Nurse Practitioners Applying for Accreditation

Nurse practitioners are also eligible to complete a clinical placement and apply for  accreditation to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies in NSW provided it is to be within the scope of practice for their work role.

A clinical placement is typically a half-day clinical session (at least three hours long but can be longer) where you undertake clinical review of patients who are receiving opioid treatment with your supervisor. Your supervisor will assess you based on your performance at the placement and provide a recommendation for accreditation.

• Nurse practitioners may elect to undertake a clinical placement with an experienced nurse practitioner. The nurse practitioner providing the placement supervision must be in a drug and alcohol setting and currently prescribes opioid agonist treatment. Nurse practitioners can still elect to undertake a clinical placement with an appropriate medical practitioner.
• You should arrange a clinical placement with an appropriate supervisor, for a half-day session (i.e., at least 3 hours, but can be more), where they assess you using the updated Clinical Placement Form. It is recommended that you complete the clinical placement within 6 months of complete the OTAC. You can contact us if you require assistance finding a supervisor near you.

Applying for Accreditation

For nurse practitioners seeking accreditation:

1. Undertake a half-day clinical placement with an appropriate supervisor, who will complete and submit an assessment based on the updated Clinical Placement Form. Nurse practitioners can elect to complete a placement with an experienced nurse practitioner who prescribes opioid pharmacotherapies, if preferred.
2. Submit an application for accreditation to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapies in NSW.  The following items should be completed and submitted to the NSW Ministry of Health Opioid Pharmacotherapy Subcommittee (OPS) Secretariat:
   • • Completed application form for accreditation – Form 5B
     • Completed updated Clinical Placement Form
     • A recent CV, including any relevant drug and alcohol training
     • Your letter of completion for the OTAC
     • A completed Scope of Practice (NSW Health provides a template scope of practice for those in public settings. Those in private settings can also use this template as a basis for a scope of practice).

Your application and supporting documents should be emailed to the OPS Secretariat at: moh-otp-accred@health.nsw.gov.au.

Once you have submitted your accreditation application, the OPS will consider your application at a session approximately once every 6 weeks. To ensure your application is considered at the OPS  meeting, you must submit your application at least 10 days prior to the following committee dates:

 

Upcoming OPS Committee Dates 2023

• Thursday, 30^th March
• Thursday, 11^th May
• Thursday, 29^th June
• Thursday, 3^rd August
• Thursday, 21^st September
• Thursday, 26^th October
• Thursday, 14^th December

If your application is urgent and you believe needs to be considered out of session, contact us.

Once accredited, your placement supervisor and your local drug and alcohol service can provide you with ongoing advice and support for providing patient care. You can contact us to facilitate linkage with your local drug and alcohol service.