Consultation on the qualifications prescribed
by the Nursing Council of New Zealand for the
Registered Nurse Scope of Practice under the
Health Practitioners Competence Assurance
Act 2003
Consultation Document
July 2014
Introduction
The Nursing Council of New Zealand (the Council) is consulting with interested individuals,
nurses, representatives of nurses, nurse educators, and others in health and education
sectors (stakeholders) on the prescribed qualifications for the registered nurse scope of
practice.
The Council is considering an alternative pathway to registration as a registered nurse - a
preregistration master’s degree in nursing. It has been identified that the programme would
appeal to graduates from health and other disciplines seeking to become registered nurses
(Johnson & Johnson, 2008, Siler, DeBasio & Roberts, 2008, Stacey et al. 2014). Under the
current prescribed qualifications a preregistration master’s degree in nursing is not identified
as a prescribed qualification for entry to the registered nurse scope of practice.
A preregistration master’s degree in nursing is offered in a number of countries including the
United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong. The Council
is considering whether it is appropriate to introduce a similar pathway in New Zealand at this
time.
This consultation document is divided into two parts. In Part One the background issues are
outlined and discussed. In Part Two the issues related to a preregistration master’s degree
in nursing are discussed and include information and consultation questions on title of
programme, length of programme, programme hours, education programme standards,
entry criteria and recognition of prior learning.
How to make a submission
The Council values the views of stakeholders and encourages you to respond to this
document. The submission form can be found at the end of this consultation document and
can also be downloaded from the Council website www.nursingcouncil.org.nz following the
link on the homepage.
The closing date for submissions is 12 September 2014.
Please email your submission (included as Appendix Two) to jessica@nursingcouncil.org.nz
Alternatively you may send your submission form to:
Jessica Hague-Smith
Education and Standards Section
Nursing Council of New Zealand
PO Box 9644
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
All submissions will be made available on the Council website unless indicated by the
submitter.
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Part One: Background
Present situation
Under the Health Practitioner Competence Assurance Act 2003 (the Act) the Council is
required to prescribe the qualifications leading to registration in a scope of practice and to
accredit and monitor tertiary education institutions (TEIs) offering the prescribed
qualifications. Refer Appendix 1 for relevant excerpts of the Act.
The regulated nursing workforce in New Zealand is comprised of nurses registered in three
scopes of practice. Nurse practitioners are master’s degree prepared autonomous
practitioners who practice in an advanced scope of practice. Registered nurses complete a
three year Council accredited bachelor’s degree in nursing and are responsible for
assessing, planning and delivering nursing care across a range of settings and for directing
and delegating nursing work to enrolled nurses and unregulated workers. Enrolled nurses
work under the direction and delegation of a registered nurse or nurse practitioner to deliver
nursing care and health education across the life span to health consumers in community,
residential or hospital settings.
Currently there are 16 accredited schools of nursing in New Zealand offering a bachelor’s
degree in nursing leading to registration in the registered nurse scope of practice. Nine of
these providers also offer a diploma in enrolled nursing. The schools of nursing include three
university based bachelor’s degree programmes and 13 institute of technology/polytechnic
(ITPs) based programmes. All diploma in enrolled nursing programmes are offered in ITPs.
All bachelor’s degree in nursing programmes are equivalent to three years fulltime study at
Level 7 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). The programmes are
accredited by the Council and either the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for
ITPs or the Committee on University Academic Programmes (CUAP) for universities.
The Education programme standards for the registered nurse scope of practice (NCNZ,
2010) detail the standards for curriculum content including the theory and clinical experience
within
the
bachelor’s
degree
in
nursing
programme.
Please
refer
to
http://nursingcouncil.org.nz/Education for a copy of the current standards. Within the
programme students are required to complete a minimum of 1100 hours of clinical
experience with all students being entitled to 1500 clinical experience hours in which to
demonstrate competence. There is a further requirement for 50% of theory hours to have a
