Assessing the Continuing Competence of Nurses in New Zealand

The enactment of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance (HPCA) Act 2003 in New Zealand heralded a significant change for nurses. A key element of the act is that the regulatory authorities, who exist to protect the public from harm rather than to protect the interests of the profession, ensure that practitioners are competent to practice. Though continuing competence is the responsibility of the individual nurse, the assessment and monitoring of continuing competence is the responsibility of the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ). Internationally, significant interest in the idea of continuing competence exists; however, research-based evidence to support a particular assessment process is limited. In 2004, the NCNZ implemented a continuing competence framework (CCF). This CCF requires all nurses to complete an annual selfdeclaration of their competence in relation to the relevant standards for registration and verify that they have engaged in at least 60 hours of professional development and at least 450 hours of practice in the 3 preceding years. This article discusses the CCF and its requirements and presents findings from research commissioned by the NCNZ to evaluate the CCF in terms of the process, validity, reliability, and key stakeholder perceptions.