Information for Prospective Students

(March 2019)

The Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) Program is accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) and approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).

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The Nurse Practitioner Program

Introduction

The Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) Program has been developed according to the Nurse Practitioner national standards and criteria for the accreditation of nursing and midwifery courses leading to registration, enrolment, endorsement and authorisation in Australia (Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council 2009). The program is designed to enable graduates to develop the expanded and extended practice practice capabilities necessary to function as safe and competent nurse practitioners and demonstrate achievement of the Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2014). Graduates of the program will be eligible to apply for endorsement as a Nurse Practitioner with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). While successful completion of an NMBA approved Nurse Practitioner program of study at master’s level meets one of the requirements for endorsement, graduates intending to apply to the NMBA for endorsement as a Nurse Practitioner must also meet the other requirements for endorsement as set out by the NMBA. It is strongly recommended that intending applicants familiarise themselves with the requirements for endorsement as a Nurse Practitioner which can be located on the NMBA website at http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/

Relevant documents include:

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016 Fact sheet: Advanced nursing practice and specialty areas within nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional- standards.aspx

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016 Registration standard: Endorsement as a nurse practitioner, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-and-Endorsement/Endorsements- Notations.aspx#nurse

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016 Fact sheet: Endorsement as a nurse practitioner, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/FAQ/Fact-sheet- endorsement-as-a-nurse-practitioner.aspx

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016, Guidelines: For nurses applying for endorsement as a nurse practitioner, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-and-Endorsement/Endorsements- Notations/Guidelines-on-endorsement-as-a-nurse-practitioner.aspx

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2014 Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional- standards.aspx

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Program Learning Environment

The Program is delivered through the University’s online learning platform, LearnOnline, supplemeted by on campus compulsory workshops for some courses. Prospective students are advised that broadband internet access is required. Further information about the online learning environment will be provided at the orientation workshop.

Orientation Workshop

Following admission and enrolment, students will be informed of the date for the orientation workshop. The orientation workshop will introduce students to the online learning environment, University systems, processes and student support resources relevant to their program of study, provide an overview of the program, including compulsory workshops and include sessions related to developing their student portfolio, supernumerary integrated professional practice requirements academic writing and referencing. Students will also have the opportunity to meet staff teaching in the program and other students undertaking the program.

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The following section provides information about the processes to assess applicants for admission to the program.

Section 1 Assessment for admission to the program

Introduction The following guidelines set out the process for assessing applications for entry to the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner).

Intending applicants should review the information provided about the program in the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC) Guide available for purchase from newsagents and on the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) program home page on the University of South Australia website accessible at http://programs.unisa.edu.au/public/pcms/program.aspx?pageid=243&sid=299

Entry requirements for the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) All applicants must: • hold current general registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of

Australia; AND • hold a postgraduate qualification from a recognised higher education institution in a relevant

clinical field. In addition, to be accepted into the program, applicants will be required to: • have a minimum of four years full-time equivalent experience as a Registered Nurse, including two

years full-time equivalent as a Registered Nurse in a clinical field and two years full-time equivalent at an advanced practice level in the same clinical field.

• establish a suitably qualified Clinical Support Team in their clinical field to assist them in the development and extension of their specialist practice. The Clinical Support Team must be approved by the Program Director;

• Provide a completed and signed Employer Support Form as evidence that their employer is willing to support the 300 hours of supernumerary extended clinical practice components of the program within their workplace or related agencies.

Additional Requirements: To be accepted into the program, applicants must • Establish a Clinical Support Team in their specialty area of practice to assist them in the

development and extension of their specialist practice (see Rule 1 on the program home page). Clinical support team members must meet the criteria set out in the Clinical Support Team Handbook and reproduced in section 2 of this document to be eligible for the role.

• The Clinical Support Team members will need to be approved by the Program Director (PD) • At the time of application to SATAC GradStart, applicants must also submit the following

documents electronically to the Program Director: o Employer Support from which certifies employer support and advanced practice of the

applicant o Completed support form and CV from each of the proposed members of the Clinical

Support Team o Comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV)

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Section 2: Clinical Support Team Information

Clinical Support Team: Roles and responsibilities

The broad role of the clinical support team members is to support the student to gain integrated professional practice experiences that

• facilitate knowledge and skills development in patient centred care that is consistent with the principles of primary health care and complements the student’s specialty skills and knowledge.

• reflect the major health priorities specific to the student’s area of practice • include opportunities for the development of knowledge and skills relevant to advanced

collaborative practice • facilitate achievement of the Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice

Each student will already have nursing expertise in their relevant specialty field of health care. The purpose of the integrated professional practice experience is to enable students to deepen and extend their knowledge and practice skills to meet the requirements of nurse practitioner practice as demonstrated by their achievement of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice (NMBA, 2014).

