Scopes of Practice

Under the HPCA Act, every nurse has a scope of practice. The scopes of practice and qualifications are listed below. The three scopes of practice are:

• Registered Nurse
• Nurse Practitioner
• Enrolled Nurse.

The title of nurse assistant was changed to enrolled nurse on 31 May 2010. For information on this change please click here.

Conditions placed in scope of practice

The Act allows the Council to include conditions in a nurse’s scope of practice describing the specific area of practice he or she may work in. These conditions may apply to nurse practitioners, registered nurses or enrolled nurses.  The common class conditions applied to nurses registered under the Nurses Act 1977 are included in the table below.

The Council can also place other conditions in a nurse’s scope of practice to ensure competence or safety of the public. Examples of these conditions include the requirement to complete professional development hours or to practice under supervision. All conditions are shown on a nurse’s practising certificate. Not all conditions are displayed on the public register and employers can contact the Council for more information.

How nurses were transferred into the new scopes

The following table outlines how registration under the Nurses Act translated to the new scopes of practice.