clear nursing focus.
For IQNs applying for registration as a registered nurse in New Zealand there is the
requirement to meet the same standards, including educational equivalency, as New
Zealand graduates applying for registration. To date the Council has received a small
number of applications from IQNs who have completed a preregistration master’s degree in
nursing. As with all applications for registration from IQNs, the Council reviews each
application on an individual basis and registration decisions are made on the basis of
meeting all of the registration requirements.
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Conclusion
The Council is consulting on changes to the prescribed qualifications for the registered nurse
scope of practice for New Zealand graduates and IQNs.
The following questions ask for your feedback on an additional prescribed qualification of a
preregistration master’s degree in nursing programmes in the New Zealand nursing and
healthcare context. Specific questions on the programme title, credit and level of the
programme, possible changes to the Education programmes standards for the registered
nurse scope of practice (2010) and entry criteria for the programme have been included.
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Part Two: Consultation Questions
Change to the prescribed qualifications for the registered nurse scope of practice
Currently the prescribed qualification for the registered nurse scope of practice is a
bachelor’s degree in nursing. The Council is seeking input on an additional prescribed
qualification.
1. Do you support a preregistration master’s degree in nursing becoming an additional
prescribed qualification for entry to the registered nurse scope of practice?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
Title of the programme
Currently in New Zealand a clinically focused master degree in nursing is the prescribed
qualification for registration as a nurse practitioner. The introduction of a preregistration
master’s degree in nursing has the potential to cause confusion amongst the public, nurses,
and the wider healthcare workforce if the titles of the two programmes are not clearly
differentiated.
Information from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (2014) identifies that
preregistration programmes and nurse practitioner programmes have clearly differentiated
titles so the purpose of each qualification is evident from the title. For example the
preregistration programmes have titles including Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) and
Master of Nursing Science (Entry to Practice) and the nurse practitioner programme have a
title such as Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner).
Programme Title
2. Do you support the requirement for a preregistration master’s degree in nursing to
have a standardised title e.g. Master of Nursing (Entry to Practice)?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
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NZQA master’s degree definition
NZQA identifies that a master’s degree qualifies individuals who apply an advanced body of
knowledge in a range of contexts for research, a pathway for future learning, professional
practice and/or scholarship (NZQA, 2014).
NZQA also identifies that a master’s degree builds on a bachelor’s degree, graduate
diploma, bachelor honours degree or a postgraduate diploma and are usually constituted in
one discipline or coherent programme of study. The master’s degree may be undertaken by
taught courses or research or a combination of both.
The credit requirements for a master’s degree are at least 240 credits except where it builds
on a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification in which case it can be 180 credits.
Credit and level
3. Do you support the requirement for the preregistration master’s degree in nursing
being 240 credits at level 8 on the NZQA framework?
 Yes
 No
 N/A
Comments:
Current Education programme standards for the registered nurse scope of practice
Nursing regulators in the US, Australia and the UK require preregistration nursing
programmes to meet the same requirements e.g. clinical hours under their national
programme standards (AACN, 2014, APHRA, 2013, NMC, 2010, Walker, Scott Tilley,
Lockwood & Walker, 2008). This includes preregistration bachelor’s degrees and master’s
degrees.
The Council is required to consult on any changes to the Education programme standards
for the registered nurse scope of practice (July 2010) and the following questions are
seeking your input on possible changes to the standards if the Council agrees that a
preregistration master’s degree is seen as an alternative prescribed qualification.
The current standards would require some changes to accommodate a preregistration
master’s degree in nursing programme as a prescribed qualification. Please refer to
http://nursingcouncil.org.nz/Education for a copy of the current standards.
6
The sections of the standards that would require changes include:



