Designated RN prescribers can prescribe on the PBS from 1 October 2026
From 1 October 2026, Designated Registered Nurse Prescribers can prescribe under the PBS — a new class of prescriber in Australia, distinct from nurse practitioners. Here is what changes, who qualifies, and what it means for the software they'll prescribe with.
What is a Designated Registered Nurse Prescriber?
A registered nurse who holds the Nursing and Midwifery Board's endorsement for scheduled medicines (designated RN prescriber). Endorsed RNs can prescribe Schedule 2, 3, 4 and 8 medicines in a partnership model with an authorised health practitioner (such as a doctor or nurse practitioner), under the national framework introduced by the Department of Health. It is a separate authority from nurse practitioner prescribing — NPs remain their own prescriber class.
Who qualifies for the endorsement?
Under the NMBA registration standard, a registered nurse generally needs:
Current general registration as an RN, without relevant restrictions
The equivalent of at least 5,000 hours of clinical practice in the previous six years (about three years full-time)
Completion of an NMBA-approved postgraduate qualification leading to the endorsement
After endorsement: a six-month clinical mentorship with an authorised health practitioner
Prescribing then operates under a formal written prescribing agreement with that practitioner, within the employer's clinical governance framework and state or territory poisons legislation. Check the NMBA standard for the authoritative detail.
Where will designated RN prescribers work first?
Rollout is staged and state-based. Victoria expects regulatory changes around October 2026, with the first phase limited to hospitals, residential aged care, palliative care, and prisons and police gaols — other settings will need future legislative change. Check your own state health department for local timing.
What changes on 1 October 2026?
Designated RN prescribers gain access to PBS and RPBS prescribing arrangements, per Services Australia's PBS prescriber guidance. To support this, the eRx Script Exchange — the network that carries electronic prescriptions between prescribers and pharmacies (how it works) — has added a new prescriber type to its schema (version 30.1): code R — Designated Registered Nurse Prescriber. At the same time, the existing code U has been re-described from "Nurse" to Nurse Practitioner, making the two nursing prescriber classes explicit in every electronic prescription.
Can designated RN prescribers write eScripts?
Yes — from 1 October 2026, through prescribing software that supports the new prescriber type. Most clinical software will not recognise code R at launch — Parchment is one of the few Australian prescribing platforms ready for designated RN prescribers from day one, alongside our existing support for nurse practitioners, midwives, dentists, optometrists and podiatrists. Like every new prescriber class, designated RNs typically arrive without prescribing built into their existing clinical software — Parchment works standalone or inside your practice software, and you can start free.
What do software vendors need to do?
If your software consumes or processes the eRx Clinician.PrescriberType field, update it to recognise the new value R (schema version 30.1, distributed to vendors via eRx's schema repository — contact support@erx.com.au for access). Message structures, integrations and workflows are otherwise unchanged. If you'd rather not maintain prescribing schema changes at all, that is exactly what embedding Parchment removes from your roadmap.
Where can I read the official guidance?
Designated registered nurse prescribing — Department of Health
Endorsement for scheduled medicines (designated RN prescriber) — Nursing and Midwifery Board
Designated registered nurse prescribing in Victoria — Vic Department of Health
eRx Script Exchange — and our explainer: What is the eRx Script Exchange?
Published 31 August 2026. Qualification criteria summarised from the NMBA registration standard and Victorian Department of Health guidance — always verify against the current standards. eRx details reflect vendor advice at publication.
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