4 July 2007

Good News for Many Enrolled Nurses

Enrolled Nurses who began training or graduated between 2000 and 18 September 2004 have received the good news that Parliament’s Regulations Review Committee has recommended the Government ensures they retain the title “Enrolled Nurse.”

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation complained to the Regulations Review Committee that in deciding to change the title of second-level nurses from “Enrolled Nurse” to “Nurse Assistant” for those who graduated from 2000 onwards, the Nursing Council in effect created two titles and two scopes of practice for nurses with comparable qualifications.

Furthermore, those who began training to become Enrolled Nurses after 2000, but before the change was made public, were disadvantaged by having their position re-named and de-valued before their training was complete.

The Regulations Review Committee recommended to the Government “that the Nursing Council amend its Notice of Scopes of Practice and Related Qualifications…to ensure that it does not have an unauthorised retrospective effect on the title of the second-level nurses who began training or graduated between the year 2000 and 18 September 2004.”

NZNO CEO Geoff Annals says, “We are very pleased that the plight of nurses who began their Enrolled Nurse training before the title change in September 2004 has been recognised. This is very welcome and of great significance to those nurses. However we are disappointed the Regulations Review Committee found it could not address the matters of dual title and dual scope of practice. These remain our fundamental concerns because they create confusion and potentially risk to the public.”

NZNO will continue to work to ensure all second-level nurses are easily recognised as registered, qualified nurses by their peers, employers and most importantly the public.

“NZNO has always had strong support on this issue, including that of the current Minister of Health. We will continue discussions with MPs and with the Nursing Council. Our concern is to ensure the public is safe. NZNO and the Nursing Council share this objective and we will continue to work with the Council to achieve it,” Geoff Annals says.

ENDS

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