Students in the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) are required to undertake 300 hours of supernumerary integrated professional practice experience linked to a number of courses in the program as mandated by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) in Standard 3.6 of the Nurse Practitioner Accreditation Standards (ANMAC 2015) and detailed in Table 1 below. See the ANMAC (2018) Explanatory Note provided at the end of this document which explains the three acceptable mechanisms through which students may obtain their supernumerary integrated professional experience.

Table 1 – Schedule of Supernumerary Integrated Professional Practice Experience Hours Course Year/Semester Hours Advanced Health Assessment, Diagnostics and Investigations NURS5135

Year 2/ Semester 1 25

Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics for Advanced Nursing Practice PHAR5052

Year 2/ Semester 2

5

Clinical Inquiry NURS 5137 Year 2/ Semester 2

10

Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Nursing Practice NURS5141

Year 3/ Semester 1

20

Nurse Practitioner Internship 1 NURS 5139 Year 3/ Semester 1

120

Nurse Practitioner Internship B NURS5162 Year 3/ Semester 2

120

During these courses, students will undertake clinical activities that are an extension to the registered nurse scope of practice on order to build Nurse Practitioner capability (O’Connell, Gardner and Coyer 2014). These extended practice activities include, but are not limited to referral of patients/clients/residents to other health or social care professionals, requesting diagnostic tests, prescribing medications, support needs and performing specific interventions related to their specialty area of practice. The approach to clinical learning involving supported immersion in the extended role expected of Nurse Practitioners has been demonstrated as effective in achieving learning outcomes and ensuring patient/client safety in the Australian health care context (Gardner & Gardner, 2005).

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Each student’s clinical support team will provide learning and teaching support through supervision, monitoring, supporting and reviewing the extended practice aspects of the student’s role, including clinical practice reviews, and conducting formative and summative clinical assessments.

Membership and time commitment of the Clinical Support Team The clinical support team will include at a minimum

• an experienced nurse practitioner in a relevant specialty as the primary clinical support team member

• an experienced medical practitioner within the specialty.

Nursing Team Member/s*

Students are required to develop knowledge, skills, and practices commensurate with the expectations of the nurse practitioner role in the delivery of nursing care in their specialty field of practice. The clinical support nursing team member/s will be expected to work with the student to maintain this focus and assist them to incorporate their extended care activities into a nursing model of practice. The nurse practitioner member of the clinical support team will meet the legal requirements for the extended practice aspects of the student’s activities that relate to the nurse practitioner role, including activities of prescribing, requesting diagnostic tests and referral of patients/clients to other health professionals.

Medical Team Member

The medical member of the clinical support team will meet the legal requirements for the extended practice aspects of the student’s activities that relate to the nurse practitioner role, including activities of prescribing, requesting diagnostic tests and referral of patients/clients to other health professionals.

Strategies for clinical learning related to these extended practice activities should be negotiated between the student and clinical support team and may include existing practices such as standing orders for medication management, case conferences led by the student as part of their role in the health care team, and shadowing the student to observe and monitor decision making in these extended areas of practice. Students must practice within the legislated parameters of nursing practice and any activities extending this legislated scope are monitored and supervised by a suitably qualified member of the clinical support team.

Additional Team Members

The clinical support team may also include an advanced practice nurse in the specialty area and other health professionals relevant to the service delivery team in the student’s specialty field of practice (such as relevant members of the allied health professions, for example pharmacy). This support team will work with the student to facilitate development of extended clinical practice and decision making competencies. The mentoring process will enable the student to critically reflect on their capabilities and development and debrief in a supported and safe environment.

Students will work with relevant team members in their clinical practice on a daily basis and clinical support team member/s should be available to provide a minimum of 1 hour per week mentoring/focused supervision.

Criteria for Selection of Clinical Support Team members:

• Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (Nurses) or relevant Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Board (Medical or Allied Health Practitioner)

• Holds a qualification that is higher than or equal to a Master’s degree • At least one nurse team member must be an experienced Nurse Practitioner • At least one team member must be an experienced medical officer

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• Clinical expertise in a relevant field of nursing, medicine or allied health • Meets clinical privileges/requirements of the clinical venue of practice • Educational experience and/or qualifications, particularly in practice-based/clinical education • Able to supervise and guide the applicant’s clinical and professional practice throughout the

program • Commitment to support the applicant in developing their extended clinical competencies in an

advanced practice role throughout the program • Available to communicate regularly with the applicant face to face, by phone and electronically • Sign a form indicating their agreement with this arrangement • Provide a comprehensive CV detailing qualifications and experience relevant to the role.

