How to become a nurse: Australian careers in nursing

With our aging population, Australia is experiencing a shortage of nursing staff. Professional opportunities are available at all levels and accredited nurses are highly sought after. 

A registered nurse (RN) completes a tertiary qualification, obtaining a Bachelor of Nursing degree and registering with NMBA on completion, working with limited or no supervision. They have a strong theoretical grounding, are able to assess and plan patient care directives and can pursue a greater range of roles within the healthcare industry.

As an emergency nurse (also referred to as trauma nurse or critical care nurse), your job will see you working in hectic and chaotic situations like emergency rooms, triage centres and trauma units. Because of this stressful environment, you must be able to take initiative in quick decision-making, promptly prioritise actions and remain calm in emergency situations.

If you love to work with babies and children, you may be suited to the role of a paediatric nurse, working with infants, children and adolescents. You will deal with chronic and everyday health issues of children and will need to remain patient and warm to your younger patients. Patient assessment is a key aspect of this role, as infants and children are not able to provide information on their symptoms verbally. RNs who pursue paediatric work may choose to specialise further and focus on one aspect of paediatric care.

Because Australia has a growing older generation, working in aged care is important and as an aged care nurse, you will provide care for the elderly, which requires patience, respect and empathy. Those who excel in aged care may wish to pursue further specialisation in Gerontology or rehabilitation.

Oncology specialises in the ongoing care and subsequent health issues that occur from cancer. As an oncology nurse, you will work closely with family members and not just the patients, providing education and support for cancer treatment, monitoring of general health during and after treatment and may administer chemotherapy drugs.

This specialisation helps those patients before they go into surgery and the recovery afterwards. Nurses can choose to specialise further within perioperative nursing, focussing on recovery, anaesthesia or preoperative patient assessment and education.

Nursing roles in remote areas are highly sought and although it may not be the first priority for you, experience in a remote area can give you unique experiences you may not experience in more residential areas. Generally, you are required to have 3 years experience in nursing practice before being considered for a posting but there are sometimes entry-level or graduate positions available, depending on your location. Postings may include work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, which can be highly educational and rewarding.

If you’re passionate about helping out locals, a career as a community health nurses will provide you the opportunity to help your community through health education and treatment. This can involve working with families, schools and disadvantaged groups to promote healthy attitudes. Community health nurses must be comfortable communicating with people from a range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and at times, requires you to work automatously in community centres.