Run in conjunction with the Nursing Agency of Australia, the Competency Assessment Service will be available to people who already hold a qualification as a registered or enrolled nurse, midwife or mental health nurse.

The assessment services will also be open to people who gained their qualification overseas.

Each client will be referred to the service by the Nurses Board of South Australia and receive a self-directed learning package addressing professional, legal, ethical, cultural, clinical and evidence-based practice aspects relevant to safe nursing and midwifery in South Australia.  They will be required to complete a test to assess their competency against the national standards.

Senior lecturer in Nursing and Midwifery Dr. Paul Arbon says the assessment service is one of several strategies to overcome the severe  shortage of qualified nurses in Australia.

"I think there's a growing recognition that there has been a problem and we're now seeing a concerted effort to emply and train more nurses," he said.

"There is increasing competition between employers, and in many instances workplace conditions are improving."

Dr. Arbon says there are thousands of qualified nurses and midwives living in SA who may be interested in the Competency Assessment Service.

"Some may be eligible to re-register straight away, others will need to be reassessed, and some of that group who have been out of the system for longer may need retraining.  The objective is to probide a range of options."

For more information on the Competency Assessment Service, contact the Nurses Board of South Australia on (08) 8223 9777.