Those registered nurses and midwives who work in
a full-time capacity, paid or unpaid, within the broadly
defined scope of nursing practice previously outlined,
would easily meet the 3 months recency of practice requirement
set down by the NMBA. An accurate calculation
of the required “3 months” of practice hours is 38 h
per week (accepted as full time) over 12 weeks equaling
456 h in total over 5 years.
Further evidence may be required by the NMBA to
demonstrate that:
the nurse or midwife held a valid registration with
a nursing or midwifery regulatory authority in the
jurisdiction (either Australian or overseas) when
the hours were worked;
the role involved the application of nursing and/or
midwifery knowledge and skills;
the time was spent undertaking postgraduate education
leading to an award or qualification that
is relevant to the practice of nursing and/or midwifery
(NMBA, 2010a).