Comprehensive Report: Nursing Regulation and Practice in Australia

This report provides a comprehensive overview of nursing regulation in Australia, emphasizing the importance of standards, competency, and ethical practice within the healthcare sector. It explores the roles of key organizations such as the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC), the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), detailing their functions in setting and enforcing national standards. The report highlights the legal framework governing nursing practice in Australia, including the Nurses Acts and other relevant legislation across different states and territories. It underscores the significance of nursing regulation in ensuring public safety, promoting professionalism, and facilitating communication within the global nursing community. Furthermore, it discusses the evolution of advanced nursing practice and the responsibilities of nurse practitioners within the Australian healthcare system, emphasizing the need for continuous regulation and education to maintain high standards of care. The report concludes by reiterating the crucial role of nursing professionals and the importance of governmental oversight in upholding the integrity and quality of healthcare services in Australia.

Regulation of nursing in Australia 1
Regulation of nursing in Australia
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Regulation of nursing in Australia 2
Regulation of nursing in Australia
Introduction:
The practice of advanced nursing is a fast-developing approach in nursing across the world
(Gardner et al., 2006). Advanced nursing has been accepted as a rapidly emerging trend in the
global scenario of healthcare, in the recent times (Gardner et al., 2006). This provides a
somewhat uniform platform for the facilitation of communication within the global nursing
community (Gardner et al., 2006). Therefore, the standards of competency in nursing are both
prevalent and compelling in the current global scenario (Grealish, 2012). The professional
performance of a registered nurse is evaluated based on the competency of the nurse in the
practice (Grealish, 2012). In Australia, the regulation of nursing practice and midwifery is the
responsibility of the government of the state or the territory (Sheer et al, 2008). Thus, the
regulation of nursing is a supervisory administration rule of the government that regulates the
nursing practice in each state within Australia (Sheer et al, 2008).
The concept of nursing regulation is of critical importance (Sheer et al, 2008). This is primarily
due to the reason that it is one of the professions in healthcare that have the underlying risk of
harm posed to the general public when practiced by an unprepared or incompetent individual
(Sheer et al, 2008). Nursing practice demands immense practice, skill, knowledge, and empathy
(Sheer et al, 2008). The personal attributes of an individual are also of immense importance for
nursing practice primarily because of their need to work with a vulnerable community (Sheer et
al, 2008).
At the level of the federation, the Australian nursing and midwifery council (ANMC), is the
highest organization of authority that has been established for the facilitation of a national

Regulation of nursing in Australia 3
approach to the regulation of nursing and midwifery (Sheer et al, 2008). The ANMC functions
mainly with the Nursing and Midwifery authorities of regulation in the state and territory (Sheer
et al, 2008). These organizations primarily work for the evolution of nursing standards for the
statutory regulation of nursing and midwifery (Sheer et al, 2008). The standards of the authorities
are flexible, responsive, and effective to the requirements of health care in the Australian
population (Ghadirian, 2014). They mainly include the standards of national competency and
codes of conduct and ethics for the registration and enrolment of nurses, healthcare practitioners,
and midwives (Ghadirian, 2014).
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA): The AHPRA is a novel agency
in Australia that was established for the improvement of the quality and safety norms of the
health services of Australia through a national regulatory system (Monash University, nd). The
health system is updated and a modern platform for health professionals (Monash University,
nd). The AHPRA is established in each state and territory handling most of the operational
matters (Monash University, nd). The primary services include functions of registration,
reception of complaints, and registration of health practitioners (Monash University, nd). They
include services of registration of nursing and midwifery practitioners and students, development
of standards, approval of accreditation standards, and assessment of overseas trained
practitioners of chiropractic, dental, psychology, medical, osteopathy, pharmacy, and optometry
(Monash University, nd). The agency ensures that Australian citizens get access to high quality
health practitioners, nurses, and midwives (Monash University, nd).
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA): The NMBA is an organization of
Australia that includes the registration of nursing and midwifery and practitioners and students,
the development of standards, notifications, guidelines and codes of the nursing and midwifery

Regulation of nursing in Australia 4
profession, assessment of overseas trained practitioners, and approval of the standards of
accreditation for the nursing practice (NMBA, nd).
The regulatory process:
The profession of nursing poses a high degree of responsibility on not just the nursing
community, but also the health care sector and the government in entirety (ANMC, 2006).
Through these processes of regulation, the government only grants permission to the individuals
who fulfill the qualifications that are predetermined for the practice of nursing (ANMC, 2006).
The board of qualified nurses is the state body which is authorized with the authority of the legal
entity that is involved in regulating nursing practice (ANMC, 2006). The national legislation
currently governs the regulation of nursing practice in Australia (Ghadirian et al, 2014). The
legislatures are actively involved in the enactment of the act for nursing practice in a state. This
act typically enacts the following practices:
 It provides a definitive introduction to the authority of the board of nursing including the
powers and composition of the authority
 The nursing and the boundaries of the nursing practice and its scope within the nation
 The identification of the various types of titles and licenses
 Statement of the requirements for the licensure within the nation and the boundaries of
the nursing scope
 Protection of nursing titles
 Identification of the legal grounds that govern the action for disciplinary measures and
identification of the concerned cases
Australia and nursing regulation:

