From July 2025, the landscape of Australian healthcare is set to shift in a significant way. For the first time, registered nurses (RNs) with appropriate training and experience will be able to prescribe Schedule 2, 3, 4, and 8 medicines under a collaborative prescribing model. This is more than a policy change, it's a cultural and clinical evolution.

At EQWELLIBRIYUM, we see this as a necessary and welcome development. But like any systemic change, it brings both opportunity and responsibility.

A Long Time Coming

The journey toward RN prescribing has been underway since 2016, and it’s encouraging to see the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) push through a model grounded in safety, structure, and clinical collaboration. The new Endorsement for Scheduled Medicines – Designated Registered Nurse Prescriber standard sets out a rigorous path: three years of clinical experience, postgraduate education, a six-month mentorship, and an assessment against the National Prescribing Service (NPS) Competency Framework.

It’s not a shortcut and it shouldn’t be. But it is a chance to recognise the depth and value of nursing knowledge in a system increasingly stretched thin.

What Does This Mean for the Industry?

For patients, the benefit is clear: faster access to medicines, improved continuity of care, and reduced pressure on medical practitioners. But for RNs, it’s something more - a formal acknowledgement of what many have already been doing informally for years: thinking critically, acting independently, and leading patient care.

Yet, we’d be remiss not to point out the structural questions this raises.

Will all employers embrace this change equally? Will there be proper funding for the additional education and mentorship? Will prescribing RNs be fairly remunerated for the added responsibility?

We hope the answer is yes but hope isn’t policy.

Pay, Recognition & Retention

If nurse prescribing is to succeed, it must be supported with real-world incentives. That includes pay.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) is advocating for an allowance to reflect the added clinical and legal responsibility. We agree. Recognition must go beyond title. It must be reflected in pay packets, professional development budgets, and meaningful workforce planning.

Additionally, nurses in rural and remote areas already prescribing under state-based frameworks must be recognised for their contributions. Bridging programs should not become bureaucratic barriers.

A Global Model – Local Challenges

The evidence from the UK and New Zealand is compelling. RN prescribing has improved system efficiency, reduced delays, and strengthened patient satisfaction. But it has also highlighted what happens when systems fail to support the people doing the work from a lack of mentoring to inadequate remuneration.

Australia must take these lessons seriously.

A Call to Action for RNs

For RNs across Australia, this is a turning point. More than 80% of RNs surveyed expressed interest in prescribing. If you’re one of them, now is the time to prepare:

Explore upcoming NMBA-endorsed postgraduate courses.
Connect with nurse practitioners or GPs willing to mentor.
Start planning how this role could reshape your practice – and your career.

Final Thoughts

At EQWELLIBRIYUM, we see this as an essential step toward smarter, more responsive, and more equitable healthcare. But it must be done properly. We need policies that empower nurses, employers that champion the change, and a system that rewards initiative with support.

Prescribing isn’t just about medications – it’s about trust. And it’s time the system trusted nurses to do what they’ve always done best: care, lead, and deliver.

Learn More

EQWELLIBRIYUM offers end-to-end consulting for organisations navigating the medicinal cannabis market in Australia. With strategic insights and operational frameworks are designed to help you thrive, we’re here to help you. Learn more by contacting us today at hello@eqwellibriyum.com.

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Reference List

¹ Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2024). Registration standard: Endorsement for scheduled medicines – designated registered nurse prescriber. Retrieved from: https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au

² Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council. (2024). Registered Nurse Prescribing Accreditation Standards. Retrieved from: https://www.anmac.org.au

³ Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF). (2024). Nurse prescribing reform updates. Retrieved from: https://www.anmf.org.au

⁴ National Prescribing Service (NPS MedicineWise). (2021). Competencies required to prescribe medicines: Prescribing Competencies Framework. Retrieved from: https://www.nps.org.au

⁵ Courtenay, M., Carey, N. (2008). A review of the impact of nurse prescribing on UK healthcare. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17(20), 2751–2758.

Rethinking the Role of Registered Nurses: Prescribing Power Is Coming – Are We Ready?