July 2001 Centenary Celebration Newsletter

Contents

Celebrating Our Past Determining Our Future 
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In 1901 New Zealand became the first country to have separate registration for nurses.  This year marks the centenary of this event, and with the development of registration for Nurse Practitioners, 2001 promises to be an exciting year for nursing.

The centenary of the Nurses Registration Act has prompted a nationwide celebration for nurses and the Nursing Council of New Zealand is actively involved in many of these events.  The centenary celebrations in Wellington are timed to coincide with the date on which the legislation was passed, with several important events beginning at this time.

The Hon. Annette King, Minister of Health will host the Centenary Celebration of the Regulation of Nursing Cocktail Reception with the Nursing Council of New Zealand in the Grand Hall Parliament Buildings on Tuesday 11 September 2001.

Nurse Historians Dr Pamela Wood of Victoria University and Dr Elaine Papps from Otago Polytechnic have been commissioned by the Nursing Council to produce a short book containing information from interviews with all of the Chairpersons of the Nursing Council since it was founded in 1971.  Pamela Wood sees this oral history project as an exciting way to showcase the history of the Nursing Council, using the combined knowledge of Elaine Papps and herself and of the nursing community.  The book will focus on the memories of the Chairpersons. " We want their voice to be in the foreground, we want their reflections to be the focus of the book," states Pamela Wood.  The book will reflect the huge amount of change in the nursing community over the 30 years in which the Nursing Council has been operating.

An exhibition at Archives New Zealand, jointly sponsored by the Nursing Council and Victoria University, opens in September and features pieces of priceless nursing history.  The early registers of New Zealand nurses are held at the Archives, and will be displayed in the exhibition along with the first New Zealand nursing register.  The medal of the first nurse to register in New Zealand, Ellen Dougherty, will be displayed along with other nursing memorabilia.

The national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, will also hold an exhibition celebrating the history of nursing.  Due to start on the 17th of August, the exhibition will take place as part of the large scale ‘Body Odyssey’ exhibition throughout Te Papa.

Both of these exhibitions will celebrate the history of nursing in New Zealand, looking back at the people who have been influential in forming the practice of nursing as it is now known.  These exhibitions provide a chance for the people of New Zealand to learn about the profession of nursing and how it has grown and changed in the 100 years since the introduction of nursing legislation.

The Nursing Council is also producing a 16-month calendar featuring photographs of different aspects of nursing, from the early 1900s to the present day.  The calendar will run from August 2001 through to December 2002, with photographs illustrating the ways in which nursing has evolved over the years since 1901.

Also available as a commemoration of the centenary are envelopes produced by New Zealand Post and sponsored by the Nursing Council.

The rich legacy inherited from the past 100 years has provided an important foundation for the evolution of nursing in New Zealand. Public opinion polls regularly report nurses as top of the list of respected professions.  New Zealand nurses are well placed to build on advances in nursing education and practice to determine a future that continues to provide the public with confidence in the nursing contribution to health care services.

The book produced by Pamela Wood and Elaine Papps, the commemorative calendar and the New Zealand Post nursing envelopes will all be available through the Nursing Council of New Zealand.  For more information please contact Donna Gordon, Registrations Adviser, ph (04) 802 0242.

Judy Kilpatrick

 

Nurse PractitionerTM     
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On 15 May 2001 the Ministry of Health and Nursing Council issued a joint press release launching the Nurse PractitionerTM.  The aim of the new nursing qualification is to create highly skilled nurses and encourage top nurses to stay and practice in New Zealand.

The role of the Nurse PractitionerTM provides formal recognition for nurses with a Master’s level education.  Offering a clinical career pathway for those nurses who want to excel at an advanced level of practice, it also offers a collaborative health option for New Zealanders.  While Nurse Practitioners will be able to diagnose health problems and in some cases prescribe medication, they will also continue to be concerned with considering non-medical intervention and encouraging self-care.

The current health sector environment makes the introduction of Nurse Practitioners possible, as District Health Boards provide services across the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors.  Nurse Practitioners provide an innovative new way of reaching communities and meeting health needs across all sectors, as well as building on and complementing existing services.  They can work independently or with health professionals in hospitals or the community.  Able to treat everyone from the acutely ill to healthy people of all ages and their families/whanau, Nurse Practitioners will provide information to allow people to make informed decisions about their healthcare.  Such an approach utilises the broad skills base of nurses more effectively.

