Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Registered Nurse Prescriber)

Overview

Learn online from anywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand, combined with up to 8 days onsite in Ōtautahi Christchurch. 

Are you a registered nurse looking to advance your career and lead positive change? Upskill through flexible online study supported with face to face learning onsite in Ōtautahi Christchurch. You'll become a registered nurse prescriber in just two years of part-time study. 

The Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Registered Nurse Prescriber) is designed to equip you with the competencies to apply for registration as a registered nurse prescriber in your area of practice. We recommend all applicants carefully review the Nursing Council of New Zealand requirements before applying.

Registered Nurse Prescribing roles increase access to timely healthcare by enabling registered nurses to prescribe within a range of general and specialty health services. Registered Nurse Prescribers prescribe from a defined medicines list and work within a collaborative prescribing model. This means they practise as part of a healthcare team with access to medical practitioners and/or nurse practitioners for consultation, clinical oversight, and support with decision-making — read more to explore whether this pathway is suitable for you. 

Graduate with a PGDipNurs and apply for registration with Te Kaunihere Tapuhi o Aotearoa | Nursing Council of New Zealand to work as a registered nurse prescriber, or credit these courses and continue onto our Master of Advanced Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) to become a mātanga tapuhi | nurse practitioner. 

Requirements

To ensure that our learners have the necessary background and experience to succeed, admission to the Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Registered Nurse Prescriber) is based on your previous studies in a relevant nursing degree, and clinical experience as a registered nurse. 

To enrol in the PGDipNurs, you must have:

• Completed one of the following:
  • Qualified for an Aotearoa New Zealand nursing degree with a grade average of B or greater in your 300-level (or equivalent) courses; or
  • Completed a recognised nursing qualification requiring at least three years full-time tertiary study with a grade average of B or greater; or
  • Successfully completed a qualifying course prescribed by the Amo Matua, Te Kaupeka Oranga | Executive Dean of Health or delegate; or
  • Been admitted with Academic Equivalent Standing as fulfilling these requirements.
• Completed a minimum of 2.5 years of relevant/eligible experience (full-time equivalence) prior to enrolling into NURS664. Relevant/eligible experience includes:
  • A clinical/patient-facing role
  • Completed in a setting relevant to the intended Registered Nurse Prescribing role/setting
  • Ideally be a senior nurse (e.g. clinical nurse specialist) OR a role that includes taking a full history, undertaking a clinical examination, requesting and interpreting investigation results, considering diagnostic differentials, planning care, treatment/follow-up and referrals
  • At least 1-year of RN practice must be in New Zealand or a similar healthcare context
• Intend to practise as a Registered Nurse Prescriber (Registered Nurse with Prescribing Authority) within a role and setting that aligns with the scope of practice and its limitations. This will occur within a collaborative team environment that includes access to a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner for clinical oversight, as well as ongoing mentorship and support to ensure safe and effective prescribing practice.

Your eligibility will be considered upon enrolment, with successful applicants approved as students by the Amo Matua Te Kaupeka Oranga | Executive Dean of Health or delegate.

Unsure about your suitability?
As part of our application process, your eligibility will be assessed by our nursing academic team to make sure that your academic and professional background meets the entry criteria. Unfortunately, our Tuihono UC | UC Online team cannot confirm your eligibility before your application is submitted, beyond referring you to the requirements above. We are happy to help answer any general questions you have about the programme or online learning, however. You can get in touch with us here.

For the full requirements, see the Regulations for the Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Nurse Prescriber) or use the admission requirements checker.

Clinical requirements

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.

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.

We will need confirmation of your ability to access suitable clinical experience. Learn more via Te Kaunihere Tapuhi o Aotearoa | Nursing Council of New Zealand.

Course requirements
All courses are compulsory, and HLTH661, HLTH662 and HLTH663 must be successfully completed as prerequisites before studying NURS664. Learners must attend up to 8 days of in-person intensives at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.

Careers and job opportunities

Registered Nurse Prescribers are not authorised to diagnose and prescribe independently outside of this collaborative model. They must have access to a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner to support clinical decision-making when required, and clear escalation pathways must be in place to maintain patient safety.

Registered Nurse Prescribing roles are suited to:

• The management of long-term/chronic health conditions and some specialty conditions where the clinical context is appropriate. Suitability will depend on patient acuity and complexity, the available model of supervision, and alignment with the Registered Nurse Prescriber medicines list.
• Providing contraceptive services.
• Assessing and managing some new presentations where:
  • the diagnosis is common, minor, and/or an expected sequela of an existing chronic condition; or
  • there is a single diagnostic test or investigation that confirms the diagnosis (for example, point-of-care testing for urinary tract infection, plain film imaging for limb fractures, or swabs for sexually transmitted infections or skin infections); or
  • the risk associated with initiating treatment without a definitive diagnosis is low, and appropriate safety-netting advice and follow-up arrangements are provided.

AND

• The prescribing nurse has the required knowledge of the condition, including its pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria, evidence-based management, and treatment options.
• The patient’s acuity does not require immediate review by a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner.
• The patient does not have additional complexity that requires a more advanced or nuanced diagnostic assessment or treatment plan (in which case the patient should be reviewed by and/or discussed with a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner).

AND

• Where the medical practitioner or nurse practitioner is not immediately available on-site, clear escalation processes must be in place to ensure patients can be reviewed by, discussed with, or referred to an appropriate practitioner within a clinically appropriate timeframe.

What you'll study

You’ll study four NZQF level 8 postgraduate courses for the Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Registered Nurse Prescriber). When available, specific dates and assessment information can be found via UC's course information system. 

Our people

The Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Registered Nurse Prescriber) is coordinated by Senior Lecturer Melissa Hanses, with contributions from Nursing Clinical Coordinator Desma Christie, Associate Professor Cathy Andrew and other Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury academics.