CG

Notes on NMBA Standards, Code of Conduct, RN Standards, and MHN Standards

NMBA Registered Nurse Standards – Overview and Key Points

  • Objectives: understand codes/standards/policies that govern nursing practice, including NMBA Standards of Practice, NMBA Code of Conduct, Australian College of Mental Health Nurses – Standards of Practice, organisational policies/procedures, and RN Standards.

  • Core themes across standards: critical thinking, evidence-informed decision making, reflection, recognition of cultural diversity, ethical practice, accurate documentation, quality improvement, and person-centred care.

  • Emphasis on professional boundaries, respectful relationships, autonomy, advocacy, and accountability.

NMBA Registered Nurse Standards (Australia) – Standard 1 to Standard 6 (content for Standards 7–9 is not provided in the transcript)

  • Standard 1: Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships

    • Establishes, sustains and concludes relationships in a way that maintains boundaries

    • Communicates effectively, respectful of the individual's culture, beliefs, dignity, values

    • Recognises that people are experts in the experience of their life

    • Provides support and directs resources to optimise health-related decisions

    • Advocates for people in a manner that respects their autonomy and legal capacity

    • Uses delegation, supervision, coordination, consultation and referrals in professional relationships to achieve improved health outcomes

  • Standard 2: Maintains the capacity for practice

    • Considers and responds to health and wellbeing of self and others in relation to capacity for practice

    • Provides information and education required to enhance peoples control over their health

    • Uses a lifelong learning approach for professional development

    • Accepts accountability for decisions, actions, behaviours and responsibilities of role, and the actions of others whom they have delegated responsibility to

    • Seeks and responds to practice review and feedback

    • Actively engages with the profession

    • Identifies and promotes the integral role of nursing practice and the profession influencing better health outcomes for people

  • Standard 3: Comprehensively conducts assessments

    • Comprehensively conducts assessments

    • Conducts holistic and culturally appropriate assessments

    • Uses a variety of resources to systematically gather data and information to inform practice

    • Works in partnership to determine factors that affect and potentially affect the health and wellbeing of people and populations to determine priorities

    • Assess resources available to inform planning

  • Standard 4: Develops a plan for nursing practice

    • Uses assessment data and best available evidence to develop a plan

    • Collaboratively constructs care plan with appropriate persons

    • Documents, evaluates and modifies plan according to agreed outcomes

    • Plans and negotiates how practice will be evaluated and time frame of engagement

    • Effectively and efficiently coordinates resources

  • Standard 5: Provides safe, appropriate and responsive quality nursing practice

    • Provides quality and safe care to achieve goals responsive to the needs of the person

    • Works within scope of practice

    • Appropriately delegates tasks to ENs and others according to their scope

    • Provides effective direction and supervision to ensure delegated practice is safe and correct

    • Practices in line with relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, standards, legislation

    • Able to identify and report potential and actual risk related system issues and where practice is below standards

  • Standard 6: Evaluates outcomes to inform nursing practice

    • Evaluates and monitors progress towards goals

    • Revises care plan based on the evaluation

    • Determines, documents and communicates further priorities and outcomes with relevant persons

  • Standard 7–9: Content not provided in the transcript (not described in the current material)

NMBA Code of Conduct – Core areas

  • Legal and professional framework

    • Legal compliance

    • Obligations

    • Lawful behaviour

    • Mandatory reporting

    • Person-centred care

    • Nursing practice

    • Decision making

    • Informed consent

    • Adverse events open disclosure

  • Cultural practice and respectful relationships

    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples health

    • Culturally safe and respectful practice

    • Effective communication

    • Bullying and harassment

    • Confidentiality and privacy

    • End-of-life care

    • Professional behaviour

    • Professional boundaries

    • Advertising and professional representation

  • Professional behaviour (continued)

    • Legal, insurance and other assessments

    • Conflicts of interests

    • Financial arrangements and gifts

    • Teaching, supervision and assessing

    • Teaching and supervision

    • Assessing colleagues and students

    • Research in health

    • Rights and responsibilities

    • Promote health and wellbeing

    • You and your colleagues’ health

    • Health advocacy

Australian College of Mental Health Nurses – Standards of Practice (9 Standards)

  • Standard 1: The Mental Health Nurse acknowledges diversity in culture, values and belief systems and ensures practice is nondiscriminatory, promoting dignity and self-determination.

