Recertification audit evidence requirements

You must supply evidence that you have met the continuing competence requirements (click here for more information – to continuing competence requirements page) for practice hours and professional development hours, and that you meet the Nursing Council competencies for your scope of practice.

The following evidence must be supplied to satisfy audit requirements.

1. Evidence of your practice hours

(60 days or 450 hours in the past three years)

• State the actual hours you have worked in the last year if greater than 450 hours (or the last three years).
• This must be verified by your employer or manager, supplying name, status/role and contact details.

The evidence could be a letter from your employer, or a certificate of service that must show the actual hours worked.

Click here for a definition of practising if you are unclear whether you are practising nursing.

2. Evidence of your professional development hours

(60 hours in the past three years)

• Provide a summary of courses and hours you have attended in the last three years.
• This must be verified by your employer, manager or nurse educator, supplying name, status and contact details.
• Alternatively, if you do not have an employer or educator who can confirm your hours, you may supply certificates for the actual courses attended.  You must provide evidence of the hours attended at each course.
• Also supply a statement of what you learnt or how you will apply this learning to your practice.

Your statement of learning must explain what you did, what you learned and how each activity affirmed or influenced your practice. The Council expects you to provide a short reflection on each course or an overall statement of your learning, including three key activities you attended within the last three years.

Click here for an explanation of professional development.

Click here to download a professional development template form.

3. Competence assessments

(two assessments required)

You must supply two competence assessments of your practice using two different methods of assessment (i.e. self, senior nurse or peer assessment) against all the competencies for your scope of practice.

A competence assessment is an assessment against all of the Council competencies for a nurse’s scope of practice and needs to indicate how a nurse meets each competency (an action or an example from the nurse’s practice).  One assessment must be completed by a senior nurse or a peer. A senior nurse is a nurse in a designated senior position, e.g. charge nurse, nurse manager or nurse educator.  A peer assessor must be an experienced registered nurse who has recognised clinical skills in the area of practice. This nurse will either work with the nurse or will have observed his/her practice for the purpose of making an assessment. Please supply the assessor’s name, status, registration number and contact details.  Assessments completed by other health practitioners are not accepted for the recertification audit.  If you do not work with another nurse click here for information on peer review.

If you complete a self-assessment this needs to be verified by another registered nurse with a current practising certificate.  Verification means that they must sign the form as being completed by you and supply their name, status, registration number, contact details and practice setting.

Assessments should be based on a combination of strategies including direct observation of a nurse’s practice, an interview with the nurse to ascertain nursing care in different scenarios, evidence provided by the nurse including self-assessments, and examples of practice.  For example care plans and clinical documents could be viewed by an assessor.  Assessments should be comprehensive and not solely based on the observation of clinical procedures.  Detailed comments that support the assessment indicating the evidence on which the assessment is based are required for each competency.

Click here for Guidelines on completing a competence assessment

Click here for Competence assessment forms