
Professional indemnity insurance
Professional indemnity insurance for APNA members to 31 March 2019 for $110
The Transition to Practice Program (TPP) provides an evidence-based framework of support over 12 months to nurses who have recently transitioned to primary health care (recently graduated or experienced nurses moving from another setting).
All applicants for APNA’s Transition to Practice Program have now been notified via email. Please contact APNA on transitiontopractice@apna.asn.au if you have not received your email.
APNA would like to congratulate all successful applicants for APNA’s Transition to Practice Program and thank all PHN’s who were able to sponsor additional places in the program or who provided additional support through other means.
All successful applicants can be found here
APNA received more than 100 applications for this program, with interest from all States and Territories. It is wonderful to see this level of interest in the program.
While we understand that it is disappointing for those who were unsuccessful in this round, we would encourage those who missed out this time, to be involved in the next program.
Applications for Group 2 will re-open in April 2019.
Before you apply, please review the below important information:
1. Program and Application Overview document
2. TPP Program Summary
3. Program Key Dates
4. Program Q&A
Please note: This program does not match or allocate nurses to a workplace. Nurses must already be working in a primary health care setting (or ensure they are by the time the program starts) to apply.
All important information can be found in the program and application overview document. The program will support a maximum of 150 nurses who have recently transitioned to primary health care, in a series of four small groups over a four year period (2018 – 2022). Below is a brief overview of the TPP program;
Who can apply?
APNA is looking for applications from transitioning nurses and mentors who wish to support them.
Transitioning Nurses: Must be a registered or enrolled nurse who has recently transitioned to primary health care and is currently working (or will be by program start) in a primary health care setting for a minimum of 14 hours per week. There is no cut off date for having transitioned. If you feel you need assistance, you are able to apply.
Clinical and professional mentors: Must be a registered nurse (or a Nurse Practitioner) who has worked for four or more years in a primary health care environment. Will receive $2,400 per transitioning nurse they mentor
Primary Health Care Settings/Workplaces: Must be accredited with an appropriate organisation i.e. RACGP Standards for General Practice, ACHS Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program or other. Will receive $2,000 to use for each transitioning nurse to participate in the program. Can be any setting outside of acute care. This may include (but is not limited to):
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Care
Correctional/Justice health
Community care
General practice and many more.
Program Components:
Time required to participate: The program requires the workplace to provide a minimum of 50 hours of protected time for the Transitioning Nurse to participate in the program. It is also expected that the Transitioning nurse and Mentors will need to participate in the program in their own time.
Key program milestones can be found here
As the program has multiple groups starting on different dates, applications for each group will re-open closer to their respective start dates.
Group 1: February 2019 - January 2020 (applications closed)
Group 2: September 2019 - August 2020 (applications open April 2019)
Group 3: July 2020 - June 2021
Group 4: May 2021 - April 2022
Group 1 Key Dates:
Activity | Date |
Application period |
October 2018 – 3 December 2018 |
Notification of successful and unsuccessful applicants Contracts signed |
25 January 2019 |
Program induction workshop | |
Group 1: Date and location TBA |
*Participant location and matched dates are indicative only. Please ensure you are available for either of these two dates regardless of location. Final decision pending successful applicants’ locations. Successful applicants will be advised of final location and date.
transitiontopractice@apna.asn.au or 1300 303 184
The Transition to Practice Program has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health
The 2016-2018 APNA Transition program is now completed. Overall, the program has delivered and evaluated an accessible and structured 12 month transition program over two tranches. The aim was to increase the confidence, skills and knowledge of nurses, commencing work in primary health care settings to aid in the recruitment and retention of primary health care nurses1
The program was delivered in two tranches with nurses who have recently commenced work in primary health care. The timeframes for each tranche are:
Tranche 1: April 2016 to March 2017 – Completed
Tranche 2: April 2017 to March 2018 – Completed
Over 50 Transitioning Nurses were selected to participate in the Transition to Practice Pilot Program over both tranches
Each Transitioning Nurse is supported by at least one experienced registered nurse, who is their Clinical and Professional Mentor for the duration of the program (see the TPPP Overview Poster at the end of the page for more detail)
APNA support, which includes APNA providing funding to the Transitioning Nurse's:
- Workplace and
- Clinical and Professional Mentor
A self-assessment framework to help the Transitioning Nurse identify, prioritise and plan their needs throughout the program
Education to complete
Involvement in program evaluation
For more information about these programs, please see the below documents.
Supporting Nurses moving into primary health care: PT Spring 2016
Transitioning into Primary Health Care - A new opportunity for nurses: PT Autumn 2016
Primary Times Article: The hidden cost of not supporting nurses
Enabling Nurses to Work at Full Capacity and Work Within Scope: Primary Times Article, Winter 2017
Supporting nurses moving into primary health care- PT_Spring_2016.pdf
Transitioning into Primary Health Care - A new opportunity for nurses PT_Autumn_2016-2.pdf
1 For the purposes of the APNA Transition to Practice program, primary health care settings are considered to be workplaces outside of the acute health care setting – including aged care, correctional health, community care and general practice.