The Nurse PractitionerTM will not replace medical practitioners, but will work in a complementary way, meeting health needs across all sectors in the most cost effective manner.

To become Nurse Practitioners, nurses will have to meet strict standards and competencies.  Set by the Nursing Council, these requirements are designed to ensure safe quality care.  Some of the ‘ingredients’ that make up the Nurse PractitionerTM role already exist.  To ensure consistent safety and quality and provide consistent messages to the health sector, all requirements will now be formally regulated by the Nursing Council.

The Council is awaiting applications from nurses for Nurse PractitionerTM status.

Nurse Practitioners already operate in several other countries and New Zealand’s model is based on the best overseas examples.

Copies of The Nurse PractitionerTM, a booklet outlining the scope and requirements of the role, may be obtained from the Nursing Council for $10.00 per copy or from the Nursing Council website www.nursingcouncil.org.nz.

 

Competency Assurance Framework  
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The Nursing Council, in consultation with the profession, has recently developed an over-arching framework for competency assurance.  The Competency Assurance Framework provides the umbrella under which regulatory, health sector and professional standards can sit.  It provides the means for linking all activities undertaken by nurses to ensure their competency.  The development of the Framework is considered a matter of priority for the following three reasons:

  • it will provide a high-level strategy to link developments in advanced practice and professional competence monitoring with current regulatory responsibilities

  • this will enable the Nursing Council to promote professional growth in a changing health-care environment

  • the release of the Medical Credentialling Framework by the Ministry of Health

Council will follow up the development of the Framework with further work to:

  1. determine the range of credentialling activities currently undertaken in the health service, and

  2. develop criteria for validation of competency programmes, including clinically based first year of practice programmes.

Copies of the Competency Assurance Framework may be obtained from the Nursing Council for $5.00 per copy, or from the Nursing Council website www.nursingcouncil.org.nz.

 

Website
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The Nursing Council website www.nursingcouncil.org.nz provides easy access to a wide range of Nursing Council information and resources.  Highlights include:

  • information on ‘hot’ issues such as the centenary celebrations, strategic review of undergraduate nursing education and the Nurse PractitionerTM

  • a list of publications available from the Nursing Council (many of which can be downloaded from the website)

  • information for overseas registered nurses and midwives on registration and enrolment in New Zealand

  • information about Annual Practising Certificates, including a facility for notifying changes of address

  • links to all New Zealand education institutions offering nursing and midwifery programmes.

The website is regularly updated and feedback or suggestions for improvement are always welcome, email webmaster@nursingcouncil.org.nz or ph (04) 802 0239.

 

Strategic Review of Undergraduate Nursing Education - KPMG Report to Nursing Council
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In response to recommendations from the Taskforce on Nursing, the Nursing Council commissioned a review of undergraduate nursing education in March 2000.  The final report was received from KPMG in May 2001.  This report marks the end of an extensive and strategic consultation process on nursing education in New Zealand – the first major review since the Carpenter Report in 1971.

The Council has accepted the recommendations in the report and work has begun in prioritising and implementing the recommendations.  This work involves consultation with the profession to consider the recommendations and develop realistic timeframes for their implementation.

The Council has noted that some recommendations require action from the relevant Ministers of the Crown and their agencies.  Council has adopted a policy to approach the appropriate agencies to discuss the appropriate recommendations and the implications of these.  A communication strategy has been developed to ensure education and service providers will be well informed prior to any recommendations being implemented.

The Strategic Review of Undergraduate Nursing Education report is available from the Nursing Council at a cost of $25.00 per copy, or from the Nursing Council website www.nursingcouncil.org.nz.



Centenary Calendars and Envelopes
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As part of the centenary celebrations Council is producing a commemorative envelope and a 16-month calendar, both available for sale.

If you have trouble thinking of suitable gifts for people think no longer!  The commemorative envelopes will provide a useful addition to your stationery cupboard and a valuable keepsake for those who receive one.  The envelopes will be 40-cent standard business (DLE) white both with and without window and will feature a collage of five photographs.  The price is not yet determined.

The 16-month wall-hanging calendar contains eight photographs dating from 1912 until the present time.

Both items will be available from the end of August through a number of outlets.  Information will be available on the Nursing Council website www.nursingcouncil.org.nz or ph (04) 385 9589.

