The endorsement registration standard
General information only, not legal or regulatory advice; check the official NMBA page before applying.
The NMBA's Registration standard: Endorsement as a nurse practitioner came into effect on 1 June 2016. Two documents sit beside it: Guidelines: For nurses applying for endorsement as a nurse practitioner and Safety and quality guidelines for nurse practitioners.
The four requirements
The guidelines say a nurse seeking endorsement must be able to show:
- Registration. Current general registration as a registered nurse in Australia, with no conditions or undertakings relating to unsatisfactory professional performance or unprofessional conduct. Ahpra staff check this when your application arrives, so you do not need to send evidence of it.
- Advanced practice hours. The equivalent of three years' (5,000 hours) full-time experience at an advanced practice level within the past six years, counted from the date the NMBA receives your complete application. See Advanced practice and the 5,000 hours.
- Qualification. Pathway 1 is an NMBA-approved program of study leading to endorsement as an NP. Pathway 2 is a program the NMBA decides is substantially equivalent. See Overseas-qualified nurses and Pathway 2.
- Standards. Compliance with the NMBA Nurse practitioner standards for practice.
Your application
You apply with the AENP-40 Application for endorsement as a nurse practitioner form and attach supporting documents. Table 1 in the guidelines, the evidence model, can be used as a checklist.
Statements of service
A statement of service supports your 5,000 hours. The guidelines say it should:
- be on the employer's letterhead
- be dated and signed by the Director of Nursing or equivalent
- give the title of your advanced practice role, your dates of employment and your hours
- list any periods of extended leave
- give a breakdown of hours for any position with indirect or non-clinical parts, such as management or education
- be correctly certified, following Ahpra's guidance on certifying documents.
Self-employed nurses may provide a statutory declaration as proof of service.
Your CV
Your CV should follow Ahpra's Standard format for curriculum vitae and mirror the information in your statements of service. The guidelines list what it includes, such as your primary and postgraduate qualifications, the split between direct clinical care and other duties in each role, and evidence of the clinical domain integrating with professional leadership, education and research.
Letters of support
Letters of support can be used for hours that a formal statement of service cannot cover. A letter must be on letterhead, be correctly certified, and come from a registered health practitioner in the same practice setting or area of practice.
Qualification evidence
For Pathway 1, the guidelines ask for education details, such as a certified copy of the relevant master's qualification and the transcript with its results key, or the qualification through My eQuals.
Applicants who completed an NMBA-approved NP program are generally not required to give separate evidence of meeting the standards for practice, because the program shows it. The NMBA may still ask for more evidence.
How EndorseMe helps
| Requirement | Where in EndorseMe |
|---|---|
| 5,000 hours and statements of service | Practice hours (open in EndorseMe) |
| CV in the standard format | Your CV (open) |
| Qualifications and transcripts | Qualifications and your program (open) |
| Letters of support | Supervisors and referees (open) |
| The application form | Presentation pack and AENP-40 (open) |
EndorseMe drafts and organises. You and your employers decide what is signed and submitted.