CPD or Continuing professional development

Once registered in AHPRA as a registered nurse or enrolled nurse, you are required to have completed atleast 20 hours CPD each year as compliance to Nurses and Midwifery Board Association or NMBA. According to AHPRA, 'the NMBA’s Registration standard: Continuing professional development requires nurses and midwives to complete a minimum number of continuing professional development (CPD) hours directly relevant to a nurse or midwife’s context of practice.'

AHPRA defined CPD as  'the means by which members of the professions maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge, expertise and competence, and develop the personal and professional qualities needed throughout their professional lives.'

Complying with this 20 hours is not difficult as each institution will provide an inservice to every nurses. Usually the inservice will last from 30 minutes to an hour. Some nurses are encourage to enrol in a study leave for them to acquire 8 hours of CPD points. If you are one of those nurses that does not have time going to the in-services in your institution, you can do a self study by watching some videos in youtube and write what you have learned. 

Now, you will be asking on how to provide an evidence to AHPRA if you will be asked to provide the 20 hours CPD. Below will be a sample template taken from AHPRA's website as a guide on how to record your CPD.

If you require more information regarding CPD, you can check this on AHPRA's website : https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/FAQ/CPD-FAQ-for-nurses-and-midwives.aspx.


Reference:

AHPRA 2019, Continuing professional development, viewed 31 August 2019, <https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/FAQ/CPD-FAQ-for-nurses-and-midwives.aspx>.

Curriculum Vitae

I have posted a standard CV sample for AHPRA few years ago. I have reviewed AHPRA's website and Identified some minor changes with their recommended CV format.

Below is a sample of a CV as per AHPRA's recommendation. As per AHPRA's claim that 'the following information is provided as a guide to what you should include in the curriculum vitae that you provide to AHPRA as part of your application.'

Please note that this is only a GUIDE, any names and addresses are taken from other sources.

John Snow

Kings Landing

0400000000

JohnSnow@got.com

Qualifications Obtained

21 Oct 1940- 23 Aug 1942                 Master of Nursing

                                                            University of Kings Landing

§  Completed

19 March 1938- 21 Oct 1940             Bachelor of Nursing with Professional Honours (Acute Care)

                                                            University of Kings Landing

§  Completed

01 February 1936- 01 March 1937     Graduate Certificate in Acute Care Nursing

                                                            University of Kings Landing

§  Completed

01 April 1931- 23 March 19 34          Bachelor of Science in Nursing

The Westerlands University

§  Bachelor’s degree

§  Completion

Bridging Programs / Qualifying Examination

13 April 1934 -19 June 1935             Assessment of Competence Program

University of Kings Landing

§  Completed

Clinical/Procedural Skills

•    Port-a-cath Access                                               - competent    

•    Epidural Accreditation                                          - competent

•    IV Cannulation                                                      - competent

•    Managing TPN                                                      - competent

•    Managing Enteral Devices                                    - competent    

•    Managing Stoma                                                   - competent

•    Advance Life Support                                           - competent    

•    Managing Negative Pressure wound Therapy      - competent

Work/Practice History

24 June 1980 – Present

The Vale Hospital

Registered Nurse

Responsibilities:

Full-time

·      Sets and models high standards of performance for self and others

·      Coordinate and oversee nursing care and health service delivery in ensuring

24 June 1945 – 21 June 1980

The Crownlands Hospital

Registered Nurse

Responsibilities:

Full-time

·      Actively pursue own professional development and maintain a record of continuing professional development

·      Take an active role in teaching and enabling others.

Registration History

Westeros Nursing Registration Council

Registration Number: 6868

Referees

Daenerys Targaryen

Mother Head

The Vale Hospital

0412000000

Daenerys.Targaryen@got.com

Arya Stark

Clinical Nurse Educator

The Vale Hospital

0412111111

Arya.Stark@got.com

 Reference:

AHPRA 2019, Standard format for curriculum vitae, viewed 27 August 2019, <https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Registration-Process/Standard-Format-for-Curriculum-Vitae.aspx>.

Wikipedia 2019, List of Game of Thrones characters, viewed 27 August 2019, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Game_of_Thrones_characters>.

Postgraduate course for nurses

Now that you have completed your bridging program and working or you have your registration and would like to further your studies in the land down under. There are various universities that offer scholarship and support for nurses that would like to get their postgraduate courses.

One of the trend now is the so called distance studies. The distance education/studies allows the nurses from anywhere in Australia to join any approved courses at the comfort of their home. The University of New England described distance education as allowing 'you to arrange your study around your work and family commitments. Your understanding of the subjects you are studying will be enhanced by access to online units, CDROMs, DVDs, text books and other reference material. Support and communication between lecturers and students is available via email, online discussions and chat, telephone, and on campus intensive schools. UNE provides web-based facilities which allow you to send questions, submit assignments, order library books, check your grades and access other resources, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week'

Now, you are asking if what University or colleges that offers distance education. Below are the lists of educational institution that offer distance education. This might be limited and there are more other universities and colleges that offer, help yourself to search it in your favourite search engine.

University of Tasmania
Souther Cross University
University of New England
Charles Darwin University
Macquarie University
Charles Sturt University
University of Technology Sydney

Assessing CVAD/PICC

The majority of the nurses in Australia will have a patient that either have Central Venous Access Device (CVAD) or peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). Some of the nurses are well much aware on how to look after these access devices, but some are not very confident to look after these lines. 

For nurses from overseas starting their nursing career in Australia, there are local policy directives that are followed by each hospital or institutions across Australia. These policy directives are one of the generic guidelines for the nurses to provide a safety delivery of care to the patients.

In NSW, the local district now follow the VIP scoring, as shown below. This will guide nurses using their critical thinking on what to do. 

As per the NSW health local health district policy directives, CVADs and PICCs should be checked by the nurses each shift. To identify early signs of infection and prevent infection. 

Bridging program fo internationally qualified nurses

I had done this bridging program in 2012, and I can say that it is effective in introducing the overseas qualified nurses with the Australian nursing approach. Coming from the Philippines is somehow similar but terms are used slightly different.

In the Philippines, our University curriculum was almost the same curriculum in one of the US University (affiliate). We were already prepared to become a  Philippine and US registered nurses.

It never came into my mind that I will be spending the rest of my nursing career in Australia.

It is important to allow the new nurses to integrate their nursing knowledge and skills with Australian standard of practice. With the help of bridging program, it will allow the gaps to be filled in and allow overseas qualified nurses to become more confident in a different set up.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) defined bridging program as 'that enables internationally qualified nurses and midwives who do not qualify for registration under section 53(b) of the National Law to meet the requirements under section 53(c) by completing further study and assessment against the NMBA’s standards for practice. To be eligible, international applicants must be referred to a bridging program by the NMBA.'

Some nurses might be asking if there are any alternatives for this bridging program to enable them to practice legally as a nurse in Australia. According to NMBA, 'applicants who do not wish to undertake a bridging program can upgrade their current nursing or midwifery qualification either in Australia or overseas. If you upgrade your qualification outside Australia you must make sure that the country you are upgrading in meets the accreditation requirements of criteria 2 and 3.'

Below are the most updated list of Universities and colleges that offer bridging program from NMBA website.

Reference:

NMBA 2019, Bridging program, viewed on 27 August 2019, <https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/FAQ/FAQ-IQNM-bridging-program.aspx>.