The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has published the new Code of conduct for nurses and Code of conduct for midwives (the codes). The codes will take effect for all nurses and midwives in Australia on 1 March 2018.

The codes set out the legal requirements, professional behaviour and conduct expectations for all nurses and midwives in all practice settings.

The codes are important for the professions, as they support nurses and midwives to provide safe practice as part of their professional roles. They provide guidance to the public about the standard of conduct and behaviour it should expect from nurses and midwives, and help the NMBA protect the public by setting and maintaining standards for safe practice.

The NMBA Chair, Associate Professor Lynette Cusack RN, encouraged all nurses and midwives to get to know the new codes now.

‘All nurses and midwives have their own personal values and beliefs – but the codes of conduct provide specific standards of conduct and behaviour that all nurses and midwives in Australia need to meet,’ Associate Professor Cusack said.

‘These codes provide a foundation for safe practice and give guidance on crucial issues such as bullying and harassment, professional boundaries, and cultural safety. Nurses and midwives need to meet the standards set in these codes, even if their employer also has a code of conduct.’

The new codes are available on the NMBA website and will replace the existing Code of professional conduct for nurses and Code of professional conduct for midwives, as well as the professional boundaries documents, on 1 March 2018.