course is

consistent with contemporary teaching and learning best practice.

stAteMent o intent

That contemporary, relevant and varied approaches to teaching and learning underpin the course and

teaching and learning approaches provide Australian and international best practice perspectives on the nurse

practitioner role.

CriteriA


The course curriculum ramework and expected teaching and learning outcomes.1)

Congruence between content, practical application, competency achievement and teaching and2)

learning strategies.

Understanding o current Australian and international best practice teaching and learning approaches.3)

A commitment to the development o graduates who are sae and competent or beginninglevel nurse4)

practitioner practice.

Interproessional learning and practice.5)

That approaches to teaching and learning achieve stated course outcomes.6)Flexible learning pathways and processes o support or studentdetermined learning goals and strategies.7)

That extensive learning requirements in the specialist proessional experience eld and mentored experiential8)

processes are central to the educational experience.

Capability approaches to learning.9)

Collaborative approach to the nomination o proessional experience support systems or the student that are10)

o satisaction to the education provider beore the students commencement in the course.

Justication or minimum education and experience requirements or proessional experience11)

support systems.

How the role o the proessional experience support systems complements course content, delivery12)

and assessment.



evidenCe guide




other means.

Curriculum ramework with teaching and learning outcomes identiedcross reerence1)

with standard 4, criteria 2 and 3 (M). Examples o unit outlines (M).

Description o how congruence between content, practical application, competency2)

achievement and teaching and learning strategies is achieved. Copy o course vision and/or philosophy (M).

Statement and description o current Australian and international teaching and learning3)

approaches relative to course teaching and learning approaches (cross reerence with

standard 5, criterion 9). Sta publications in teaching and learning (cross reerence with

standard 9).

Final statements o students having achieved graduate competency outcomes.4)

Lesson plans indicating interproessional learning and teaching approaches. Examples5)

rom curriculum o opportunities or interproessional learning.

Identication and examples o evaluation strategies or teaching and learning6)approaches. Reports and results o these strategies. Course experience questionnaires.

Student destination surveys.

Description and examples o the range o learning experiences used across the course,7)

including details o processes or student determination o learning.

Description and examples rom curriculum o opportunities or specialist proessional8)

experience and mentored experience.

Description and examples rom curriculum o capability approaches used.9)

Records/minutes o meetings o negotiations leading to the nomination o the10)

proessional experience support systems.

List o credentials required or proessional experience support systems.11)

Description and examples rom curriculum o opportunities or proessional experience12)

support systems to engage with curriculum.

issues to note

The criteria adopt 2004 ANMC Accreditation Standards or Nurse Practitioners, Standard 3, rom the Gardner et al.

NP Standards Report: drat criteria 7, 8 and 9 are drawn rom 3 a, b and c respectively. Further detail is suggested

by other jurisdictional standards and working group consultation.



Standard Seven: Student aSSeSSment

The course provider demonstrates policies, procedures, processes and practices to establish that the course

incorporates a variety o approaches to assessment that are suited to the nature o the learning experiences and

that achieve the required learning outcomes.

stAteMent o intent

That assessment is explicitly and comprehensively linked to the attainment o the graduate competency

outcomes, is consistent with best practice assessment approaches and uses diverse assessment techniques to

produce sae and competent practitioners.

CriteriA


That graduates have achieved each graduate competency outcome on completion o the course.1)

That the level and number o assessments are consistent with determining the achievement o the graduate2)

competency outcomes.

A variety o assessment types and tasks across the course to enhance individual and collective learning.3)

A variety o assessment contexts, to ensure demonstration o targeted skills leading to competence.4)

Assessment in the proessional experience context to establish the combination o skills, knowledge,5)

attitudes, values and abilities that underpin competent and capable perormance.Procedural airness, validity and transparency o assessment.6)

That the education provider remains ultimately accountable or the assessment o students in relation to their7)

proessional experience assessment.

That assessments refect collaborative arrangements between students, nurse practitioners, proessional8)

experience support systems, other health proessionals and academics.

A commitment to contextualised, scenariobased assessment strategies which must include oral assessment9)

and assessor observation o the student in the proessional experience environment in the context o nurse

practitioner practice.

That assessment includes a comprehensive portolio o learning and practice experiences examined both10)

internally to the course and externally.

That assessment includes pharmacology competence.11)



evidenCe guide




other means.

