Prescribing by registered nurses makes it easier for New Zealanders to get the medicines and care they need.

While Nurse Practitioners diagnose and prescribe just as GP’s do, being trained as a nurse means they also take a psychosocial approach to care (a more holistic approach), which nurses are particularly skilled at. 

Nurse Prescribers:

• Registered nurse prescribers in primary health and specialty teams are designated to prescribe from a schedule of common medicines for common and long-term conditions.
• The list of medicines that registered nurse prescribers may prescribe is specified by the Director-General of Health under the Medicines Act 1981.  They will ask a nurse practitioner or doctor if a medication required is not on their list.
• Our Nurse Prescribers work within a collaborative team with your GP's and other health care professionals. They are part of our clinical care team, with longer appointment times given and charged as per GP consultation.

• They can review and repeat prescriptions, during or at the start of your treatments. They can aid you with health education, and support their practice with a detailed background often in long-term conditions nurses. This can include diabetes and related conditions, hypertension, respiratory diseases including asthma and COPD, anxiety, depression, heart failure, gout, contraception, common skin conditions and infections.

Nurse Practitioners:

• Combines advanced nursing knowledge and skills with assessment, diagnostic reasoning and therapeutic knowledge to provide patient-centred healthcare services including the diagnosis, treatment and management.
• Nurse Practitioners have advanced training and hold a Master’s degree
• Work autonomously and in collaborative health teams to promote health, prevent disease, improve access and population health outcomes
• Manage episodes of care as the lead healthcare provider 

• Responsible for own practice and scope, under the Nursing Council
• Prescribe all medicines except those under section 29
• Admit/discharge from hospital and other healthcare services
• Complete WINZ, ACC and other medical documentation

References:

• https://www.nurse.org.nz/npnz-nurse-practitioners-nz.html
• https://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/Public/Nursing/Scopes_of_practice/Nurse_practitioner/NCNZ/nursing-section/Nurse_practitioner.aspx
• https://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/Public/Nursing/Nurse_prescribing/NCNZ/nursing-section/Nurse_Prescribing.aspx#:~:text=Registered%20nurse%20prescribers%20in%20community,prescribe%20nearly%20any%20prescription%20medicines.