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Overseeing nursing education
All tertiary education institutions offering
programmes leading to registration as a
nurse and the programmes themselves
must be accredited and monitored
by the Nursing Council. In this regard,
the Council works closely with the
Government’s quality assurance agencies
– the Committee on University Academic
Programmes and the New Zealand
Qualifcations Authority.
Sixteen schools of nursing offer Bachelor
degree in nursing programmes on 22
sites throughout New Zealand. Nine
schools offer the Diploma in Enrolled
Nursing. Once programmes have
been accredited, they are monitored
at least every fve years. When schools
make signifcant changes to curricula
or establish new delivery sites they are
required to have their programmes
reaccredited. The Council regularly
assesses nursing curricula to ensure that
the implementation continues to meet
the education programme standards
for registration in a scope of practice.
Advice and support are provided where
programmes are identifed as not meeting
all the required standards.
Programmes leading to registration
as an enrolled nurse
Three programmes were monitored
and all programmes met all education
programme standards.
Programmes leading to registration
as a registered nurse
In the 2012-2013 year, seven
programmes were monitored. Three met
all the education programme standards
and four had standards that were not
met. The standards not met generally
related to programmes being under
development, staff not having the required
qualifcations or plans to complete the
required qualifcations, staff not being
engaged in research or scholarly activity,
the need for schools to ensure the
programmes are underpinned by current
research and scholarship, or the need for
a clearly articulated and communicated
clinical model and consistency in clinical
experiences for students.
Postgraduate programmes
Two postgraduate programmes were
monitored and both met the required
standards.
Competence assessment
programmes
Competence assessment programmes
(CAPs) are designed to ensure that New
Zealand nurses returning to the workforce
and internationally qualifed nurses (IQNs)
seeking to register in New Zealand meet
the competencies required of registered
nurses prior to entering the workforce.
Seven programmes were monitored.
There are now 22 CAP providers. Eleven
are based in educational institutions (all
polytechnics), fve are offered by district
health boards (DHBs), fve are offered
by aged-care providers and Plunket
also offers a CAP. Programme length
ranges from six to eight weeks and all
programmes may extend to 12 weeks
of clinical time if necessary. The Nursing
Council is not involved in determining
the availability of places on accredited
programmes, but is concerned that
many IQNs experience long waits
to gain places. For this reason, the
Council advises IQNs not to come to
New Zealand until they have places on
programmes confrmed.
New Zealand-registered nurses wanting
to return to practice are able to undertake
individual CAPs. These programmes are
developed by DHBs and other health
care providers that do not have approved
CAPs. In 2012-2013 two individual
programmes were approved.
Accrediting and monitoring nursing
education programmes
Nurse Entry to Practice programmes
These year-long programmes support
new graduates through their frst year in
the workforce as they make the transition
from students to registered nurses.
Many now include postgraduate nursing
courses, enabling new graduates to
begin postgraduate study in supportive
environments. The programmes are
available for nurses working for DHBs
and those working in community-based
health services, such as aged care,
primary health organisations and Maori
health providers. One programme
was monitored.