Matrix/statement o achievement demonstrating where competency standards have been1)

met within the course (cross reerence with standard 6, criterion 4).

Examples o how competence is being assessed across the curriculum, aligned with2)

mapping o competencies against content in standards 4 and 5.

Description and list o range o assessment types used. Lesson plans and unit outlines3)

indicating range o assessment types used.

Description and list o range o assessment contexts used, including those in structured or4)

simulated environments. Lesson plans and unit outlines indicating range o assessment

contexts used, including those in structured or simulated environments.

Identication and description o ormative and summative assessments undertaken in5)

proessional experience context. Examples o assessments. Lesson plans and unit outlines

indicating assessments used in proessional experience context.

Validation models or assessment. Description and justication or chosen assessment6)tools. Policies or dealing with lack o progression, misadventure, grievance.

Identication o how this is demonstrated within university quality assurance process.

Statement acknowledging education providers accountability or student assessment in7)

the proessional experience context.

List o collaborative activities/stakeholders involved. Description o processes to8)

engage stakeholders.

Description/list/unit outlines indicating scenariobased assessment strategies, including9)

oral assessment and assessor observation o the student in the proessional experience

environment in the context o nurse practitioner practice (cross reerence with criteria 3 to

5 o this standard, where applicable).

Description/list/unit outline indicating the inclusion o a comprehensive portolio o10)

learning and practice experiences examined both internally to the course and externally.

Details o peer review processes o same (cross reerence with criteria 3 to 5 o this

standard, where applicable).

Description/list/unit outline indicating the assessment o pharmacology competence11)

(cross reerence with standard 5, criterion 7).

issues to note

The criteria adopt the 2004 ANMC Accreditation Standards or Nurse Practitioners, standard 4 rom the Gardner et

al. NP Standards Report. This standard should be read together with Table 3.3 on p. 95 o the report.

Drat criteria 9 and 10 draw respectively on the 2004 ANMC Accreditation Standards or Nurse Practitioners,

standard 4 a and b, together with some additional detail.



Standard eiGht: ProfeSSional exPerience

The course provider demonstrates policies, procedures, processes and practices to establish that proessional

experience is conducted in an environment that provides conditions or students to gain the graduate

competency outcomes.

stAteMent o intent

That proessional experience complements and promotes learning and that the conditions in which it is provided

are risk assessed and risk managed.

CriteriA


That proessional experience supports learning activities and provides opportunities to attain learning1)

outcomes (cross reerence with standard 4).

That proessional experience provides opportunities or experiential learning o curriculum content (cross2)

reerence with standard 4, criterion 3).

Shared ormal agreements between the education provider and all health service providers where students3)

gain their proessional experience (cross reerence with standard 1, criterion 5).

Risk assessment o and risk minimisation or all environments where students are placed to gain their4)

proessional experience (cross reerence with standard 1, criterion 6).

Collaborative approaches to evaluation o students proessional experience placements.5)

Supervision models or proessional experience placement and the relationship o the models to the6)

achievement o learning outcomes (cross reerence with standard 2, criterion 6).

That academic sta engaged in supporting and/or assessing students on proessional experience placements7)

are experienced in and prepared or the role (cross reerence with standard 2).

That nurses or nurse practitioners and other health proessionals who are engaged in supporting students8)

on proessional experience placementsincluding the students nominated proessional experience support

systemsare prepared or the role and that nurse practitioners or other health proessionals engaged in

assessing students on proessional experience placementsincluding the students nominated proessional

experience support systemsare prepared or the role.



evidenCe guide




other means.

As per standard 4 criterion 3detailed description o how learning is tailored to the needs1)

o the student (M).

List o agreed health service providers with which students will undertake proessional2)

experience placements (M). Description and examples o opportunities or experientiallearning o curriculum content (cross reerence with standard 4, criterion 3, and

standard 7, criterion 4.

Shared ormal agreements, or a sample signed copy o a ormal agreement together with3)

a register o agreements (including date when agreements were rst developed and when

they are due to expire) between the education provider and any health service providers

where students gain their proessional experience, based on the policies demonstrated in

relation to standard 1, criterion 5 (M).

Description o and guidelines or parameters o student activity when on proessional4)

experience placement, based on the policies demonstrated in relation to standard 1,

criterion 6 (M).

Postplacement evaluation o students experience o the proessional experience5)

environment or quality improvement purposes (cross reerence with standard 6,

criterion 10, where applicable).

