Enrolled and registered nurse scopes of practice and standards of competence

Thank you to all the nurses who took the time to respond to the recent consultation on the proposed enrolled nurse (EN) and registered nurse (RN) standards of nursing competence (and amendments to the RN scope of practice statement). We had considerable feedback that has helped inform the final EN and RN standards of competence.

The Nursing Council Board has carefully considered all feedback and has approved the new EN and RN standards of competence, and amendments to the RN scope of practice statement.

EN scope of practice statement and standards of competence

RN scope of practice statement and standards of competence

When will the new standards of competence be implemented?

The EN and RN scopes of practice were published on 12 November 2024 in the Gazette and will come into effect from 20 January 2025.

Gazette notice of enrolled nurse scope of practice

Gazette notice of registered nurse scope of practice

The new standards of competence for continuing competence audit requirements will take effect from 01 April 2025.

The new standards of competence will take effect for all other purposes from 01 January 2026.

Working with the sector, we are taking a phased approach to implementing the new standards of competence. Implementation includes changes to education curriculums (to reflect the new education standards), accreditation, continuing competence requirements and assessment of internationally qualified nurses.

Early in 2025 we will provide more detailed information including resources, guidance and key milestones.

Key changes following consultation feedback

The Council reviewed all the consultation feedback on its revised EN and RN standards of nursing competence, and RN scope of practice statement.

The Council also worked closely with the Council’s design rōpū to refine pou one and two. The Council’s Pacific Fono and Te Tōki (Komiti Māori) have reviewed the amendments to the EN and RN scope of practice statements and standards of competence.

Key changes made to reflect the feedback, and further enhance the standards and the RN scope statement, include:

elevating the Council’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi to extend to all pou, and focusing its application to Māori health in pou one
aligning pou one and two across EN and RN standards of competence
replacing reference to planetary health with an understanding of health care provision on global and local resources
including Māori kupu (words) for the pou titles in the EN standards of competence
elaborating on the descriptions of pou three and four in the RN standards of competence to be clearer about expectations
retaining reference to RNs undertaking differential diagnoses and provided a fuller explanation in the glossary
refining the descriptors throughout so they are more assessable and measurable
amending the glossary ensuring accurate referencing and explanation of Māori kupu
aligning the language in the scope statements where the expectations are similar

We have made minor changes to the EN scope of practice statement endorsed by the Board in April 2023. This is to reflect alignment in wording with the RN scope of practice statement and EN and RN standards of competence.

What was this consultation about?

The Council first consulted on the proposed EN and RN competencies between 18 December 2023 and 12 February 2024 [available here]. At the same time, we sought feedback on an amended RN scope of practice statement to align with the newly developed EN scope of practice statement.

A summary of this consultation response is [available here]. We took the feedback from that consultation and revised the standards of competence for further consultation.

How was further consultation conducted?

Consultation opened on 4 July and closed on 2 August 2024.

Respondents could submit the proposal via multiple means. Respondents were encouraged to submit via an online survey using the platform SurveyMonkey. Respondents also had the option to submit via email and a template of questions was provided for this purpose. We received other email submissions in the form of messages and letters. The project team continued engaging with stakeholders virtually and in face-to-face consultation meetings.

What did we hear from the consultation?

Overall, we received 161 submissions: 98 through survey responses, 34 individual template responses, and 29 group responses during the second round of consultation.

Ninety percent of survey and individual template respondents were RNs, 4% were ENs, and one respondent identified as being a nurse practitioner. Fifty five percent of respondents had been practising for more than 20 years and 79% gained their qualification in Aotearoa New Zealand. Eleven percent of respondents identified as Māori, and 2.7% identified with a Pacific identity.

The report on the EN & RN proposed standards of competence, including amendments to the RN scope of practice statement, and consultation feedback is available here:

Report on consultation feedback

Enrolled nurse title consultation

The Council took the opportunity to seek the profession’s perspective on the EN title through the EN scope statement consultation early in 2023. The Council clearly indicated it has no plans to change the name of the EN title. However, a paper was developed to share the consultation feedback with the profession to help inform any future discussion.

EN title report found here

Written submissions

Below are the written submissions we received from further consultation on the revised EN and RN standards of competence which we have been given permission to publish: