No images? Click here Kia ora koutou Ahakoa te wero, kia māia, kia manawanui Despite the challenge, be brave and resolute During this time of COVID-19 being in the community, it's important that we acknowledge our outstanding nursing workforce, the vast majority of whom are at the forefront of the response. The countless hours you have put in, and the huge collective effort to keep our community tested, vaccinated, cared for and safe is incredible, and greatly appreciated. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. We are very aware that our health system is currently under significant pressure. With this in mind, our first consideration in our newly appointed leadership roles is to lead as Te Tiriti partners in a Co-Chairing approach. Secondly is to facilitate a Council strategic planning day that represents a strategic plan of work that is future focused, innovative, responsive to our obligations and considers as the regulator how we use the structures we work within. At the same time, we are acutely aware that our current work needs to continue. We believe that nursing needs to collectively position itself to realise the ambitions and vision that we hold as a profession which at its heart is a sustainable strengthened and equitable health system providing the best and safest care to the public. Our core business remains on track. However, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are reviewing our work programme to ensure that we can be responsive to the profession. This includes progressing with initiatives to ensure the nursing pipeline is not interrupted, providing guidance on the medicines list, the review of registered nurse competencies, and reviewing the Council’s Code of Conduct. Like all of you, we are committed to nursing and using our influence in the broadest sense to ensure public safety. We are committed to and focused on maintaining momentum, delivering on our ambitions and producing a strategic plan that as a profession we can all be proud of. We look forward to providing you with further updates. In the meantime, kia haumaru te noho / keep safe and healthy. Ngā manaakitanga, Tania Kemp Maria Armstrong Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination OrderOn 12 September 2022 the Government announced that the mandatory vaccination requirements would be lifted for all healthcare professions on 26 September 2022. The Nursing Council is maintaining this page as a historical record only; from September 26 2022 the material listed here no longer applies. Please note that an individual employer might still have vaccination requirements and is permitted to ask about your vaccination status. If you are not vaccinated we recommend that you discuss this with any potential employers. On October 11, the Government announced that it is making COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for ‘high risk’ workers in the health and disability sectors. This means that every nurse covered by the Order must:
Our website has more information about this topic, and we will update this as more details become available. You can find this information page here. At this point, we know that the Order will cover nurses working in community health, and “all healthcare workers in sites where vulnerable patients are treated”. Intensive care and aged care have both been provided as examples of settings where vaccination will be required. If you are unsure whether your work might be covered by the Order, we recommend that you talk to your employer or contact the Ministry of Health as soon as possible. The Council firmly believes that vaccination is a critical part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have published a professional guidance statement on all nurses’ responsibility regarding vaccination. You can find this statement here. Getting your COVID-19 vaccination not only helps protect yourself, but also your patients, your whānau, and the wider community. It also supports your nursing colleagues, especially those caring for the people who contract the virus. We strongly recommend that every nurse takes up the opportunity to be vaccinated unless there are clear medical reasons for you not to do so.
COVID-19 and student nurse learningThank you for your support of student nurse learning during these exceptionally challenging times. Whether you are a lecturer or tutor, a preceptor, or working alongside students on placement, we appreciate your ongoing commitment to the next generation of nurses. The Council is very aware of the serious effects that the latest outbreak of COVID-19, including lockdowns and level variations, has had on nursing education. We realise this has caused significant disruption to clinical learning, particularly for students completing Transition to Practice papers/courses. In light of this disruption, especially in the Auckland region, the Council has made two decisions regarding the State Final Examination that will assist student nurses nearing completion of their degree:
Please do not hesitate to contact the Council if you would like further information.
End of Life Choice ActThe End of Life Choice Act comes into effect on 7 November this year. There are three e-learning modules we encourage all nurses to complete, that will assist with your knowledge of the assisted dying pathway and understanding implications for your practice. These can be completed individually or as a group and can be found on the Ministry of Health’s website. End of Life Choice Act 2019: Overview – provides an overview of the Act, including a practitioner’s rights and responsibilities. Assisted dying care pathway: Overview – explains the process for accessing assisted dying, including the roles of different health practitioners. Responding when a person raises assisted dying – is to support practitioners to respond respectfully and appropriately when a person raises assisted dying, including best practice communication skills. In addition, there are five e-learning modules that are for medical and nurse practitioners who plan to provide assisted dying services. Access to these modules is available by emailing eolc@health.govt.nz. Returning to PracticeThe Council has recently streamlined our process for nurses wishing to return to nursing after a gap in practice. We can assess an application on an individual basis, and work with nurses and a prospective employer to determine the best approach for orientation back to nursing (including meeting the Council’s competency requirements). The requirements that a nurse may need to meet will depend on the number of years since they held a practising certificate; once again, the Council can discuss and determine these individually. If you would like further information about returning to practice, or you have former colleagues, friends, or whānau who might be interested in returning, please contact jackie@nursingcouncil.org.nz Computerisation of the State Final ExamOur work to computerise the State Final Exam is progressing well with the first fully online offering planned for July 2022. Thank you to the subject matter experts that have contributed their knowledge to the review and update of the State Final Exam question bank. The Council will be working with education providers to provide further updates on the changes to the Exam. These will be incremental commencing in November 2021. Designated RN Prescribing Specifies Medicines ListThe Council and the Office of the Chief Nurse, in the Ministry of Health are working to update the gazetted specified list of medicines for designated nurse prescribers. This work is complex, and requires the Director General of Health to approve the list of medicines that nurses can prescribe. This work is almost complete and is now with the Ministry for approval. The Council has updated its guidance list and will publish this when the gazetted list is available. We recognise that this work has taken considerably longer than both the Council and the Ministry had planned or desired. We acknowledge that this work needs to be completed as soon as possible to ensure that RN prescribers can prescribe from an updated medicines list. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to prescribing excellence. Update on Health Practitioners Disciplinary |