where the terminology ‘bachelor’s degree in nursing’ is used this would need to be
changed to include ‘bachelor’s degree in nursing or preregistration master’s degree
in nursing’; and
requirements for recognition of prior learning (RPL) as the current standards identify
that no RPL may be granted for clinical experience courses in year three of the
programme and any RPL granted for clinical experience courses in year two of the
programme must be submitted for Council approval; and
the length of time to complete the programme as the current standards refer to the
bachelor’s degree in nursing being three years in duration and the length of time to
complete the programme being five years.
The principle underlying possible changes to the prescribed qualifications for New Zealand
graduates and IQNs is to ensure that all applications for registration in the registered nurse
scope of practice demonstrate educational equivalence with the programme requirements
detailed in the Education programme standards for the registered nurse scope of practice
(July 2010).
Programme completion time
4. Do you support the preregistration master’s degree in nursing programme being
equivalent to two years full time study and students having five years to complete the
programme?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
Clinical experience hours
5. Do you support the requirement for the preregistration master’s degree in nursing
programme to meet the same clinical experience hours (offered 1500 hours,
minimum required 1100 hours) as required in bachelor’s degree in nursing
programmes?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
7
RPL – Year one of the programme
6. Do you support the requirement for Council approval of RPL for clinical experience
papers in year one of the preregistration master’s degree in nursing programme?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
RPL – Year two of the programme
7. Do you support the requirement that no RPL be granted for clinical experience
papers in year two of the preregistration master’s degree in nursing programme?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
Entry criteria
NZQA require providers of master’s degree programmes to be responsible for establishing
entry requirements. The minimum entry criterion as identified by NZQA is a bachelor’s
degree or equivalent at level 7 on the NZQF. NZQA also specify that admission as an
individual to a master’s degree is based on evaluation of documentary evidence (including
the academic record) of the individual applicants ability to undertake postgraduate study in a
specialist field of enquiry or professional practice.
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8. Do you support the Council requiring additional entry criteria for a preregistration
master’s degree in nursing? e.g. specifying the requirement for an undergraduate
degree in a health, health science or science related area.
 Yes
 No
Comments:
Thank you for taking the time to complete the consultation questions. The
Council values your feedback.
9
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (updated January 2014). accelerated
programmes:
The
fast
track
to
careers
in
nursing.
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/issue-bulletin-accelerated-programs
retrieved 13
April 2014.
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (2014). Approved programmes of study.
http://www.ahpra.gov.au/Education/Approved-Programs-of-Study.aspx retrieved 13 April
2014.
Johnson, S., & Johnson, L. (2008). Second-degree, entry-into-practice masters of nursing
program. Nurse Educator, 33(5), 228-232.
New Zealand Qualifications Authority (2014). Master’s Degree purpose, credit requirements,
entry,
structure
and
outcomes.
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-newzealand/nzqf/understand-nz-quals/master-s-degree/ retrieved 13 April 2014.
Nursing and Midwifery Council (2010). Standards for preregistration nurse education.
http://standards.nmc-uk.org/PublishedDocuments/Standards%20for%20preregistration%20nursing%20education%2016082010.pdf retrieved 2 July 2014.
Nursing Council of New Zealand (2010). Education programme standards for the registered
nurse scope of practice. Wellington: NCNZ.
Siler, B., DeBasio, N., & Roberts, K. (2008). Profile of non-nurse college graduates enrolled
in accelerated baccalaureate curricula: Results of a national study. Nursing Education
Perspectives, Nov/Dec, 336-341.
Stacey, G., McGarry, J., Aubeeluck, A., Bull, H., Simpson, C., Sheppard, F., & Thompson, S.
(2014). An integrated educational model for graduate entry nursing curriculum design. Nurse
Education Today, 34, 145-149.
Walker, C., Scott Tilley, D., Lockwood, S., & Walker, M. (2008). An innovative approach to
accelerated baccalaureate education. Nursing Education Perspectives, Nov/Dec, 347-352.
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Appendix One
Relevant sections from the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act
2003
The Nursing Council of New Zealand (the Council) is required by the Health Practitioners
Competence Assurance Act 2003 (the Act) to prescribe the qualifications for registration of
registered nurses to protect public safety. Section 12(1)(2) of the Act, states:
1) Each authority must, by notice published in the Gazette, prescribe the qualification or
qualifications for every scope of practice that the authority describes under section 11.
2) In prescribing qualifications under subsection (1), an authority may designate 1 or more
of the following as qualifications for any scope of practice that the authority describes
under section 11:
a) a degree or diploma of a stated kind from an educational institution accredited by
the authority, whether in New Zealand or abroad, or an educational institution of a
stated class, whether in New Zealand or abroad:
b) the successful completion of a degree, course of studies, or programme
accredited by the authority;
c) a pass in a specified examination or any other assessment set by the authority or
by another organisation approved by the authority:
d) registration with an overseas organisation that performs functions that correspond
wholly or partly to those performed by the authority:
e) experience in the provision of health services of a particular kind, including,
without limitation, the provision of such services at a nominated institution or
class of institution, or under the supervision or oversight of a nominated health
practitioner or class of health practitioner.
3) A notice under subsection (1) may state that 1 or more qualifications or experience of 1
or more kinds, or both, is required for each scope of practice that the authority describes
under section 11.
4) An authority must monitor every New Zealand educational institution that it accredits for
the purpose of subsection (2)(a), and may monitor any overseas educational institution
that it accredits for that purpose.
Under section 15(1) of the Act the Council may register an applicant as a nurse permitted to
practise within a scope of practice if the applicant:
a) is fit for registration in accordance with section 16; and
b) has the qualifications that are prescribed, under section 12, for that scope of practice;
and
c) is competent to practice within that scope of practice.
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Appendix Two
How to make a submission
We value the views of stakeholders, and encourage you to respond to this document. This
submission form can also be downloaded from the Nursing Council of New Zealand website
http://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz
The closing date for submissions is 12 September 2014.
Please email your submission to: jessica@nursingcouncil.org.nz.
Alternatively you may send your submission to:
Jessica Hague-Smith
Education and Standards Section
Nursing Council of New Zealand
PO Box 9644
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
The questions in this form are designed to help you to focus your response and make it
easier for us to analyse submissions. However, you do not have to answer every question
and you may add additional comments.
Please note that you do not have to provide personal information if you would prefer not to.
This submission was completed by:
Name: ...........................................................................................................................................
Address:........................................................................................................................................
Email: ............................................................................................................................................
Organisation: ................................................................................................................................
Position: ........................................................................................................................................
I/we do not wish the submission to be made publicly available
You are making this submission:

