Applications open for 2027

In order to meet Te Kaunihere Tapuhi o Aotearoa | Nursing Council of New Zealand requirements, practicum hours must be completed as part of this programme (via course NURS664 - RN Prescribing Practicum). 

When you apply to enrol, you must also upload the following documentation: 

1. Additional Information Form

If you do not submit this document, your application to enrol cannot be accepted. This document confirms that your employer is willing to support your practicum placement (required as part of the degree and Registered Nurse Prescriber registration). 

Specifically, your employer must agree to:

• Provide and support a practicum placement, including clinical release to enable completion of 150 supernumerary hours of supervised clinical practice. During this placement the registered nurse will work towards managing complete patient/client encounters, including assessment and examination, development of targeted diagnostic testing plans, consideration of differential diagnoses, diagnostic reasoning, treatment planning (including prescribing where appropriate), referral to other services, and monitoring and evaluation of treatment outcomes.
  
  
• Support mandatory attendance at the two-day study block for NURS664, which is in addition to the required practicum hours for this course, and six other in-person days required for HLTH662.
  
  
• Provide a named Clinical Supervisor (a senior medical practitioner or nurse practitioner) who will provide both informal supervision (clinical oversight and support) and formal supervision (case reviews and teaching). The Clinical Supervisor will also review submitted assignments, participate in onsite/online oral examinations, and validate achievement of the Registered Nurse Prescribing competencies.
  
  
• Ensure the practicum student has access to a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner during supervised clinical practice at all times (this oversight may be delegated to another suitably experienced medical practitioner or nurse practitioner).
  
  
• Ensure the practicum student has access to appropriate clinical resources and is able to request investigations and diagnostic tests, with appropriate clinical oversight and sign-off processes in place.
  
  
• Ensure the practicum student has appropriate access to read and document within clinical records, including medical notes where required.

Please note: Registered Nurse Prescribers are NOT authorised to diagnose and prescribe independently and must have access to a medical or nurse practitioner, at all times, to support decision making and/or there are clear escalation plans in place to maintain patient safety. Learn more via Te Kaunihere Tapuhi o Aotearoa | Nursing Council of New Zealand.