Health Authority Abu Dhabi Document Title: Document Ref.

. Number: Approval Date: Last Reviewed: Revision History Document Owner: Applies to: Classification: Policy for Issuing Temporary Permits for Registered Nurses PPR/HP/LI/P0001/07 Version 0.9 May 2007 Effective Date: May 2007 June 2012 Next Review: December 2013 N/A Policy and Standards Healthcare Facilities and Professionals Licensed by HAAD in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Public

1. PURPOSE 1.1. Due to the high demand and shortage of qualified nursing staff, the issuing of temporary permits to Registered Nurses who meet licensing eligibility criteria, will promote and facilitate the process for adequate supply of initially screened nursing staff for the healthcare facilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. 2. POLICY STATEMENT 2.1. The issuing of temporary permits to Registered Nurses, who fulfill the set criteria as specified below, will facilitate the transition process from initial application to full licensure, subsequent to successfully passing the first available exam. Temporary permits will only be issued to those Registered Nurses who meet the specified standards. 2.2. The temporary permit will only be issued ONCE, is valid for 3 months only, and will be revoked if: 2.2.1. the nurse does not sit the next available exam; 2.2.2. the nurse fails the first attempt; 2.2.3. the facility fails to follow the specified criteria; 2.2.4. any documents submitted are found to be fraudulent. 3. SCOPE 3.1 The Health Professionals Licensing Department aims to minimize risk to patients and protect the public from harm, whilst also facilitating the availability of qualified nursing staff. It does this through establishing a system of temporary nursing permits to facilitate an adequate supply of nursing personnel to care for people in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. 4. TARGET AUDIENCE 4.1 This Policy is directed to Registered Nurses applying for HAAD licensure and Healthcare Facilities recruiting nurses. 5. RESPONSIBILITY 5.1 Health Professionals Department at HAAD is responsible for implementing, assessing and reviewing the process of issuing temporary permits for Registered Nurses. Nurse applicants and healthcare facilities are responsible and accountable for compliance with the requirements of the policy.
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6. PROCEDURE Issuing of temporary licenses to a maximum of three (3) months will be based on the following criteria: 6.1 Facilities 6.1.1 Must be pre-approved by HAAD; 6.1.2 Must ensure the presence of a suitable ratio of licensed professionals to professionals on temporary permit per shift; i.e. Nurses on a temporary permit must be under the direct/indirect supervision of a HAAD licensed Registered Nurse; 6.1.3 Must not allocate Registered Nurses on temporary permits to High Dependency Units which require specialty practice, such as A & E, ICU, CCU, Operating theatre; 6.1.4 Indemnity insurance must be in place to cover the nurses on temporary permits in the event of malpractice / negligence litigation; 6.1.5 Must submit the relevant applicant documents; 6.1.6 Must pay a deposit of 1,000 AED to HAAD for each Registered Nurse applicant. This is not refundable if the application in any manner involves the presentation of false information. 6.2 Applicants 6.2.1 Must meet the minimum HAAD-PQR requirements; 6.2.2 Must pass the initial screening by the HAAD Licensing section; 6.2.3 Must not be on the Blacklist; 6.2.4 Must be eligible to sit a licensing exam; 6.2.5 Must have completed their Visa Screening and provided evidence of fitness (these include: HIV, Hepatitis B and TB); **NB All tests and x-rays should be performed in accordance with the HAAD Visa Screening Standards; 6.2.6 Must have submitted an Integra-Screen application and have evidence of process commencement with barcode number; 6.2.7 Must sit for the first available examination after the above requirements have been met. Failure to attend the next available exam will be considered a Fail and the Temporary permit will be revoked; 6.2.8 Nurses have ONE attempt at the exam while on a Temporary permit. Failing an exam results in cancellation of the temporary permit immediately and the nurse must stop working. Nurses who fail the exam may have two other attempts but cannot work until they pass the exam. A temporary permit will not be issued while on repeat exam attempts. 7. DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS Registered Nurse A Registered Nurse refers to the field of General Nursing where the training is at least three (3) years long, from an accredited program which must be in nursing studies at a post-secondary school level. (NB: This excludes graduates from programs of 2 years General Nurse training plus one year Midwifery)

8. CROSS REFERENCE HAAD PQR & Application process Available at www.haad.ae

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