Description and justication o how students are supervised on proessional experience6)

placement with reerence to how nature and degree o supervision impacts on

learning outcomes.

Outline o preparation programs/resources or sta. Policies regarding minimum7)

experience/qualications. Preparation and development o models/resources

or assessors.

Outline o preparation programs/resources or nurses, nurse practitioners or other health8)proessionals, including those nominated as the students proessional experience

support systems, who support and/or conduct student assessment in the proessional

experience context. Policies regarding their minimum experience and qualications.



Standard nine: reSearch

The course provider demonstrates policies, procedures, processes and practices to establish that graduates are

educated in nursing inquiry and that the contribution o the academic sta to the education course is inormed

by research and scholarship.

stAteMent o intent

That students are exposed to, and their learning inormed by, current research and that students develop the

skills themselves to undertake research and apply it to their practice.

CriteriA


academic sta use current research in teaching and learning1)

academic sta are actively engaged in research and scholarship2)

students strengthen their understanding o and ability to undertake nursing inquiry on all levels.3)

students strengthen their awareness o the ethics o research and o applying research to practice4)

students are encouraged to engage with a culture o nursing inquiry.5)

evidenCe guide




other means.

Description o current research relative to course teaching and learning approaches.1)

Description o processes o course development committees.

List o sta research activities, including publications (cross reerence with standard 6,2)

criterion 3). Teaching portolios.

Lesson plans/unit outlines identiying content ocused on or related to nursing inquiry3)

across the course.

Lesson plans/unit outlines identiying content ocused on or related to the ethics and4)

application o research across the course.

Student seminar series programs. Faculty research grants and activities. Departmental5)

stastudent orums.



Standard 1

This broad standard underpins the standards that ollow it, establishing criteria or course governance that are

consistent with the principles established under the ANMCsNational Framework or the Accreditation o Nursing

and Midwiery Courses Leading to Registration, Enrolment, Endorsement and Authorisation in Australia. These

principles include:

> a commitment to the quality o proessional education and the assurance o graduate outcomes (criteria

on quality improvement, sta perormance and development, and equivalence across modes and sites

o delivery)

> inclusiveness and transparency (criteria on consultative approaches to course organisation and design)

> procedural airness (criteria or RPL)

> accountability (criterion on risk assessment and minimisation)

> eciency, demonstrated through avoiding duplication o the education sector quality assurance processes.

The ANMCsNational Framework or Accreditation Section 4.1Education Institutions states that:

Education institutions that are quality assured or accredited as institutions within their sector by recognised

agencies do not need to be separately accredited by the [Nursing and Midwiery Regulatory Authority] NMRA

Where a provider is not accredited or quality assured by such a recognised agency, such accreditation

or assurance should be sought beore an approach is made to the NMRA or proessional accreditation

o courses.

In accordance with the ramework, the standards mandate education provider accreditation under the qualityassurance accreditation processes o the education sector (universitiesAUQA) as a prerequisite or applying or

proessional course accreditation and dispensing with education provider standards.

The argument or mandating that courses must be oered by a university is articulated in the ANMC position

statement Registered nurse and midwie education in Australia.4 The denition o university, or the purposes

o this document, is those institutions listed as Australian universities on the AQF Register. Being listed on the

register indicates that the MCEETYA vouches or the quality o the institution; and which meet the requirements

o protocols A and D o the National Protocols or Higher Education Processes (2006), are established by

an Australian legislative instrument, as dened in Part 3 o theNational Protocols, and may include those

institutions that operate with a university college title or with a specialised university title, where they meet

these protocols. This ollows the ANMC position statement (2008) Registered nurse and midwie education

in Australia.5

4 ANMC (2008). Registered Nurse and Midwie Education in Australia. Available at: [Accessed: 2 June 2008].

5 Also Australian Qualications Framework Register: and the process o

higher education quality assurance: ; ANMC (2008) Registered Nurse and MidwieEducation in Australia, ollowing MCEETYA (2006).National Protocols or Higher Education Approval Processes, Protocol D,

Additional criteria, D1 and D2. Available at: [Accessed: 14 November 2007].