Regulation of nursing in Australia 5
The responsibility of regulation for nursing in Australia lies with separate authorities for nursing
regulatory practice in each of the separate territories and the eight states (ANMC, 2006). A huge
number of acts are present across the different states and territories of Australia that enact the
regulation of nursing practice (Ghadirian et al, 2014). Some of the primary acts include Nurses
Acts, Controlled substances Acts, Public Health Acts, and Mental Health Acts (Ghadirian et al,
2014). The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) is the highest organization that
governs the different states and territories of Australian region (ANMC, 2006). These states and
the territories are involved in the formal negotiation that is consistent with the standards of
national regulation of practice of nursing (ANMC, 2006).
In the Australian and New Zealand regions, the models of health care are constantly evolving
(Adams et al., 2001). The role of nurse practitioner is novel and unique in both these countries
and they are regarded as unique levels of health care providers (Adams et al., 2001). The
development of the role of the nurse practitioner is still evolving and the responsibilities of these
roles have been laid out by the national legislation (Adams et al., 2001).
Importance of nursing regulation:
Nursing is a profession that involves a high degree of accountability for the nursing professionals
(Adams et al., 2001). It is crucial to practice the regulation of nursing profession as it involves
caring for patients who are suffering from various illnesses (Adams et al., 2001). The regulation
and education of nurses to enable higher degree of professionalism and accountability are of
critical importance (Adams et al., 2001). The profession of nursing includes a risk to the general
population when performed by untrained or incompetent nursing professionals (Adams et al.,
2001).

Regulation of nursing in Australia 6
Governmental regulation of nursing ensures, to a considerable extent, that the role of the nurse is
exemplified and well-understood (Adams et al., 2001). In the current scenario of nursing care
that involves a global trend of international nursing, the communication within the global nursing
community is crucial (Adams et al., 2001). Australia has greatly adopted the concept of
advanced nursing care practice (Adams et al., 2001). Therefore, the provision of clear and well-
defined regulation of nursing is important for functioning of the nursing practice care (Adams et
al., 2001). Nurses are expected to possess professionalism, skill, training, and technical
competence in order to function in the role of registered nurses (Adams et al., 2001). The
impetus, in this context, lies in the establishment of a trust relationship with the patient through
the display of technical competence (Adams et al., 2001). The practice of regulation of nursing
practice by the means of legislation governing the regulation of nursing in a nation is important
for its functionality (Adams et al., 2001).
Various governmental boards possess the authorization for the development of the various
regulations that govern the nursing practice within the state (Adams et al., 2001). These
regulations are typically used for the definition of clear and specific statutes of practice within
the different states and territories (Adams et al., 2001). These rules and regulations are expected
to maintain consistency within the organization and allow for the development of the various
nursing organizations in question (Adams et al., 2001). The rules are required to be in
congruence with the nurse practice act (Adams et al., 2001). The regulation of the law is
governed by law and thus includes all the legal implications of the state (Adams et al., 2001).
Nursing professionalism is regarded a concept involving multiple dimensions (Adams et al.,
2001). Additionally, it has introduced several dimensions of psychomotor, attitude, and cognitive
perspectives (Adams et al., 2001). Research has indicated that the skill and professional attitude

Regulation of nursing in Australia 7
and competence of nurses mainly include various factors that comprise educational, experience-
related, situation-based, economic, and socio-demographic factors (Adams et al., 2001). The
competence of nurses may vary based on their experience and exposure to various cases (Adams
et al., 2001).
The regulation of nursing is an important way by which the government provides a uniform
legislation to the practice of nursing (Adams et al., 2001). The regulation of nursing practice is of
great importance in terms of protection to the national population (Adams et al., 2001). The
primary reason for this is that governmental regulation increases accountability in the nurses
(Adams et al., 2001). Regulation ensures that the health care service provided to the public is
accountable and competent (Adams et al., 2001). In the global scenario, the concept of nursing
competency is of high importance to the public and the health care sector (Adams et al., 2001).
The standards of nursing practice are impacted on the nursing practice to ensure that the standard
of service, the competence of the nursing professional, the ethical standards are all of an
acceptable range in the community (Adams et al., 2001). By the enforcement of national
legislation for nursing regulation, the competence and the standard of service provided is
acceptable in terms of the government (Adams et al., 2001).
Conclusion:
The profession of nursing is crucial to the health care sector. Nursing professionals provide care
for various health concerns. The competence of nurses and the nature of their functionality are
crucial to the health care sector. The health care system of a nation mainly depends on the
competence and skill of the nursing professionals involved in order to provide service of the
acceptable standard. The standards of such practice are decided and enforced by various

Regulation of nursing in Australia 8
governmental agencies that follow up the complete enforcement of these rules and regulations in
the regular legal practice. In Australia, there is the presence of a national legislation and the peak
entity of Australian Nursing and Midwifery council that outlines the precise regulations of
nursing and practice of midwifery in the country. These professions involve a high degree of
skillful and professional competence in order to fulfill the requirements of nursing service to the
population. In both nursing practice and midwifery, incompetence or lack of skill can result in
harm to people. Thus, social norms of safety in nursing have to be enforced by the council and
the national body that governs nursing practice in the nation. Regulation of nursing primarily
comprises of defining the rules of competent nursing practice along with ensuring the
enforcement of the ethical and competence standard regulations.

Regulation of nursing in Australia 9
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competency standards: findings from collaborative Australian and New Zealand research.
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advanced practice roles. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 35(4), 391-397
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Sydney

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