3.11 Competency standards and continuing professional development

Nurses in Australia are regulated and accountable to the community for providing high quality care through safe and effective work practice. To assist in achieving this, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) has developed national standards and codes to provide a professional framework for nursing practice.

These standards are:

• the ANMC National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses
• the ANMC National Competency Standards for Enrolled Nurses
• the ANMC Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia
• the ANMC Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia.

These documents can be viewed and downloaded from the ANMC website http://www.anmc.org.au/professional_standards/index.php

The framework of standards may be used:

• by the individual nurse to assess his or her own performance, or the performance of peers
• by regulatory authorities to assess performance in order to obtain or retain a licence to practice
• by regulatory authorities to assess nurses involved in professional misconduct matters
• by higher and vocational education authorities as a framework for course development
• by employers for position description and performance assessment purposes
• by the profession to communicate to consumers the standards which can be expected from a registered or enrolled nurse.

The Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia is a set of expected national standards of nursing conduct for Australian nurses. A breach of the Code may constitute professional misconduct or unprofessional conduct. The Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia outlines the ethical standards expected and required of nurses practicing in Australia.

In 2005 the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) along with the DoHA released Competency Standards for nurses working in general practice. An online information kit has been designed to assist nurses, GPs, practice managers and education providers understand how to use the standards. To access the Competency Standards for nurses working in general practice, along with the toolkit, visit the ANF website:
www.anf.org.au/nurses_gp

These standards are designed to complement the core standards and assist:

• nurses by providing an additional component of the practice framework against which to measure performance and to develop and maintain • performance in the general practice setting
• regulatory authorities in cases of professional misconduct;
• higher and vocational education authorities in course development when offering courses for practice nurses
• employers for position description and performance assessment purposes.

The competency standards are able to provide employers with a guide when preparing position descriptions, job advertisements and performance assessments. Sample position descriptions for both the enrolled nurse and registered nurse are available at the above web address.

The ANMC diagram below demonstrates the links between competency standards, code of ethics, code of conduct and accreditation.

Continuing Professional Development

Continuing professional development (CPD) is a vital part of every nurse’s career, keeping the nurse up to date in professional practice thus ensuring safety and quality in patient care. In some states registration is dependent upon the nurse maintaining evidence of CPD.

For further information link to: http://www.rcna.org.au/pages/cne/php

Professional development activities may include:

• education courses
• supervised clinical experience
• reflective practice in conjunction with personal study
• networking
• mentoring.

The Competency Standards for nurses working in general practice provide standards that can used to assess professional development needs. A professional development plan can be developed using the units of competency. The Standards include templates for a professional development plan.

For more information visit the ANF website: www.anf.org.au/nurses_gp and see section 3.15 of this resource.