disCussion



Collaboration and consultation among key stakeholders are important or inormed curriculum design,

good course organisation and the productive partnerships or sound placements that students need to gain

proessional experience. Research indicates that good partnerships between the education provider and health

service providers in organising placements or students contributes signicantly to a positive experience or the

student and leads to positive learning outcomes. A partnership can be considered good where communication

and inormationsharing systems between the education and health sectors are established, where there is

a shared vision o proessional experience, where respect is demonstrated across the two sectors, and where

approaches to care incorporate the communityutilising the consumers knowledge o their chronic conditions,

or instance to educate students.6

The necessity to ormalise the relationship between the education provider and the proessional experienceenvironment is articulated in the National Accreditation Standards or Registered Nurses.7 The standards or

the nurse practitioner adopt the same processes on this issue. The standard here on evidence o policies or the

development o such agreements should be read in conjunction with standard 8.

The criterion on policies or risk assessment and minimisation to determine suitable environments or students to

attain proessional experience also adopts the same rationale and processes as are ormulated in relation to the

ANMC National Accreditation Standards or Registered Nurses. This criterion should also be read in conjunction

with standard 8.

Recognition o prior learning is covered within the quality assurance processes the education provider has

undergone. The AQF has established national principles and models or RPL and these should be observed in

preparing an RPL policy.8 There is still an argument that proessional accreditation should mandate maximum

RPL in relation to nursing and midwiery in accord with the view that a minimum course length is necessaryto ensure adequate opportunity to gain the ull range o competency standards. Existing RPL policies rom the

NMRAs take varied approaches, hence the criterion on RPL stipulates that in addition to AQF compliance on RPL,

the provider must meet expected outcomes o the regulatory authorities.

Quality in crossborder education is an important and increasing concern and bodies including the International

Network or Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education and UNESCO have established guidelines and

codes o good practice to meet these concerns.9 In Australia, AUQAs own auditing mechanisms have been ound

to be in line with the UNESCO guidelines.10 This means that education providers with AUQA accreditatione.g.,

all universitieshave already met crossborder education quality assurance. New modes o education delivery

6 Nurses and Midwives Board o Western Australia. Clinical education or the uture project: Key elements or optimal

clinical learning experience or nurses and midwives. Available at: [Accessed: 9 October 2007]; also Judith Clare, Helen Edwards, Diane Brown and Jill White (2003). Evaluating Clinical

Learning Environments: Creating EducationPractice Partnerships and Clinical Education Benchmarks or Nursing.

Learning Outcomes and Curriculum Development in Major disciplines: Nursing Phase 2 Final Report. Australian Universities

Teaching Committee (AUTC). School o Nursing & Midwiery, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, on criteria that

indicate good partnerships or clinical learning.

7 ANMC (2009). Project to Develop Standards and Criteria or the Accreditation o Nursing and Midwiery Courses Leading to

Registration, Enrolment, Endorsement and Authorisation in Australia: Registered Nurses. Reerred to hereater as ANMC

National Accreditation Standards or Registered Nurses.

8 See AQF (2004).RPL national principles. Available at: [Accessed:

10 February 2008].

9 INQAAHE (2007). Guidelines o Good Practice. Available at: http://www.inqaahe.org/ [Accessed: 4 October 2007]; UNESCO

(2005). Guidelines or Quality Care Provision in Crossborder Higher Education. Available at: [Accessed: 7 January 2008]; UNESCO (2006). 10 UNESCO/APQN Toolkit: Regulating

the Quality o Crossborder Education. Bangkok. Available at: [Accessed: 7 January 2008].

10 David Woodhouse (2006). The Quality o Transnational Education: a provider view. Quality in Higher Education 12(3):

p 280.



such as elearning also place burdens on accreditation processes in terms o ensuring comparable quality

education. Given the conficting demands to allow or innovation and diversied approaches to teaching while

ensuring standardisation o graduate outcomes, at home and abroad, through traditional or new teaching

methods, one way to ensure course equivalence is by emphasising competencybased learning outcomes.11 For

proessional regulatory purposes, this ts with the proessions commitment to competency standards as the

means by which to assess a practitioners tness to practise. The criteria on equivalence o course outcomes in

standard 1, thereore, are based on the premise that no matter where or how the course is delivered, students

must meet the required graduate competency outcomes. This is consistent with the tenor o the Standards o Good

Practice Abroad (2008), developed by the Forum on Education Abroad, in which the benchmarks in the academic

ramework, or the award o credit, academic requirements o courses, and credit or internships or eld research

is that they are consistent with home institution standards.12

Standard 2

Australian NMRAs generally agree that the Head o Discipline and academic sta should be a registered nurse.13

The Framework provides the basis or the criterion that in crossdisciplinary teaching where the academic is not a

nurse, there should be evidence o relevance o qualications (Framework 4.2.8, note 15).

