Independent Nurse: Practical Prescribing

March 20, 2008 by admin 

I have been qualified as a Nurse Independent/Nurse Supplementary prescriber for 18 months and prescribe regularly. Do I need to undertake additional continuing professional development (CPD) as a prescriber? How do I identify my CPD needs? What forms can this CPD take? Is it my responsibility to meet these needs?

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have recently published guidance for CPD development for Nurse and Midwife Prescribers.1 This guidance proposes that prescribers are not required to undertake additional hours of practice to meet CPD requirements as prescribing is part of professional practice. It is proposed that appraisal of CPD needs for prescribing should be undertaken on a yearly basis as part of performance review, preferably using a recognised tool such as the “Maintaining Competencies in Prescribing Framework” developed by the National Prescribing Centre (NPC).2 Such an appraisal should identify your CPD requirements in order to demonstrate competency, to meet both educational and practice needs. The NMC also propose that prescribers keep a portfolio of evidence demonstrating, through reflection, both CPD undertaken and ongoing learning needs.

Although you are responsible for your own CPD, your employer should ensure that where you have recognised CPD needs, they support you in meeting these needs. This CPD should suit your individual learning style, can be accredited through a range of institutions (including higher education institutions, professional bodies, and prescribing forums) and can take the form of e-learning, journals, prescribing forums, individual study, work-based learning, formal CPD days, and Action Learning Sets.

You mention that you prescribe regularly. The practice requirements proposed by the NMC is that prescribers make assessments and undertake prescribing decisions (this need not necessarily result in a prescription) regularly in order to maintain registration. The hours spent in prescribing or making prescribing decisions should be counted as CPD. The theory requirement is that you are up-to-date with evidence based practice and “Best Practice Guidelines”.

1) NMC. Guidance for CPD for Nurse and Midwife Prescribers NMC circular 2008 10/2008

2) NPC. Maintaining competencies in prescribing- an outline framework to help nurse prescribers. Liverpool: NPC 2001

Filed under: Practical Prescribing
Tagged: