Colposcopy nurses work in both public and private clinics and are important health practitioners working in the National Cervical Screening Programme in New Zealand.  Colposcopists are required to be qualified and registered to practice in New Zealand.  Colposcopy services staff must be appropriately qualified and experienced.  Colposcopy must be performed by a trained colposcopist who works closely with other health professionals including an experienced gynaecology or sexual health nurse.  Colposcopy nurses should attend multidisciplinary meetings with colposcopists, pathologists and other colposcopy staff, for regular discussions of cases.  The purpose of multidisciplinary meetings is to discuss cases, make decisions on further actions and facilitate ongoing peer review and education.

Responsibilities of colposcopy nurses

The NCSP Operational Policy and Quality Standards require that a lead colposcopy nurse is named at each colposcopy clinic. 

Under Chapter 6 of the NCSP OP&QS, there are general requirements that colposcopy nurses should become familiar with and incorporate into their practice. 

The relevant policies in chapter 6 in summary are:

Support for Women Policy:  Colposcopy services must be available and appropriate to women.  For Maori women the Crown has duties and responsibilities to ensure improved health outcomes.  Colposcopy services are required to be appropriate and supportive of Pacific, Asian and women from other ethnic groups.

Providing Information to Women Policy:  An experienced nurse or social worker must be available to all women during and after the consultation. 

The relevant standards in chapter 6 in summary are:

Standard 610: The colposcopy service must ensure that there is one named lead clinic nurse who has gynaecology skills and experience and is without concurrent duties in other clinics.

Professional development

Colposcopy nurses are registered under the New Zealand Nursing Council.  The professional body for colposcopy nurses is the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Women’s Health Section. 

There are opportunities for nurses who are working in colposcopy to further their training through certificate courses as well as Batchelor and Masters degrees.  More information can be obtained from the New Zealand Nurses Organisation website.

Nurse colposcopists

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation Women's Health Section has developed training standards for colposcopy.  More information can be obtained from the Nurse Colposcopist Standards section of the NZNO website: 

Conferences and courses available for colposcopy nurses can be seen at:

New Zealand Nurses Organistation website - conferences