Nurse (enrolled nurse/registered nurse/midwife)
Employment
Nurses are professional health care providers. Nurses may work in public and private hospitals, nursing (aged care) homes, extended care facilities, health care facilities, community and home based services and in the defence forces.
Nurses are registered as enrolled nurses, registered nurses and midwives. Areas of practice may include:
- aged care
- cancer/oncology
- community health
- critical care
- education
- management
- mental health
- midwifery
- peri operative
- policy
- research
- rural and remote area
- workplace health and safety.
Endorsement of registration identifies nurses with additional qualifications and specific expertise. The endorsements for nursing and midwifery are:
- scheduled medicines:
- supply scheduled medicines (rural and isolated practice)
- scheduled medicines for eligible midwives
- nurse practitioner
- eligible midwife.
Enrolled nurses are individuals enrolled in an approved nursing or midwifery program of study and are automatically registered as enrolled nurses with the national board. The enrolled nurse works under the supervision of a registered nurse to assist in the provision of patient care.
Registered nurses are degree holders who assess, plan, provide and evaluate preventative, curative and rehabilitative care for patients. The registered nurse practises independently and interdependently, assuming accountability and responsibility for their own actions and delegation of work to enrolled nurses and health care workers.
Registered midwives have studied midwifery at university or alternatively have completed a nursing degree followed by a postgraduate qualification in midwifery.
Midwives provide care, education, advice and support to women and their families during pregnancy, labour and birth, and provide post natal care into the early weeks following birth for women and babies.
A midwife may practise in any setting including the home, community, hospitals, clinics or health units.
A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse, educated and authorised to function autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced and extended clinical role. A nurse practitioner provides advanced and extended nursing care to patients, such as ordering diagnostic tests, undertaking diagnosis and health authorised in relevant nursing legislation, and referring to specialist medical practitioners and other health professionals in a range of health, welfare and community settings.
Registered nurses can apply to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia for an endorsement on their registration authorising them to practise as a nurse practitioner. To be eligible for endorsement, an applicant must be able to demonstrate experience in advanced nursing practice in a clinical leadership role in the area of practice in which he or she intends to practise as a nurse practitioner, within the five year period preceding the application. Further information about registration standards for endorsement of nurse practitioners is available on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website
To apply for endorsement as a Nurse Practitioner download the application form from the Endorsement Forms section of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website
The myfuture website provides further information about nursing including duties and tasks, salary ranges, education requirements, related courses and professions.
Registration
For overseas trained nurses living outside of Australia
Before you can migrate to Australia as a skilled migrant, you must have your skills assessed by the relevant national assessment authority. The assessment authority for nursing for migration purposes is the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC). For further information visit the ANMAC website
Further information about migrating to Australia is available on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website
For information about sponsorship by the Queensland Government and employers for the Skilled Sponsored Migrant Visa visit the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation website
For overseas trained nurses living in Queensland
To practise nursing in Australia you must be registered under the national scheme.
On 1 July 2010 a National Registration and Accreditation Scheme came into effect in Australia. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is the organisation responsible for the registration and accreditation of 10 health professions across Australia. Each health profession that is part of the national scheme is represented by a national board. The 10 national boards are responsible for registering practitioners and students in their chosen profession.
The 10 national boards have set registration standards that aim to ensure that every registered health practitioner has the qualifications and skills to provide safe care to the Australian community.
The national board for the nursing profession is the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Under the national scheme, there is a register of nurses and a separate register of midwives. On the register of nurses there are two divisions:
- Registered nurses (Division 1)
- Enrolled nurses (Division 2)
Registration as a registered nurse or enrolled nurse permits a person to work in any relevant area of employment, except midwifery, which is restricted to registered midwives only. To become a midwife you must either complete further postgraduate study or a Bachelor of Midwifery.
The nursing and midwifery registration types are:
- general registration
- limited registration
- non practising registration
- student registration.
Endorsement of registration identifies nurses with additional qualifications and specific expertise. The endorsements for nursing and midwifery are:
- scheduled medicines:
- supply scheduled medicines (rural and isolated practice)
- scheduled medicines for eligible midwives
- nurse practitioner
- eligible midwife.
When you are registered, you will be eligible to practise anywhere in Australia within the terms of your registration. Further information about applying for registration and to download the application form is available from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website
Following registration, there are courses available in a range of clinical specialities including medical surgical nursing, mental health nursing, paediatric nursing, emergency, critical care, palliative care, occupational health and community nursing. There are also nursing postgraduate courses in management and education.
Mutual recognition
If you are registered to practise as a nurse/midwife in New Zealand, you are eligible to apply for registration to practise in Australia under the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997. To apply for registration you must complete the relevant application form available on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website
Steps to skills recognition
To practise as a nurse in Queensland
If you have practised or been registered in the nursing profession in Australia or overseas, you need to apply for registration to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. To apply for registration you must complete the relevant application form available on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website
Further information about the stages of the registration process is available on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency website
Educational assessment for general purposes
Overseas qualified nurses may apply to have a general academic assessment of their overseas qualifications by the Skills Recognition unit, Department of Education, Training and Employment. Overseas qualifications assessments are free for people who live in Queensland and have permission to work or study in Australia.
The benefits of having your overseas qualifications assessed by the Skills Recognition unit include receiving:
- a formal assessment of how your qualifications compare with Australian educational awards. This information can then be provided to potential employers, educational institutions and industry related associations or professional bodies
- information relative to your job area.
A step by step guide on an educational assessment of your overseas qualifications can be found at overseas qualification recognition
Nursing contact information (for registration and industry associations)
