What do nurses do?

Nurses work with people and their families to:

• help prevent disease
• maintain health
• treat any existing health problems

Nurses can work in:

• hospitals
• the community
• aged care
• other organisations

Nurses specialise in different areas of care including:

• pregnancy and childbirth (midwifery)
• child and family health
• community nursing
• mental health
• palliative care

In Australia, nurses and midwives need to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to practise.

What types of nurses are there?

There are different types of nurses. The different types indicate the level of training that they have undertaken and what roles they can perform.

• Enrolled nurses (EN) — work under the supervision of a registered nurse. They support registered nurses and other members of the healthcare team to give care.
• Registered nurses (RN) — are responsible for the care of patients and provide specialist nursing care. They also supervise ENs and junior RNs. They may also perform leadership roles such as being a nurse unit manager (NUM).
• Nurse practitioners (NP) — are highly specialised nurses and can practise independently. NPs can prescribe some medicines.
• Midwives — give care during pregnancy and birth, and the first few weeks after birth.
• Endorsed midwife — in addition to the role of midwife, these nurses have completed additional training and can prescribe some medicines.

Nurses are highly skilled. In rural and remote Australia, health centres may be staffed by nurses (nursing post).

Community health nurses

Community nurses aim to support and maintain their patient’s:

• independence
• safety
• healthy lifestyle

They also help support their patient’s carers.

A community health nurse can be a bridge between hospital (acute care) and community services.

Community nurses work in diverse locations. They can be found in:

• community health centres
• Aboriginal community-controlled health services
• social services settings

The community health nurse’s role includes:

• midwifery, antenatal, and post-natal care
• baby checks
• screening 0–5-year-old children for growth and development
• supporting access to care and referral pathways
• rehabilitation
• palliative care
• health promotion
• illness prevention

Resources and support

The Australian College of Nurse Practitioners has information on the role of a nurse practitioner and the education and other requirements needed to become one.