Key messages
- A registration in nursing and/or midwifery is a valuable resource that is worth keeping.
- Getting back on the nursing and midwifery register is not an automatic entitlement.
- The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) can advise you about how to regain your nursing and/or midwifery registration.
- The NMBA has a list of approved programs of study and course providers which you may use to assist you to regain your nursing or midwifery registration.
- If you still have your registration but have had a break from nursing or midwifery, consider enrolling in a refresher program.
Returning to practice
Clinical care, knowledge and skills are changing rapidly along with nursing and midwifery standards of practice and you need much more than the ‘basics of care’ to be able to work safely and effectively. So when you’re exploring a return to nursing or midwifery practice, remember that getting back on the register is not an automatic entitlement.
To find out more about returning to nursing or midwifery practice (or if you are thinking of having a break from nursing or midwifery), please read our Getting back into nursing or midwifery factsheet first.
Nurses and midwives with current registration
You can check the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency website to see if you are still registered as a nurse and/or midwife – search the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency – Registers of .
If you are currently a registered nurse or midwife but have had a break from nursing practice, consider a refresher program to update your knowledge and clinical skills. Some Victorian public health services offer nursing or midwifery refresher programs, allowing you to build your confidence and skills within a short period of time.
To find out about nursing or midwifery refresher programs, speak with your prospective employer and read our factsheet.
Where can I find a refresher program in Victoria?
To increase opportunities for RNs, RMs and ENs to re-enter the workforce or re-skill in a particular clinical specialty, funding has been made available for certain Victorian public health services through the Governments $50 million Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development Fund to design, implement and evaluate nursing and midwifery refresher programs that build their local workforce.
Services who will be providing refresher programs in 2019-20
| Health Service Name | Phone |
|---|---|
| Austin | 03 9496 5000 |
| Ballarat Health | 03 5320 4000 |
| Barwon | 03 4215 0000 |
| Benalla | 03 5761 4222 |
| Castlemaine | 03 5471 3555 |
| Central Gippsland | 03 5143 8600 |
| Eastern | 1300 342 255 |
| Echuca Regional | 03 5485 5000 |
| Kilmore and District | 03 5734 2000 |
| Mansfield District | 03 5775 8800 |
| Mercy | 03 8416 7777 |
| Monash | 03 9594 6666 |
| Nathalia Cobram Numurkah Health (NCN | 03 5866 9444 |
| Northeast Health | 03 5722 5111 |
| Northern | 03 8405 8000 |
| Royal Victorian Eye and Ear | 03 9929 8666 |
| Royal Women's | 03 8345 2000 |
| Rural Northwest | 03 5083 2000 |
| St Vincent's | 03 9231 2211 |
| Swan Hill District | 03 5033 9300 |
| Western District Health | 03 5551 8222 |
| Western | 03 8345 1333 |
Services who will be providing refresher programs in 2020-21
| Health Service | Region |
|---|---|
| Albury Wodonga | Rural/regional |
| Barwon | Rural/regional |
| Bass Coast | Rural/regional |
| Benalla | Rural/regional |
| Bendigo | Rural/regional |
| Central Gippsland | Rural/regional |
| Eastern | Metropolitan |
| Echuca Regional | Rural/regional |
| Goulburn Valley Health (Links with | Rural/regional |
| Latrobe Regional | Rural/regional |
| Mansfield District | Rural/regional |
| Numurkah District Health Service (NCN) (Links with | Rural/regional |
| Northern | Metropolitan |
| Royal Women's | Metropolitan |
| St Vincent's Hospital | Metropolitan |
| Stawell Regional | Rural/regional |
| Tallangatta Health | Rural/regional |
| West Gippsland Healthcare | Rural/regional |
| Western District | Rural/regional |
| Western | Metropolitan |
| Yarrawonga | Rural/regional |
A list of hospitals and health services in Victoria is available here.
Nurses and midwives with lapsed registration
If you are a former registered nurse, enrolled nurse or midwife, contact the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to find out how to regain your registration or endorsement.
The NMBA may advise you to complete a re-entry course. The NMBA's website has a list of approved programs of which can assist in gaining registration, endorsement and notation of applicants for registration as an enrolled nurse (EN), registered nurse (RN) and registered midwife (RM).
Contact course providers directly to find out if and when places are available.
Reviewed 19 November 2021