Imagine your elderly father is in an aged care home. It’s Friday afternoon, and he’s run out of his regular Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) blood pressure medication and he can’t get an appointment with the GP.

Currently, the registered nurse (RN) at the aged care home can assess his blood pressure to see if it’s stable, and administer medication prescribed by a doctor. But the RN cannot issue a new prescription.

From October 1, this will change.

That’s because new legislation has been passed to allow specially qualified RNs to prescribe a range of medicines.

The key change is that these can be subsidised through the PBS. Here’s why that matters, and what it means for you.

Wait, can’t nurses already prescribe?

Yes, some nurses can.

Nurse practitioners have prescribed medicines in Australia for more than 20 years.

But nurse practitioners are different from the newly designated RN prescribers.

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have completed extra university study – a masters degree – to be able to perform additional duties. They can conduct advanced health assessments, order diagnostic tests, diagnose and independently treat acute and chronic health conditions.

Nurse practitioners can also independently prescribe medicine, meaning they don’t need to be supervised by a doctor.

Designated RN prescribers are registered nurses who have done specialist units of postgraduate study and are authorised to prescribe certain medicines. From October, the scope of these nurses will expand........

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