Enrolled Nurse education standards consultation
(and amendments to Registered Nurse education standards)
Consultation on the enrolled nurse education standards (and amendments to the registered nurse education standards) has now closed. We appreciate the response received from the nursing profession, education sector and wider health agencies. The Council plans to publish the education standards for nursing programmes leading to registration for an enrolled or registered nurse by mid 2024.
The enrolled nurse and registered nurse competencies (and amendments to the RN scope of practice) will go out for consultation from 18 December 2023 to 12 February 2024.
We are seeking your views
The Nursing Council (Council) is seeking views on proposed changes to the nursing education programme standards leading to registration as an Enrolled Nurse (EN), and amendments to the education standards for programmes leading to registration as a Registered Nurse (RN).
The Council’s primary role is to protect the safety of the public by ensuring that nurses are competent, safe, and fit to practise. Education providers base their nursing education programmes on the education standards developed and approved by the Nursing Council. The Council evaluates education providers and programmes against these standards under S118(1)(a) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.
The Council recognises that nursing education providers and programmes provide an important and powerful platform for ensuring high-quality nursing practice and entry to registration for ENs and RNs. The education standards are the foundation on which these programmes are based.
Why we are proposing to change the standards
The EN education standards have been reviewed to align with the new EN scope of practice. Due to the broadening of the EN scope of practice we realised there would need to be some minor modifications to the RN education standards, therefore we have restructured the standards into those that are generic and those that are specific to the programme being offered.
Given the rapidly changing nature of healthcare and service delivery, the proposed standards are broad and flexible to be future-focused in the education of nurses while at the same time supporting safe, quality care for the people of Aotearoa New Zealand.
How the standards were reviewed
We established an education standards review group with members drawn from the Council, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) EN Section, Te Poari o Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa, educators and employers. This group has been responsible for developing the proposed changes to the education standards. Concepts have been tested through a broader sector reference group and wider sector engagement.
More information to assist you
The following consultation document outlines the background to the proposed changes to nursing education programme standards:
EN education standards consultation (and amendments to RN education standards)
You may also find the following resources of interest when thinking about the proposed nursing programme education standards:
How to provide feedback on these proposals
You can complete a survey by following this link.
You may also wish to provide a written submission, especially if you are submitting on behalf of an organisation. You may find the survey response template useful to assist you and can be submitted to [email protected]
We may publish submissions on our website. Please clearly state in your submission if you wish that the content of your submission remains confidential.
If you have any questions or require any further information, please contact us at [email protected].
We value feedback from all people and organisations with a stake in the future of nursing education. Consultation will close at 5pm Monday 4 December 2023.