UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: Nurses play an important role in Victoria's (Australia) cervical screening program, and have proved to be effective in reaching older underscreened women and women living in rural and remote areas. Since 1996, the number of nurse-taken Pap tests in Victoria has almost tripled. While doctors continue to take the majority of Pap tests, in 2004 nurses collected approximately 13,000 tests, representing more than 2% of total Pap tests taken in Victoria.

Methods: To ensure the quality of cervical screening by nurses, in 1999, the Australian government proposed a model of credentialling for nurse Pap test providers. This model provides a means for the nurse to publicly demonstrate their competence in cervical screening to women, their employer and to the profession.

For more than six years, the Victorian cervical screening program has adopted this credentialling process.

Results: The credentialling model has proved advantageous to Victoria's cervical screening program, nurses and to women. Its benefits include; providing a consistent process to monitor and evaluate professional competency of nurse Pap test providers, provides a mechanism to demonstrate responsibility, accountability of practice, continuing competency and recognition of individual nurse expertise, and helps to make nurse cervical screening practice visible and credible. Importantly, it has also contributed to improved access to cervical screening, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Currently, Victoria has more than 260 credentialled nurse Pap test providers.