Academic Liaison for Clinical Support Teams

Each student will be assigned an Academic Supervisor employed by the University for the internship courses. The Academic Supervisor, in conjunction and consultation with the Course Coordinator, is responsible for oversight of the student’s academic progress and management of the logistical issues related to the two internship courses. The student will meet regularly with the Academic Supervisor as negotiated. The Academic Supervisor will also act as the university liaison for the clinical support team and be available for meetings and consultations with the members of the clinical support team. Arrangements for contact between the Academic Supervisor and the Clinical Support Team members will be negotiated at the beginning of the relevant study period.

Role and responsibilities of the Academic Supervisor

• Venue visit by week two (2) to establish clinical team responsibilities and provide the initial clinical support team information session

• Arrange dates/times for interim venue visits and progress reports with the clinical support team • Report any changes to the clinical support team arrangements to the course coordinator as soon

as practicable. • Establish liaison with the clinical support team nurse representative and ensure regular contact

with the nurse representative and student, the purpose of which is to: • confirm that student has opportunities for appropriate clinical experience • identify organisational/personal/professional barriers to progress and collaboratively implement

strategies to resolve barriers such • For both Internship courses, the academic supervisor will attend the clinical case presentation,

and summative clinical assessment review meeting.

Useful UniSA resources are listed in each Internship Course Information Book, a copy of which will be provided to each member of the clinical support team.

Clinical Support Team Approval

Each Clinical Support Team member will be approved by the Program Director in consultation with the Associate Head of School (Academic) on entry to the program and monitored throughout the program.

References

Australian Nursing and Midwifery accreditation Council, 2018, Explanatory Note, Interpretation and explanation of supernumerary integrated professional practice for nurse practitioner students, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from https://www.anmac.org.au/standards-and-review/explanatory-notes Gardner A & Gardner G. (2005), A trial of nurse practitioner scope of practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing, (2), 135–145. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2004.03273.x 49

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2014 Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional- standards.aspx

O’Connell J, Gardner G & Coyer F, 2014, Beyond competencies: using a capability framework in developing practice standards for advanced practice nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing 70(12), 2728–2735. The Australian College of Nurse Practitioners, available at https://acnp.org.au/

The following NMBA documents provide information about advanced nursing practice and for endorsement as a nurse practitioner

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016 Fact sheet: Advanced nursing practice and specialty areas within nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional- standards.aspx

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016 Registration standard: Endorsement as a nurse practitioner, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-and-Endorsement/Endorsements- Notations.aspx#nurse

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016 Fact sheet: Endorsement as a nurse practitioner, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/FAQ/Fact-sheet- endorsement-as-a-nurse-practitioner.aspx

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016, Guidelines: For nurses applying for endorsement as a nurse practitioner, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-and-Endorsement/Endorsements- Notations/Guidelines-on-endorsement-as-a-nurse-practitioner.aspx

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CV Requirements

MASTER OF NURSING (NURSE PRACTITIONER) Applicant Curriculum Vitae Requirements

Introduction

All applicants for the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) must provide a comprehensive CV that demonstrates how they meet all entry requirements to be admitted to the program including clear evidence of advanced nursing practice. The CV should also include two referees who can attest to the applicant’s advanced nursing practice.

The following information has been provided to assist applicants in preparing their CV.

Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) Entry Requirements

All applicants for the program must:

• hold current general registration as a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia; AND

• hold a postgraduate qualification from a recognised higher education institution in a relevant clinical field.

In addition, to be accepted into the program, applicants will be required to:

• have a minimum of four years full-time equivalent experience as a Registered Nurse, including two years full-time equivalent as a Registered Nurse in a clinical field and two years full-time equivalent at an advanced practice level in the same clinical field.

• establish a suitably qualified Clinical Support Team in their clinical field to assist them in the development and extension of their specialist practice. The Clinical Support Team must be approved by the Program Director;

• provide a completed and signed Employer Support Form as evidence that their employer is willing to facilitate the extended clinical practice components of the program within their workplace or related agencies

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CV Requirements

Definition of Advanced Practice

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) defines advanced practice as “a continuum along which nurses develop their professional knowledge, clinical reasoning and judgement, skills and behaviours to higher levels of capability (that is recognisable). Nurses practising at an advanced level incorporate professional leadership, education and research into their clinically based practice. Their practice is effective and safe. They work within a generalist or specialist context and they are responsible and accountable in managing people who have complex health care requirements.

Advanced nursing practice is a level of practice and not a role. It is acknowledged that advanced nursing practice is specific to the individual within their context of practice (enrolled nurse, registered nurse or nurse practitioner)”. (NMBA 2016).