as an individual

on behalf of a group or organisation

other (please specify) ........................................................................................................
Please indicate which part of the sector your submission represents:

Individual nurse

Individual other

Consumer group

Regulatory authority

Primary health organisation

Māori health provider

Pacific health provider

Government agency

Education provider

Professional organisation

Private hospital provider

Aged care provider

Non-governmental organisation

District Health Board

Internationally qualified nurse

Other (please specify)
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Consultation Questions
Change to the prescribed qualifications for the registered nurse scope of practice
1. Do you support a preregistration master’s degree in nursing becoming an additional
prescribed qualification for entry to the registered nurse scope of practice?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
Programme Title
2. Do you support the requirement for a preregistration master’s degree in nursing to
have a standardised title e.g. Master of Nursing (Entry to Practice)?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
Credit and level
3. Do you support the preregistration master’s degree in nursing being 240 credits at
level 8 on the NZQA framework?
 Yes
 No
 N/A
Comments:
13
Programme completion time
4. Do you support the preregistration master’s degree in nursing programme being
equivalent to two years full time study and students having five years to complete the
programme?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
Clinical experience hours
5. Do you support the requirement for the preregistration master’s degree in nursing
programme to meet the same clinical experience hours (offered 1500 hours,
minimum required 1100 hours) as required in bachelor’s degree in nursing
programmes?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
RPL – Year one of the programme
6. Do you support the requirement for Council approval of RPL for clinical experience
papers in year one of the preregistration master’s degree in nursing programme?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
14
RPL – Year two of the programme
7. Do you support the requirement that no RPL be granted for clinical experience
papers in year two of the preregistration master’s degree in nursing programme?
 Yes
 No
Comments:
Entry criteria
8. Do you support the Council requiring additional entry criteria for a preregistration
master’s degree in nursing? e.g. specifying the requirement for an undergraduate
degree in a health, health science or science related area.
 Yes
 No
Comments:
Thank you for taking the time to complete the consultation questions. The
Council values your feedback.
15