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30 Sep 2025
Community access to high-quality medicines is being bolstered under changes that extend prescribing rights to suitably educated and qualified registered nurses (RNs).
The new prescribing model, which takes effect from today, expands the scope of practice for endorsed RNs. This follows a decision by health ministers in December.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has published the Registration standard: Endorsement for scheduled medicines – designated registered nurse prescriber (the standard) and supporting guidelines for RNs applying for and holding the endorsement.
‘This standard is one of the biggest changes to nursing regulation in decades,’ said NMBA Chair Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey AM.
‘More nurses prescribing will give Australians greater access to safe, affordable healthcare and medicines.
‘Designated RN prescribing puts patients first without compromising public safety.’
The NMBA is working closely with jurisdictional Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers (CNMOs) to integrate designated RN prescribing into the Australian health system.
This includes making sure RN prescribing is part of the organisation’s safety framework, the nurses have clear agreements with authorised health practitioners, and that they follow laws about drugs and poisons in each state and territory.
The standard and guidelines will be periodically reviewed and evaluated to ensure they are achieving their intended outcome and to identify opportunities for further improvement.
An Implementation Oversight Group (IOG), co-chaired by the CNMOs of New South Wales and South Australia, has been established to guide the national roll-out of designated RN prescribing.
IOG membership includes representatives from jurisdictional and Commonwealth CNMOs, the NMBA, Ahpra and ANMAC and will provide quarterly updates to the Health Workforce Taskforce.
The group will work with key stakeholders to oversee a nationally consistent approach to implementation by managing risks, supporting clinical governance, and align prescribing practices with state and territory drugs and poisons legislation.
In January 2025, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) published the NMBA-approved Registered Nurse Prescribing Accreditation Standards (RNPAS).
These standards establish the education requirements for the endorsement, providing a clear, nationally consistent framework for education providers delivering programs that prepare graduates for safe and effective prescribing.
‘The designated registered nurse prescribing endorsement, supported by these accreditation standards, marks a new era for nursing in Australia,” said ANMAC CEO Tanya Vogt.
‘It equips registered nurses with the knowledge and skills to prescribe safely and support additional access to high-quality care for people and communities across Australia.’
Four RN education providers have already submitted education programs for assessment against the RNPAS, paving the way for hundreds of students to begin their studies in early 2026.
The first cohort of graduates from these programs of study is expected from mid-2026, strengthening the skilled RN workforce through the new prescribing model.
Several other education providers have indicated interest in submitting programs, helping to build a strong future pipeline of designated RN prescribers.
An RN with the endorsement is qualified to administer, obtain, possess, prescribe, supply and/or use Schedule 2, 3, 4, and 8 medicines in partnership with authorised health practitioners under a clinical governance framework and an active prescribing agreement in line with local drugs and poisons legislation.
To qualify for the endorsement, RNs must:
The scope of prescribing will align with each RN’s role, the clinical governance framework, the prescribing agreement, and relevant state and territory medicines legislation. Once endorsed, designated RN prescribers must also complete a six-month period of clinical mentorship with an authorised health practitioner.
Approved programs of study leading to endorsement for scheduled medicines as a designated RN prescriber are not yet available.
‘This standard is one of the biggest changes to nursing regulation in decades’ - NMBA Chair Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey AM.