  • Standard 2: The Mental Health Nurse establishes collaborative partnerships that facilitate and support people with mental health issues to participate in all aspects of their care.

  • Standard 3: The Mental Health Nurse develops a therapeutic relationship that is respectful of the individual’s choices, experiences and circumstances. This involves building on strengths, holding hope and enhancing resilience to promote recovery.

  • Standard 4: The Mental Health Nurse collaboratively plans and provides ethically based care consistent with the mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, social and cultural needs of the individual.

  • Standard 5: The Mental Health Nurse values the contributions of other agencies and stakeholders in the collaborative provision of holistic, evidence-based care and in ensuring comprehensive service provision for people with mental health issues.

  • Standard 6: The Mental Health Nurse actively pursues opportunities to reduce stigma and promotes social inclusion and community participation for all people with mental health issues.

  • Standard 7: The Mental Health Nurse demonstrates evidence-based practice and actively promotes practice innovation through lifelong education, research, professional development, clinical supervision and reflective practice.

  • Standard 8: The Mental Health Nurse’s practice incorporates and reflects common law requirements, relevant statutes and the nursing profession’s code of conduct and ethics. The Mental Health Nurse integrates international, national, local and state policies and guidelines with professional Standards and competencies.

  • Standard 9: The Mental Health Nurse holds specialist qualifications and demonstrates advanced specialist knowledge, skills and practice, integrating all the Standards competently and modelling leadership in the practice setting.

Connections, implications and exam-ready takeaways

  • Core cross-cutting themes across NMBA and MHN standards:

    • Person-centred care, autonomy, and informed consent

    • Cultural safety and respect for diversity

    • Ethical decision-making and professional accountability

    • Collaboration and advocacy across disciplines and services

    • Lifelong learning, evidence-based practice, and reflective practice

    • Safe delegation, supervision, and risk management

  • Practice implications:

    • Understand and apply boundaries in therapeutic relationships

    • Use resources and referral mechanisms to support patient-centred decisions

    • Document comprehensively and transparently; report adverse events when applicable

    • Maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, and privacy

    • Engage in ongoing professional development and participate in practice reviews

  • Real-world relevance:

    • Aligns with legal and statutory requirements, including end-of-life care, informed consent, and reporting obligations

    • Supports interprofessional collaboration and holistic care planning

    • Encourages reduction of stigma and promotion of social inclusion in mental health care

  • Note on content gaps:

    • Standards 7–9 for the RN Standards are not fully detailed in the provided transcript (marked as not described in this material).

References (as listed in the transcript)

  • Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Best practice resources

  • Nursing and Midwifery Board Australia - Registered nurse standards for practice (2017)

  • Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia – Professional standards (2022)

Quick recap for exam preparation

  • Know the difference between NMBA Standards of Practice and NMBA Code of Conduct and how each governs practice in different contexts (clinical, ethical, professional behaviour).

  • Memorize the nine standards of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses and the emphasis on culturally safe, ethical, collaborative, and evidence-based practice.

  • Be prepared to discuss how RN Standards (1–6 fully described here) guide patient relationships, capacity for practice, assessments, care planning, safe practice, and outcome evaluation; recognize that Standards 7–9 are not depicted in this transcript.

  • Recognize the overarching themes of advocacy, autonomy, culture, safety, and accountability across all standards.

Note: The transcript provided contains explicit point-form statements for Standards 1–6 of the RN Standards and for Standards 1–9 of the Mental Health Nurses Standards, along with Code of Conduct sections. Some sections (RN Standards 7–9) are not detailed in the transcript. If you have access to the full document, you should add those missing Standard 7–9 details to complete your notes.