Spotlight on newly graduated nurses and midwives

As a new graduate, you are practising under the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Professional Standards. These outline your obligations and will guide your clinical decisions, communication and conduct both inside and outside the workplace. They include:

• Registered Nurse Standards for Practiceopen_in_new

• Midwife Standards for Practiceopen_in_new

• Codes of Conduct and Codes of Ethicsopen_in_new.

Who is the Nursing and Midwifery Council?

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW (NMC) is dedicated to protecting the public while supporting nurses and midwives to practise safely, confidently, and professionally. We work alongside the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) to regulate the profession in NSW.

We work with practitioners to ensure they are treated with fairness, respect, and compassion. 

What you should know about complaints

Anyone can make a complaint. Patients, families, colleagues, employers and members of the public may notify us of their concern.

Complaints most often involve:

• communication issues
• professional boundary concerns
• medical errors
• failure to escalate concerns.

Regulation is about public safety

When we receive a complaint, the actions we take are focused on public protection, and ensuring we work with practitioners to ensure safeguards are in place for practice. 

We are committed to evidence-based decision making, impartiality and procedural fairness. If we believe public safety or the public interest is at risk, it is mandatory under the law for us to act.

Some cases managed by the HCCC are referred to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). 

The NCAT case below from 2023 highlights how documentation, honesty, and adherence to professional standards are critical components of safe practice and regulatory expectations. The decision reinforces the importance of accurate record keeping, maintaining boundaries, and practising within scope.

Read about the caseopen_in_new

Your digital footprint matters

Social media can have benefits, but misuse may trigger regulatory or employer action. To maintain public trust:

• do not post images in uniform
• do not identify your workplace
• do not share patient information (including de‑identified stories)
• always uphold the profession’s reputation.

Read Ahpra's social media guidelinesopen_in_new

Practice within your scope

Your scope of practice is shaped by your:

• education
• level of competence
• local policy
• authorisation by your employer.

As a new graduate:

• only perform tasks you are trained, competent, and authorised to undertake
• ask for supervision when uncertain
• escalate early.

Never falsify records, alter notes improperly, or mislead colleagues or patients – these are serious professional breaches and feature prominently in regulatory case outcomes.

Scope of practice and capabilities of nursesopen_in_new

Know the safe-practice basics  

Use communication as a safety tool

• Use check-backs and repeat-backs
• Clarify unclear orders
• Escalate clinical deterioration early and document your actions.

Follow the key rules of medication safety

• Ensure you follow the 'rights' of medication administration: right person; right medication; right dose; right time; right routine.
• Never administer high-risk medications outside your scope or without supervision.
• Double-check calculations or any unfamiliar medication.

Case studyopen_in_new

Know your limits

• Your ability to practise safely includes maintaining your own wellbeing.
• Fatigue, stress, and illness impact judgement and decision making.
• Under NMBA Standards (particularly Standard 2), being safe and well enough to practise is your responsibility.

Have high documentation standards

• Write timely, factual, objective notes.
• Avoid assumptions and personal opinions.
• Document all escalations and responses.
• Protect privacy at all times. Privacy breaches, including accessing patient files without a clinical need, are serious misconduct and may result in disciplinary action.

Know what policies apply to you

Policies form part of what determines whether your practice meets expected professional and legal standards. New graduates must be familiar with:

• NSW Health policies and guidelines, including privacy, medication safety, documentation, and escalation frameworks
• Local Health District (LHD) or private sector policies and procedures, which guide your scope, authorisation, and safe practice standards.

Seeking support

Your early career is a time to learn, ask questions, and grow. Seeking support is a sign of professionalism, not weakness. Stay curious, stay safe, and remain guided by the NMBA standards, your employer’s policies, and the values of the profession.

If you have questions or need guidance, the NMC is here to support you throughout your professional journey. 

Email us