Orientation to health care in Australia

Accreditation

As an internationally qualified nurse or midwife (IQNM) seeking registration in Australia, it is important that you have a good understanding of what it is like to work within the Australian healthcare system. It can be quite different to healthcare systems in other countries.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has developed an orientation program to introduce IQNMs to a range of concepts relating to the Australian healthcare context. The aim is to keep the public safe by supporting IQNMs who register with the NMBA to prepare for the environment in which they will be working.

The NMBA’s orientation program has two parts:

Orientation Part 1 - online learning which introduces the Australian healthcare context. Part 1 must be completed as part of the IQNM assessment process, after completing the Self-check (see Steps after Self-check (assessment stages) for more information.
Orientation Part 2 - online learning giving a more in-depth orientation to the Australian healthcare context. For all IQNMs who register with the NMBA, it is a requirement of registration to complete Part 2 within 6 months of becoming registered (see Registration application outcomes for more information).
Employers of registered IQNMs are expected to provide local orientation through an induction program.

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Orientation Part 1

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As an IQNM participating in the IQNM assessment process in Stream A or Stream B, you are required to complete Orientation Part 1. Once you complete the Self-check, you must pay the IQNM assessment fee in order to progress to Orientation Part 1 (see Fees for Nurses and Midwives for fee information).

What will I learn?

In the online module, you will be given an introduction to Australia and its healthcare system, including:

the elements and structure of the Australian healthcare system
the roles and functions of registered nurses, enrolled nurses and midwives within the Australian context
employer/employee responsibilities and expectations
regulation of the practice of nursing and midwifery in Australia
statutory regulations outlined by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (the National Law), and
person/woman-centred care as an approach to improving healthcare in Australia

You will learn through a combination of reading, videos and interactive content.

For Stream B candidates, the information you learn will be particularly useful if you sit the multiple-choice question (MCQ) exam and the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE), where your knowledge, skills and other attributes in nursing or midwifery in the Australian healthcare context will be assessed.

How do I access Orientation Part 1?

Once you pay your IQNM assessment fee, you will be able to access the online module.

How long will it take me to complete Orientation Part 1?

It will take about an hour to complete the entire module. We recommend that you allow enough time to read all of the information thoroughly and to read the suggested further reading.

You do not have to complete the module in one sitting. You can save your progress and resume at a later time.

When do I have to complete Orientation Part 1?

Once you create your account after completing the self-check, you have 90 days to complete Orientation Part 1.

What will happen if I don’t complete Orientation Part 1?

You must complete Orientation Part 1 to progress any further in the IQNM assessment process.

Orientation Part 2

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Orientation Part 2 must be completed after you register with the NMBA. It is a requirement for all IQNMs who register with the NMBA to complete Part 2 within 6 months of becoming registered (see Registration application outcomes for more information).

You are therefore responsible for completing Orientation Part 2 within the 6 months.

What will I learn?

In the online module, you will be given a more in-depth introduction to Australia and its healthcare system. There are for parts to the module:

Part 2a - The Australian healthcare system and my role
Part 2b - What is person/woman-centred care?
Part 2c - What is culturally safe care?
Part 2d - My responsibilities when working in the Australian healthcare system

You will learn through a combination of reading, videos, and interactive content.

How do I access Orientation Part 2?

Once you are registered with the NMBA, you will be given access to the online module.

How long will it take me to complete Orientation Part 2?

Individuals will progress through the modules at different rates.

It will likely take 2-3 hours to complete the entire module, but it may take longer. We recommend that you allow enough time to read all of the information in the module thoroughly and to read the suggested further reading.

You do not have to complete the module in one sitting. You can save your progress and resume later.

When do I have to complete Orientation Part 2?

The requirement of registration is that you complete Orientation Part 2 within 6 months of becoming registered with the NMBA.

What will happen if I don’t complete Orientation Part 2?

If you do not complete Orientation Part 2 within 6 months of registering with the NMBA, you may be unable to renew your registration with the NMBA until you complete the module.

Employer-based local orientation

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As well as completing orientation to the Australian healthcare system through Orientation Part 1 and Part 2, it is important that you are also oriented locally to your workplace.

The NMBA expects that all nurses and midwives in Australia seek out and be part of the workplace induction and/or local orientation provided by their employers.

Guidance for employers on the content to include in their workplace induction and/or orientation is available for download at the bottom of this page.

Applicable documents

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Fact sheet: Orientation Part 1 and Part 2 (47.4 KB,PDF)
An employer and managers guide to registration and orientation for internationally qualified nurses and midwives (375 KB,PDF), Word version (268 KB,DOCX)