Description of an Advanced Registered Nurse

An Advanced Registered Nurse:

1. Uses best available evidence, observations and experience to plan, conduct and evaluate practice in ways which incorporate complexity and/or a multiplicity of elements

2. Uses health and/or nursing models as a basis for practice 3. Manages outcomes in complex clinical situations 4. Anticipates and meets the needs of individuals and groups with complex conditions and/or in high risk

situations 5. Integrates and evaluates knowledge and resources from different disciplines and health care teams to

effectively meet the health care needs of individuals and groups 6. Seeks out and integrates evidence from a range of sources to improve health care outcomes 7. Safely interprets and modifies guidelines and practice to meet the health care needs of individuals and

groups 8. Leads and guides the nursing team to promote optimum standards of care 9. Shares information and resources to initiate improvements and/or innovation in nursing practice 10. Fosters and initiates research based nursing practice 11. Acts as a mentor and role model for nurses and other health professionals 12. Contributes to development of nursing knowledge, standards and resources through active participation

at the broader professional level 13. Facilitates education of individuals and groups, students, nurses and other members of the health care

team 14. Acts as a resource for other nurses and members of the health care team 15. Provides nursing as a resource to others through their capacity to practice outside single contexts and

episodes of practice

Adapted from Australian Nursing Federation, Competency Standards for the Advanced Registered Nurse, 2005.

Australian Nursing Federation, Competency Standards for the Advanced Registered Nurse, 2005. Available from http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/19556235?selectedversion=NBD40312320

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016 Fact sheet: Advanced nursing practice and specialty areas within nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Melbourne. Available from http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards.aspx

Interpretation and explanation of supernumerary integrated professional practice for nurse practitioner students This explanatory note has been prepared to help education providers, professional practice providers and students of nurse practitioner programs of study understand the interpretation of supernumerary integrated professional practice in the context of nurse practitioner education. This explanatory note provides clarification relating to the interpretation of supernumerary for integrated professional practice as it must apply in nurse practitioner programs of study.

The Nurse Practitioner Accreditation Standards (2015) define supernumerary as:

Where the student undertakes supervised practice outside their employed position or when they are not counted in the staffing roster.

Integrated professional practice Integrated professional practice in the context of nurse practitioner students is undertaken:

• by registered nurses who are either employed or self-employed and are required to undertake 300 hours of professional practice to enable learning and demonstrate achievement of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s Nurse practitioner standards for practice

• in preparation and practice for their future role as a nurse practitioner, the students apply advanced levels of knowledge, skills and experience to perform clinical skills or episodes of care considered to be advanced practice

• under supervision of an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor and for the duration of the integrated professional practice event, the student is supernumerary.

Integrated professional practice should provide a supported learning environment for the development of clinical skills and capability in episodes of care, including but not limited to those described in the Nurse practitioner standards for practice:

1. Assesses using diagnostic capability

2. Plans care and engages others

3. Prescribes and implements therapeutic interventions

4. Evaluates outcomes and improves practice

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Supernumerary in context of integrated professional practice Nurse practitioner students can obtain supernumerary integrated professional practice in one, or a combination of three ways:

1. Undertaking scheduled and supervised integrated professional practice in the clinical setting where they are employed, but not rostered at that time.

Nurse practitioner students undertaking supernumerary integrated professional practice in the clinical setting where they are employed do so with supervision for the tasks they are undertaking and are in addition to the usual complement of staff in the healthcare setting. The service provided in the healthcare setting could continue to be delivered without the nurse practitioner student’s presence.

2. Undertaking unscheduled, opportunistic and supervised integrated professional practice in the clinical setting where they are employed and counted in the roster of the clinical setting.

During a rostered shift there may be an opportunity for the nurse practitioner student to become supernumerary. If the clinical workload at the time allows them to undertake the advanced practice under supervision, this can be counted as integrated professional practice time. In this circumstance the normal provision of rostered duty care cannot be compromised.

3. Undertaking supervised practice in a clinical setting where they are not employed.

Nurse practitioner students may visit another clinical setting within their own employment setting or health service or visit another clinical facility to undertake supernumerary integrated professional practice.

Management of supernumerary integrated professional practice In principle, the duration of each block of supernumerary practice can vary and should be organised into periods that are manageable by the student and the health care provider. The sessions should be of sufficient duration to comprehensively develop skills and capabilities required of a nurse practitioner. The full 300 hours of supervised integrated professional practice is documented to provide evidence the student has achieved the Nurse practitioner standards for practice as approved by their clinical supervisor(s) and education provider.

The nurse practitioner student is responsible for negotiating a plan to meet their integrated professional practice requirements in a way that minimises disruption to the clinical setting.

Version number Date Short description of amendment

V1.0 April 2018 First explanatory note

Accreditation Services 17 April 2018