Different Types of Nurses – Where can your Career Take You?

According to the latest data from the Nursing and Midwifery board, there are currently over 365,000 nurses practising in Australia, and almost 60,000 in New Zealand, so it’s fair to say that our Healthcare Heroes make up a huge chunk of the working population! But did you know that there are a lot of options and career pathways when it comes to being a nurse? It’s not just a one size fits all profession!

In this blog, we’re going to take a look at the different types of nurses, as well as different types of healthcare roles that you may wish to explore.

Registered Nurse (RN)

First up on the types of nurses list are registered nurses. Registered nurses (RN’s) and enrolled nurses (EN’s – discussed next) often get confused or mixed up, but the important difference is the level of training between the two.

RN’s must complete a Bachelor of Nursing, which is equivalent to three years of full-time study. Once in the workplace, they also hold a lot more responsibility than that of the EN, and often work alongside them as their supervisor. Aside from working on practical tasks, they also can get involved with more administrative tasks and leadership roles, while also able to work unsupervised and with more complex patients. Their autonomy also extends along with their power to make decisions.

Enrolled Nurse (EN)

As mentioned above, enrolled nurses – who work alongside RN’s often get confused. Their level of training is slightly less than RN’s, with education requirements being a Diploma of Enrolled Nursing which can be done through a TAFE or similar educational facility and requires two years of study.

EN’s cannot work unsupervised and must have an RN present with them, despite parts of their roles blurring into each other. However, despite their level of supervision, it is important to note that EN’s are still accountable for their actions and providing nursing care. Their role focuses on a lot of practical based tasks, such as patient observation, hygiene care, general first aid and environmental risk management.

Assistant in Nursing (AIN)

Working alongside our RN’s and EN’s are our assistants in nursing, or AIN’s. An AIN works as an assistant to both RN’s and EN’s and is often a great starting point for future nurses who want to work their way into the industry. An AIN requires a Certificate III in Health Services Assistance or similar, which can take as little as 6 months of full time study to complete.

AIN’s can expect to undertake are to do with personal hygiene assistance, showering and toileting patients, repositioning patients in their beds and mobility assistance. While AIN is one name for them, there may be some other names you’ve heard them referred to as, such as aged care workers, personal care assistants (PCA’s), care support employees, or health service assistants.

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

A clinical nurse specialist (CNS) goes through the same qualifications (plus a bit extra!) that a registered nurse does, however, as the name suggests they take on a more specialised role, and according to Health Times, they are recognised as a senior member of staff across all areas of practice, but particularly in acute care.

You can undertake extra studies to become a CNS after you have completed your initial degree. To take your RN career to the next level, you will need to break out the books and head back to uni to obtain your master’s qualification. To land your dream role of being a CNS, you will also need hands-on experience in the specialised area of your choice.

Having a role as a CNS gives you the best of both worlds, as it allows you to work on more complex issues, while still being involved in direct patient care and working your way up the healthcare ladder. Areas of specialisation can include adult psychiatric and mental health, child/adolescent psychological and mental health, diabetes management, gerontology, paediatrics, and public and community health.

Midwife

Although most of us are aware that a midwife is present during the birth of our babies, many are not aware that they also assist during pregnancy and up to six weeks after birth with things like breastfeeding and newborn care.

There are a couple of ways to become a midwife, the first being to complete a Bachelor of Midwifery at university. If you are already qualified as an RN, you have some other options such as completing a postgraduate midwifery qualification, or a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery.

Midwives have the opportunity to bring new lives into the world and help first and repeat parents throughout their pregnancy journey, making it an extremely rewarding career. They have the opportunity to bond with their patients in a way that some nurses – working in the emergency department, for example – wouldn’t get to experience.

Nurse Practitioner

Another valued career pathway is that of a nursing practitioner. In short, a nursing practitioner is a registered nurse with advanced training and education.

Similar to general practitioners (GP’s), nurse practitioners can see patients as well as refer them to other healthcare professionals, provide medications and order diagnostic investigations. According to Transforming Healthcare, their general duties can include advanced health and physical assessments, diagnosis and treatment of health conditions, ordering and interpreting blood and radiology tests, holistic health care and support and more.

While this may sound similar to a doctor, it is important to note that a doctor has significantly more educational training and is generally more difficult to book into. In saying this, there are many similarities between the two, which is why nursing practitioners are becoming increasingly popular.

There you have it – here we’ve discussed just some of the different types of nurses that you will see once you’ve entered the healthcare sector. From shorter stints of training right up to years, there is certainly no shortage of where your career can take you. When you find your place – Biz Care is here to provide you with the best quality scrubs for your role.

*Please note, the information in this blog is just general advice and pathway information can vary from country to country or even state to state. Make sure you are checking sources based on your location.