Call the HACSU Helpline
1300 88 00 32

more info

Winter 2004

Enrolled Nurse Scope of Practice Project

THE Nursing Board of Tasmania Examination of the Role and Scope of Practice of the Enrolled Nurse (EN) in Tasmania Project is progressing well with the Reference Group having met six times.

The final Reference Group meetings will focus on reviewing and finalising recommendations to be contained within the final report.

The Final Report is due to be released in early September.

The recent meetings have focused on the areas of education/ongoing professional development/articulation issues, medication and legislative changes and supervision and adoption of a decision-making framework.

The session on Education/Ongoing Professional Development/Articulation reviewed key issues including discussion around:

• The current and future level of education for enrolled nurses;
• Enrolled nurse education in Tasmania providing a career pathway;
• Enrolled nurse education and its articulation to the Bachelor of Nursing Degree;
• The addition of IV management to future enrolled nurse education programs;
• Employers providing structured education and training to support enrolled nurse transition into practice in their graduate year; and
• Post - enrolment skills and training delivery by employer organisations and the VET sector.

The session on medication and legislative changes reviewed the key issues including discussion around

• Current anomalies between the E:nrolled Nurse scope of practice and the practice setting;
• Strategies to remove / decrease these anomalies;
• EN scope of practice in terms of IV medication administration;
• EN scope of practice in terms of routes of medication administration;
• Level of EN supervision by the RN in the practice setting;
• Current barriers to mutual recognition and transferability of EN education and training between jurisdictions in relation to medication administration; and
• Strategies to promote national consistency in medication management.

The session on adoption of a Decision Making Framework and Supervision issues examined the areas of:

• Current supervision of the EN in the workplace;
• Barriers that prevent supervision of the EN in the workplace as defined by the Nursing Code;
• Review of current decision making models;
• Benefits of adopting a decision making framework;
• Clarification of the relationship between EN and the unregulated health care worker.

Each of these sessions has highlighted the importance of providing ongoing education and communication to all relevant health care workers, in regards to any change to the scope of practice.

For more information, please contact Kathryn Terry, Project Coordinator, Nursing Board of Tasmania, 15 Princes Street, Sandy Bay, TASMANIA, 7005

Tel:03 6224 3991, Fax: 03 6224 3995 or Email: NBT@nursingboardtas.org.au

With thanks to the Nursing Board of Tasmania