Qualified registered nurses (RN) will now be able to prescribe and administer medications under new changes that come into effect today.
Under the new rules, RNs can prescribe medications, including antidepressants and opioids.
Aphra, the Government’s health practitioner regulator, has called the move “one of the biggest changes to nursing regulation in decades”.
Prescribing
Previously, prescriptions could mainly only be issued by GPs, dentists, optometrists and some pharmacists.
RNs wanting to prescribe medication will be required to meet certain criteria before applying.
To qualify, RNs will need to show that they have completed three years of full-time clinical experience, pass an approved prescribing education course, and undertake a further six months of supervised clinical practice under a qualified mentor.
RNs will also be required to renew their registrations to maintain their prescribing rights and submit yearly declarations confirming they are meeting professional standards.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Chair Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey said: “More nurses prescribing will give Australians greater access to safe, affordable healthcare and medicines.”
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Medication
In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) classifies medicines into 10 categories, known as schedules, based on the level of medical oversight required to use them safely. These schedules also determine how accessible the medicines are to the public.
Under the new prescribing model, qualified RNs will be able to manage Schedule 2, 3, 4 and 8 medicines.
Common painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen fall under Schedule 2, while more tightly controlled and addictive drugs such as opioids are classified as Schedule 8.
Criticism
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the peak education body for the health sector, has raised concerns over the changes.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright warns, “once you have multiple healthcare professionals offering the same services, it reduces the opportunity for coordinated and comprehensive care”.
“We know that fragmenting healthcare has been shown to be less safe and more expensive than models that facilitate continuity of care,” Dr Wright said.
