Considering a career as a nurse? Here’s a handy explainer of your different options
Nursing is one of the biggest health career groups in Australia – we have more than 450,000 nurses and midwives! But we need more, be it working with our growing population of older people or helping young people live healthier lives. If this sounds like the path for you, there are a few options to consider. It all depends how much responsibility you’d like for looking after patients. Check out different nursing paths below.
#1 Enrolled nurse
To become an enrolled nurse, you need to complete a Diploma of Nursing through a VET provider. Once on the job, an enrolled nurse’s duties include things like monitoring patients and recording temperature, pulse and blood pressure, administering medicine, and helping patients with general daily living activities. They work with the wider health team and under the supervision of a registered nurse.
#2 Registered nurse
A registered nurse has a Bachelor of Nursing or a Master of Nursing, and has a wider scope than an enrolled nurse. Their duties can include assessing patients, creating care plans, supervising enrolled nurses and junior team members, and working in leadership positions.
#3 Nurse practitioner
A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse that has been endorsed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. According to the Department of Health and Aged Care, they practise independently in an advanced and extended clinical role, and can prescribe some medicines
This article first appeared in Careers with STEM: Health 2025
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