title: National nursing registration in Australia: a way forward for nurse practitioner endorsement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The move to national registration of health professionals and the creation of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) provides both challenges and opportunities for the regulation of nurse practitioners (NPs) in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  National and state health policy documents, accessible on the Internet, concerning the regulation and endorsement processes for NPs in Australia were examined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The similarities between two of the previous jurisdictional NP endorsement processes in New South Wales and Victoria provide a common ground on which to build a robust national system. However, there are also key differences between these two states. These differences were mainly in the evidence required to assess competency of NP applicants and the authority to prescribe medications. All Victorian NP applicants were required to complete an approved medication subject at a master's level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A consistent endorsement process that delivers NPs of the highest standard and allows for efficient use of their skills and expertise is vital. This needs to be performed with the aim of providing high-quality care in a regulatory environment that protects the public and clearly articulates the level of competence expected of all NPs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. andrea.driscoll@med.monash.edu.au
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Driscoll
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Weatherby
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liew
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prentice
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crellin
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dobroff
authors.forename: Melodie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heland
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D033161:Government Regulation; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007884:Legislation, Nursing / Q000639:trends*; D009517:New South Wales; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D014739:Victoria