Nurse Re-entry Program
Delivered by the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network across Australia, the Nurse Re-entry Program is an Australian Government initiative supporting general practices to build their capability by hosting nurses in supervised placements. Through the program, eligible nurses may be matched with a general practice that will provide a supervised paid placement to regain full registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).
Through the program, eligible nurses may be matched with a general practice that will provide a paid supervised placement. The placements will help nurses meet the Nursing Midwifery Board of Australia recency of practice standards and regain full registration by providing training and supervision to refresh skills and build capacity. The program is open to nurses who have been out of practice for 5-10 years, subject to eligibility. Those who may already be talking to a practice about a placement are encouraged to consider going through the program, which can support the process and provide a grant to the practice as an additional incentive. Recent graduates applying for registration for the first time or who currently hold student registration are not eligible.
This program also benefits practices by strengthening their teams and training nurses in-house. Eligible practices may receive a $2000 grant to support participation and are encouraged to employ the nurse permanently after the placement is complete. However, there is no requirement to employ the re-entry nurse permanently.
Who can apply?
Expressions of interest are now open for eligible nurses and practices who would like to be part of the program. Wentworth Healthcare, provider of the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network in NSW, has been selected to lead the delivery of the Nurse Re-entry Program on behalf of all PHNs at a national level and are coordinating the expressions of interest process.
For enrolled nurses (ENs) and registered nurses (RN)s, you must have:
- completed training as an EN or RN, are not currently registered and have not practised in the last 5-10 years
- interest in returning to practise but do not meet the requirements of the NMBA Registration standard: recency of practice.
For Nurse practitioners (NPs), you must:
- have completed training as a NP, are not currently registered and have not practised in the last 5-10 years
OR - be currently practising in another specialty and interest in transitioning to general practice.
Your registration status is important for eligibility - as everyone’s circumstance is different, once you apply we will support you to determine your status and the requirements for your placement (based on the NMBA Re-entry to Practice for Nurses and Midwives Policy). For example, you may have been a practicing nurse but took five years away from practicing to raise a family, or perhaps you never held registration but are now ready to enter the nursing workforce.
For practices, you must:
Be accredited and have an existing RN (minimum 12 months experience in general practice) who can supervise the re-entry nurse for the level and duration required by the NMBA.
A4 poster to promote the nurse re-entry program to nurses print version
A4 poster to promote the nurse re-entry program to nurses digital version
How to apply?
Nurses: Expressions of interest (EOI) are now open for the Nurse Re-entry Program. Submit your nurse EOI online and you will be contacted to arrange a suitable time to discuss eligibility and take the next steps towards placement.
Practices: Expressions of interest (EOI) are now open for the Nurse Re-entry Program. Submit your practice EOI online and you will be contacted to arrange a suitable time to discuss practice eligibility and next steps.
More information
If you have any questions on the program, contact the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network Nurse Re-entry Program team via email. The following resources provide more information about nurse registration:
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