Nursing (enrolled)

• Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled/Division 2 nursing)

Nurses are important members of the health care team and their primary role is providing patient care. In order to be an enrolled nurse you need to develop skills to communicate with people, have knowledge of contemporary nursing practice, law and ethics, anatomy and physiology, acute and chronic health disorders, clinical nursing skills and medication management.

Enrolled nurses, under the direction and supervision of a registered nurse, assist in the provision of preventative, curative and rehabilitative nursing care in hospitals, aged-care facilities, the community and other health care settings.

Enrolled nurses are second level nurses who provide nursing care according to their level of training and the registering authority's licence to practise. They are a skilled and integral part of the nursing team.

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To work as an enrolled nurse (EN) you must be enrolled with the Nurses Board of South Australia (NBSA) on completion of your studies. To enrol with the NBSA you must possess the ability to meet the physical demands of nursing work, in particular the requirements of manual handling.
TAFE SA offers a Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled/Division 2 nursing).
Prior to completing any clinical placements students will need to obtain a satisfactory National Police Certificate and meet the Department of Health's immunisation requirements.
Students may be required to work shifts involving nights, weekends and public holidays.

Students with English as a Second Language (ESL)

If you are from a non-English speaking background you will be asked to provide evidence of your English competence for the purposes of enrolment with the Nurses Board of South Australia, any one of the following is accepted as evidence:
• Occupational English Test (OET) – minimum level B pass in each category
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic – minimum score of 6.5 in the individual bands of Reading and Listening and 7 in Writing and Speaking, with an overall bandscore of 7 or greater
• Minimum three years secondary education in one of the following English speaking countries:Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States of America or Canada

Enrolled nurses are able to build on their training in specific nursing areas. They can specialise in parent craft, community nursing, rehabilitation nursing, wound management, perioperative nursing, personal care assisting in aged care, and disability nursing. Enrolled nurses may be entitled to special entrance conditions when applying to undergraduate registered nurse courses. The Diploma of Nursing qualification provides a pathway into both the Bachelor of Nursing (the qualification for Registered Nursing), or Bachelor of Midwifery (direct entry).

Job prospects for enrolled nurses are available in general, special and psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, hostels, extended care facilities and occasionally in community service settings.

Health and Community Services

I always wanted to be a nurse through school, but chose to study business management, says Naomi Wieringa, enrolled nurse. I didn’t last long there though! I’ve always liked helping people, whether to care or just listening. Mum is a nurse. I guess I must have it in my genes – it’s my personality!

I completed a Certificate III in Aged Care Work, and had planned to go to uni to become a registered nurse, but when I didn’t get accepted I applied to become an EN, and was offered a position in the course.

When I graduated I completed a 6 month Graduate Enrolled Nurse program at the Repatriation General Hospital. It was definitely beneficial for me with study days provided for further education. I had a folder for staff to give me feedback so I could monitor my progress as a ‘new’ EN. That first day, first week was scary – being an enrolled nurse when you start out, but I had a buddy to work with and it was a really supportive environment. I managed to see different parts of the hospital; medical then surgical.

I have caught up with some of the other students from my course. One is working as an EN in residential aged care, where she worked before she trained. One student did the Graduate Nurse program with me, and two others I see at uni; they are both studying externally in the Registered Nurse (RN) program.

Last year I re-applied to uni and got credit for my TAFE studies. I have been to some of the clinical workshops and found that through my EN studies and employment I have already developed some of the practical skills, like priming an intravenous line and doing wound care.

When I’ve finished uni I would like to complete the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. I have worked some shifts in the Intensive Care Unit and learnt lots. I am also a bit interested in midwifery, maybe women’s health or counselling. I want to get out and see different areas and I am hoping with my placement choices to pick up the areas I am interested in.

At present I work in a surgical ward catering mainly for orthopaedics, urology and a bit of plastics (split skin grafts for vascular ulcers, amputation of toes). I love it, I love the ward I am in. I work with a great bunch of people; we are different ages and all have different skills.

Within my EN role I organise referrals and discharges, work with allied health staff, like helping the physiotherapist do first assessments on patients with mobility problems. I provide education on discharge medications, and I am able to do medication management if delegated by the RN. I help out with Activities of Daily Living, perform simple through to complex wound dressings, prepare patients pre-operatively and care for them post-operatively, complete documents like discharge summary checklists, do observations, monitor patients with intravenous therapy and Patient Controlled Analgesia, and with any problems patients may have I follow up with their doctor.

Recently I completed violence management training, and can help out with the response teams. I am trained as an equal opportunities contact person so if staff have issues, they can come and see me. I am also part of the audit team for the ward where we monitor Pressure Area Care and do Intravenous Jelco assessments.

Being on a surgical ward – seeing as 99% of time people improve with your assistance and get back to independence – they are able to go home. Generally I see making their stay, which is different from their home, enjoyable as much as I can, given that they may be in pain and given their health condition. I like working with the families of the patients too; I can help them by talking or sharing a cry with them.

Enrolled nurses provide care for patients under the supervision of a registered nurse. This may include assisting a person with bathing or dressing, attending to wound care, assisting with meals, taking specimens, assisting a person with moving around and assisting with medication. ENs need effective communication skills, a non judgemental attitude, they need to be compassionate caring people, to respect differences, to be professional in their manner and relate to people across the lifespan – babies to elderly people – and to people with physical and mental health needs.

As an enrolled nurse be prepared for challenges, excitement and a great sense of job satisfaction.

Enrolled nurses may be required to work shifts involving nights, weekends and public holidays.

Enrolled nurses must have good communication skills and be able to demonstrate tolerance, patience and tact in dealing with people of different backgrounds, ages and cultures. They need to be able to follow instructions precisely and able to work as part of a team. It is essential that they are mentally and physically fit.

NURSING CAREERS NOT NARROW
Enrolled nurses are employed in hospitals and residential care facilities, the remainder working in a variety of areas, including medical, mental health, and pathology health services. Enrolled nurses can also work in doctors’ surgeries, youth and women’s shelters or school clinics. In community health centres enrolled nurses assist with immunisation and health care screening, provide health care information to parents and families, adults and the aged. Community health nurses also provide educational programs to schools and the community, on things like health and nutrition, and sexually transmitted infections (STI’s).

For further information, contact:

Nurses Board of South Australia
PO Box 7176 Hutt St, Adelaide SA 5000
Ph: (08) 8223 9700
Fax: (08) 8223 9717
Website: www.nursesboard.sa.gov.au

Australian Nursing Federation (SA)
PO Box 861 Kent Town, SA 5071
Ph: (08) 8363 1948
Fax: (08) 8363 1672
Website: www.sa.anf.org.au

Australian Nursing Federation (National)
PO Box 4239 Kingston, ACT 2604
Ph: (02) 6232 6533
Fax: (02) 6232 6610
Email: anfcanberra@anf.org.au
Website: www.anf.org.au

Salaries for enrolled nurses start from $34,000 - $38,000 per year in the public sector. Enrolled nurses who work over a 7 day roster are entitled to shift penalties which will increase their earning capacity. Pay rates may vary for the private and residential care sectors.

For further information about all TAFE SA Courses, phone 1800 882 661 or email tafeinfo@saugov.sa.gov.au