The criteria under standard 2 also aim to ensure there is expert proessional input to course development and that

sta have qualications at a level higher than or equal to the students they are educating. This is consistent with

some allied health proession accreditation standards. The Australian Pharmacy Council (2005)New Zealand

and Australian pharmacy schools accreditation committee Accreditation Criteria asks that a school have not less

than three continuing appointments in pharmacy or where not demonstration o how expert input or curriculum

development is to be assured; the Council on Chiropractic Education Australasia Inc 2003 indicates that the head

o unit should be a qualied chiropractor and that academic sta have qualications and experience well in

advance o the level at which they are teaching.14

The standard also aims or alignment o teaching sta and course delivery needs. Criterion 6 asks the education

provider to demonstrate this: to justiy sta selection relative to the demands o teaching the course to achieve

quality outcomes.

11 OECD (2003).Enhancing Consumer Protection in Crossborder Higher Education: Key Issues Related to Quality Assurance,

Accreditation and Recognition o Qualifcations, p. 17. Available at:

[Accessed: 7 January 2008].

12 Forum on Education Abroad (2008). Standards o Good Practice or Education Abroad. 3rd edition. Available at:

[Accessed: 28 October 2008].

13 National Nursing and Nursing Education Taskorce (2006).Nursing and Midwiery Legislation and Regulation Atlas. Available

at: [Accessed: 6 November 2007], 9.14.18 Hereater reerred

to in the text as Atlas.

14 Australian Pharmacy Council (2005).New Zealand and Australian pharmacy schools accreditation committee Accreditation

Criteria, p. 5. Available at: [Accessed: 10 June 2008]; Council onChiropractic Education Australasia Inc (2003). Standards or First Proessional Award Programs in Chiropractic. Available at:

[Accessed:

10 June 2008].



Standard3

reCruitMent

The criteria on recruitment are designed to ensure that students are given adequate inormation to make

considered course selections, given their understanding o their personal circumstances, backgrounds and

learning styles. With respect to the criterion on regulatory authorities requirements or entry to practice, it is

important that students understand when making course selections that while completion o their course makes

them eligible to apply or registration or enrolment, endorsement or authorisation, regulatory authorities may

require additional evidence o tness to practise. The regulatory authorities requirements may be driven by

legislative requirements.

enrolMent

Equity and access issues have a clear place in education sectors quality assurance processes15, yet it is still

desirable that the proessional accreditation process emphasises this. Further discussion o this point is

provided in the Accreditation Standards or Registered Nurses. It should be noted that this does not negate the

undamental principle o ensuring that students are admitted have the ability to meet course requirements

which is the objective o the Admission Criteria described in this standard also. Most importantly, cultural saety

is a regulatory concern in terms o ensuring that nursing care is delivered saely and ethically. Cultural saety is

undamental to the protection o the publicprotection rom care that is not respectul o or in the interests o

the consumer.

suPPort

It is also important that the central point that the competency standards need to obtained by all graduates is

covered in relation to all issues. Standard 3 contains a criterion on the need to ensure access or all students,

regardless o background, to the acilities and support they need to attain those standards. It is related to, but not

entirely covered by, the criterion in standard 1 relating to providing sucient acilities and resources or graduate

competency standards to be met. The criterion in standard 3 asks or evidence that students with special equity

and access needs are provided or.

AdMission CriteriA

The 2004 ANMC Accreditation Standards or Nurse Practitioners, standard 1, rom the Gardner et al. Nurse

Practitioner Standards Report, orms the basis or admission criteria. In addition, urther requirements were

developed during this project covering the unique demands o the nurse practitioner role and considering some

existing and drat accreditation standards or nurse practitioner courses rom some NMRAs. In addition tominimum education and proessional experience requirements, the criteria require that the provider demonstrate

condence that students entering the course have adequate support (resources and role development) to

complete their proessional experience requirements o the course. Conrmation o this support may be in the

orm o a letter or statement rom the students employer or rom the student with corroborating testimony on the

means by which the support will be obtained.