 

Framework for Post-Registration Nursing Education
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The Framework for Post-Registration Nursing Education (May 1999) and the Handbook for Post-Registration Nursing Practice Programme Providers (May 1999) have been reviewed and combined to create a new document - Framework for Post-Registration Nursing Education (May 2001).  The new document is a compilation and refinement of the two previous documents. The main points of difference in the new document are summarised below.

  • The term ‘competency programmes’ is used to refer to programmes for nurses returning to practice and overseas registered nurses applying for registration in New Zealand.  Competency programmes will consist of relevant theory, supervised nursing practice and an assessment of competencies.  The length of competency programmes is no longer specified.

  • The standards for advanced nursing practice programmes incorporate the relevant standards for programmes leading to nurse prescribing, where applicable.  Programmes at an advanced level are assessed as an advanced nursing practice programme with or without nurse prescribing, to ensure the overall context of advanced practice and nurse prescribing is included within the approval and audit processes.

  • The standards for specialty nursing practice programmes and
    advanced nursing practice programmes have been revised to centre the approval and audit processes around the graduate.  The focus is on how the programme supports and develops students to achieve graduate outcomes and covers the following areas:

>  curriculum design and overall intent
>  learning, teaching and assessment strategies (including clinical learning)
>  quality improvement strategies and enhancements
>  evaluation of outcomes
>  provision of resources
>  the wider legislative and professional context.

  • The competencies for advanced nursing practice programmes (with or without nurse prescribing) have been incorporated from The Nurse PractitionerTM (March 2001).

Copies of the Framework for Post-Registration Nursing Education are available from the Nursing Council at a cost of $10.00 per copy, or from the Nursing Council website www.nursingcouncil.org.nz.

 

 

Post-Registration Nursing Programmes Approved by Council to May 2001
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Postgraduate

Auckland Healthcare Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (Specialty Mental Health Nursing)

Auckland University of Technology Postgraduate Certificate in Health Science (Nursing)

Eastern Institute of Technology Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science

Lakeland Health Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (Mental Health)

Massey University Postgraduate Diploma of Advanced Child & Family Health Community Nursing

Massey University Postgraduate Certificate in Nursing (Mental Health)

Otago Polytechnic Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing (Child and Family Health)

Otago Polytechnic Master of Nursing

The University of Auckland Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (Advanced Nursing)

The University of Auckland Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sciences (Advanced Nursing)

The University of Auckland Master of Nursing

University of Otago Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (Mental Health)

University of Otago Postgraduate Certificate of Health Sciences (Advanced Mental Health Nursing)

Victoria University of Wellington Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing (Trauma & Emergency)

Victoria University of Wellington Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Nursing (Mental Health)

Waikato Institute of Technology Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing

Waikato Institute of Technology Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Child and Family Health Nursing

Waitemata Health Postgraduate Certificate in Specialty Nursing (Mental Health)

Graduate Certificates/Diplomas

Auckland University of Technology Graduate Certificate in Health Science (Nursing)

Manukau Institute of Technology Graduate Certificate in Specialty Nursing (Mental Health)

Otago Polytechnic New Graduate Certificate in Specialty Mental Health Nursing

UCOL Certificate in Graduate Specialty Nursing Practice (High Dependency Nursing)

Whitireia Community Polytechnic Graduate Diploma in Specialty Psychiatric Mental Health

 

Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Bill
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The Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Bill is expected to be drafted and presented to Select Committee in December of this year.  The proposed Act is intended to replace 11 occupational regulation statutes that deal with 18 professions.  Following response to the discussion document on the proposed Act released in October 2000, Council has been working with other registration bodies and the Ministry of Health on development and refinement.

 

Trans Tasman Relations
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The Nursing Council of New Zealand and the Australian Nursing Council (ANCI) have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in recognition of the closer collaborative relationship developed following the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Act (1997).  In Canberra in May of this year, the Chairperson and Chief Executive met with the Australian Nursing Council (which advises on the registration of overseas nurses and midwives) to build on the consultation developed through the Collaborative Advisory Committee and develop a framework for ongoing collaboration.  It is envisaged that the Memorandum of Understanding will allow greater collaboration on strategic direction, including the development of joint processes for other regulatory functions, such as education.

 

Registration Information
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Registration 2000 – 2001

For the year ending 31 March 2001, the Council registered a total of 1257 nurses and midwives from New Zealand programmes and 1135 nurses and midwives from overseas, providing a total of 2392 nurses and midwives registered in New Zealand.  This compares with the provision of a total of 1820 verifications for New Zealand nurses and midwives planning to register with an overseas authority.


