What is an Enrolled Nurse?
An enrolled nurse is a second tier nurse in the Australian Healthcare system. Enrolled nurses are licensed by their State Nursing Board and have a regulated scope of practice.
Enrolled Nurses undertake training from 12 months to 2 years in length receiving a certificate or diploma depending on the state.
• A certificate IV course
• Diploma Course
• and Advanced Diploma
Is currently being planned to allow consistency in training
Enrolled nurses (EN) in Australia usually spend twelve months training, consisting of fourteen (14) weeks theoretical component at TAFE colleges, followed by practical experience in hospital wards for the remainder of the time. Some EN's eventually move on to attend university and become registered nurses, although a substantial number remain as EN's in public and private hospitals, and nursing homes. Trainee enrolled nurses (TEN's) become employees of the hospital for the twelve month training period, meaning that, as well as gaining practical experience on the wards, they are paid for hours worked. This attracts a substantial number of applicants, who may wish to pursue nursing as a career, but are unable to afford to become full-time university students. The enrolled nurse programme also allows people to ascertain whether or not they are suited to nursing, before they make the decision to study it at university level.
The role of enrolled nurses in Australia has greatly increased in recent years, in response to the continuing shortage of registered nurses in the Australian public health care system. In 2004, a medication endorsement certificate was introduced, allowing EN's to administer some oral medication (excluding schedule 8 drugs of addiction) upon completion. Endorsement also permits the administration of some intravenous (IV) medications and fluids (intravenous therapy or IVT), as well as intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SC) injections. Endorsed enrolled nurses (EEN)'s are also permitted to check & give S4D and S8 medications with a registered nurse. Most Enrolled Nurses working in public hospitals are permitted to conduct ECG's, collect pathology specimens, and routinely take a patient load under the direct supervision of a registered nurse.