Standard4

The 2004 ANMC Accreditation Standards or Nurse Practitioners indicates that a masters degree should be the

minimum education level. In the course o developing these standards, it was decided that the terminology used

to describe the degree should be Master o Nurse Practitioner Practice or something similar. This is dened in

15 Australian ViceChancellors Committee (2005). Universities and their Students: Principles or the Provision o Education by

Australian Universities. Available at: [Accessed: 10 January 2008].



this document as: a Masters course approved by the regulatory authority that leads to registration, endorsement

or authorisation as a nurse practitioner in Australia.

In some jurisdictions, a second pathway wherein a completed masters degree in an area other than though

relevant to nurse practitioner practice is used as the basis to meet requirements or nurse practitioner

authorisation (or endorsement or registration), together with additional requirements stipulated by the NMRAs.

The second pathway currently operating in these jurisdictions would be able to continue under the transition

arrangements beyond the date o 2010 reerred to in the preamble. Thereater, the single pathway indicated above

will be the national standard.

The standard asks or evidence that the total length and structure o the course is sucient to achieve the

graduate competency outcomes, in keeping with the projects primary reliance on the ANMC national competency

standards as the measure o graduate competence.

Issues relating to the timing and length o proessional experience placements are included in this standard.

Issues relating to the nature and content o these placements are within standard 8. The view is that proessional

experience or clinical education in the health care context is vital or developing proessional competencies

remains prevalent.16

Standard 5

The 2004 ANMC Accreditation Standards or Nurse Practitioners, Standard 2 a and b, rom the Gardner et

al. Nurse Practitioner Standards Report, is incorporated respectively into this standard in criteria 1 and 8 onmapping the curriculum against the competency standards and on oering electives and specialisations.

The curriculum requirements aim to avoid being prescriptive, allowing or the education provider to exercise

innovation in course design and delivery. The requirements centre on ensuring that oundation skills and

knowledge are central to the curriculum; that proessional issues are addressed and that some specic issues

relating to the Australian context and its health priorities are represented. In relation to the requirement

that the curriculum addresses specically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples health and culture

and incorporates the principles o cultural saety the standard is consistent withDadirri: A nursing guide to

improve Indigenous health, which recommends the inclusion o Indigenous history, culture and health in all

nursing curricula.17

In addition, national health priorities and contemporary issues in health care, such as chronic disease

selmanagement and mental health, are specically highlighted or inclusion. The importance o includingin health proessionals curricula chronic disease selmanagement is central to the encouraging active

patient selmanagement: education and training o health proessionals component o the Australian Better

Health Initiative and captured inA Capabilities Toolkit or Primary Health Care Proessionals: Supporting

Selmanagement.18 The report onMental Health in PreRegistration Nursing Courses makes the point that generic

mental health skills or all nurses are important, irrespective o where they work.19 While this report ocuses

on undergraduate curricula, students in nurse practitioner courses, working towards advanced practice level,

equally need to be equipped with skills in mental health that are commensurate with their scope o practice.

16 McGrath et al. (2006). Collaborative Voices, p. 47.

17 Indigenous Nurse Education Working Group (2004).Dadirri: A nursing guide to improve Indigenous health.

18 Australian Better Health Initiative. Available at: [Accessed: 5 February 2008]; Malcolm Battersby and Sharon Lawn (2008).A Capabilities Toolkit or

Primary Health Care Proessionals: Supporting Selmanagement, Flinders University.

19 Mental Health Education Taskorce (2008).Mental Health in PreRegistration Nursing Courses, Final Report, the Australian

Health Ministers Advisory Council, p. 9. Available at: [Accessed: 23 February 2009].



The criterion that technology, including inormation technology (IT) and inormation management to support

health care, is integral to the curriculum refects the contemporary demands and opportunities o nursing and

healthcare delivery. This is supported by a project conducted by the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF),Nurses

and Inormation Technology Final Report(2007), which speaks o the need or national competency standards

in inormation technology and inormation management or nurses and a national competency program in

preregistration and preenrolment nursing courses based on such standards.20 A subsequent ANF project that

aims to establish a set o IT competency standards or nurses is in progress. The criterion captures the concept

o instruction in the use o technology in the service o healthcare delivery as well as in communication and

inormation management in relation to healthcare. It encompasses the idea o nursing and healthcare inormatics.

The ICN, ollowing the National Council o State Boards o Nursing, denes inormatics as inormation technology

that can be used to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision m

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