Annual Practising Certificates

For the year ending March 31, 2001 the council issued 49,468 Annual Practising Certificates.

The Annual Practising Certificate round is a big exercise each year.  Staff would be grateful if you could contribute to the smooth running of this process by updating any changes of address throughout the year.  Please either:

  • write to Registrations, Nursing Council of New Zealand, PO Box 9644, Wellington

  • email nzreg@nursingcouncil.org.nz

  • phone Suzette or Fergie on (04) 802 0247.

 

Nursing Council of New Zealand 2001 Forum
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The Nursing Council is pleased to extend an invitation to all nurses to take part in the Nursing Council Forum for 2001.  

Issues for discussion

  • Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Bill

  • Strategic Review of Undergraduate Education and progress to date

  • Implementation of the Nurse PractitionerTM policy

  • Development of Competency Assurance Framework

Dates and Times

Nursing Forum
18 October 10.00am – 4.00pm
19 October 9.00am – 4.00pm

Midwifery Forum
17 October 10.00am – 4.00pm 

Venue
James Cook Centra Hotel, 147 The Terrace, Wellington

Fee
$50.00 single day
$70.00 two days

 

Increase in Annual Practising Certificate Fees
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Fees Payable to the Nursing Council of New Zealand

In accordance with section 14A (c) of the Nurses Act 1977, the Nursing Council of New Zealand gives notice that the Annual Practising Certificate (APC) will be increased to $45.00 (incl. GST) from March 2002.

 

Council Members
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Judy Kilpatrick (Chairperson)
Jan Bulteel-Adams (Deputy Chairperson)
Sue Bree
Brenda Hall
Annette Huntington
Beverley Rayna
Marie Kiely
Shierley Hughes
Sandy Grey
Jean Patterson
Denise Messiter


Nursing Council Staff
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Marion Clark (Chief Executive/Registrar)
[Vacant] (Personal Assistant)
Belinda Greer (Legal Adviser)
Clare Prendergast (Investigator)
Sarah Kennedy (Investigator)
Barbara McGlinchey (Complaints Co-ordinator)
[Vacant] (Midwifery Adviser)
[Vacant] (Receptionist)
Denise Wilson (Education Adviser)
Charlotte Stapleton (Education Co-ordinator)
Susan Rutherford (Administrative Assistant)
Donna Gordon (Registrations Adviser)
Jo Pohatu (International Registrations Co-ordinator)
Heather Rutherford (International Registrations Administrator)
Fergie Hopmans (New Zealand Registrations Administrator)
Suzette Taingahue (New Zealand Registrations Administrator)
Libby Davis (Accounts Administrator)

 

Innovation in Health: Introducing the Nurse PractitionerTM Role in New Zealand
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August 30 – 31 2001
Wellington

Fee: $75.00 (for two days)

The Nursing Council and the Ministry of Health are jointly holding a conference on the introduction of the Nurse PractitionerTM role in New Zealand on August 30 - 31.

The purpose of the conference is to:

  • introduce the Nurse PractitionerTM framework to health managers, nurses and anyone else looking for innovative solutions for health care delivery and the contribution of the role to health care, and

  • showcase potential delivery models for Nurse PractitionersTM in a range of settings.

Registrations close 20 August 2001.

Registration forms can be obtained from the Nursing Council, Ministry of Health (Lynne Melhuish) or your professional organisation.

 

Midwifery News
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In the Business Plan for the year 2001 – 2002, Council has notified their intent to work with the midwifery profession to establish a separate Midwifery Council.  This is in anticipation of the passing into law of the Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Bill.

Council is contributing to Government’s review of health occupational regulation.  In addition, Council is working alongside the appropriate professional and government bodies to maintain up to date information on the establishment of a self-determining Midwifery Council.

A midwifery day at the forum in October 2001 to intended to provide the profession with the opportunity to discuss this and other issues relevant to the regulation of midwifery in New Zealand.

 

Nursing Council of New Zealand Midwifery Forum
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The Nursing Council is pleased to extend an invitation to all midwives to take part in the Nursing Council Forum Discussion Day for Midwives. Issues for discussion are:

  • The Proposed Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Bill

  • Disciplinary Processes

  • Clinical Experience for Student Midwives

Midwifery Forum

17 October 10.00 am – 4.00 pm

Nursing Forum

18 October 10.00 am – 4.00 pm
19 October 9.00 am – 4.00pm

James Cook Centra Hotel, 147 The Terrace, Wellington

Fee: $50.00 single day

 

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