Looking to get into a career in nursing, but not sure where to start?
Understanding what your career and study goals are might be the best way to choose your next course of action. We’ll outline for you what makes becoming an Enrolled Nurse different from becoming a Registered Nurse, including the roles and responsibilities, and the qualifications required for each.
An Enrolled Nurse (EN) is someone who has completed a diploma-level qualification where they have learnt essential nursing skills and undertaken work experience. Once you have completed the Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121), you can register with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and work as an EN in Australia.
A Registered Nurse (RN) is someone who has completed a bachelor’s degree or higher. RNs have greater responsibilities in the workplace than ENs due to the difference in formal education and AHPRA Standards for practice.
What are their roles?
Typically, RNs will be given a greater level of authority than ENs in the workplace. Because RNs gain more specialised knowledge of the field, they are tasked with more responsibilities that require extra skill. ENs, on the other hand, will cover more general roles that keep the workplace afloat.
Here’s the kinds of things you can expect to be doing as an Enrolled Nurse:
- Working in hospitals, medical centres, and aged-care homes.
- Taking care of patients, measuring and record their health, symptoms, and behaviour.
- Reporting urgent information to a doctor or RN.
- Performing essential medical practices, such as wound care, or bathing and toileting of patients and administering medications.
- Offering emotional support to patients and families.
And here’s what the role of a Registered Nurse looks like:
- While RNs work in similar roles and environments to ENs, they generally experience higher expectations and responsibilities.
- RNs work alongside doctors, specialists, and other allied health professionals to provide the best health outcome for patients.
- Performing essential medical practices same as an EN and inserting Indwelling catheters and nasogastric tubes and requesting diagnostic tests, administering medications are common tasks and assisting with procedures and operations.
- Creating patient care plans and referral to Primary Health Care (PHC) Services and allied health professionals.
- Assessing patient’s medical records and ensuring they’re up to date.
What qualifications do I need to be an Enrolled Nurse?
To become an EN, you must complete a diploma-level qualification. From here, you’ll have acquired the knowledge and skills needed to successfully enter a career in nursing.
The Diploma of Nursing at UOW College takes 18 months to complete and is available at the UOW Liverpool and UOW Wollongong campuses. The course is taught by nursing industry experts, who share their knowledge and experiences while providing individualised support. UOW College also provides many added study and personal support services to help you along the way.
There is no ATAR requirement to enter into a Diploma of Nursing, however there are other entry requirements, and all applicants must undertake a Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (LLN) test. The entry requirements (including the test) will apply for any registered training organisation approved to deliver the HLT54121 Diploma of Nursing.
What qualifications do I need to be a Registered Nurse?
To become a RN, you must complete a Bachelor of Nursing degree which has a minimum ATAR requirement and takes three years to complete. If you don’t have the ATAR to get into the Bachelor of Nursing, you can complete the Diploma of Nursing at UOW College and gain guaranteed* entry into the second year of the Bachelor of Nursing at UOW.
Once you have completed a Bachelor of Nursing, and have the required industry accreditations, you will be qualified to start working as an RN.
Becoming an EN or RN is up to you. It depends on your personal goal or aspirations and reasons to want to become a nurse. Both roles are equally important and in high demand in the healthcare industry, regardless of which one you decide to pursue. However, you could decide to develop a career as an EN first to get a feel for the industry before pursuing RN qualifications when you are ready to advance in your career. Some students also choose to commit to the shorter amount of study initially to enable them to get into the workforce quicker.
Meet Lochie
The choice to become an EN or RN is not the be-all and end-all of your career path. Nursing is a versatile field to pursue because it allows you to work and study at the same time, gaining both practical experience and vocational training, which will come in handy as you enter the workforce.
This is what Lochie, a current UOW College student, chose to do. Lochie’s time studying the Diploma of Nursing at UOW College will allow him to continue his bachelor studies and gain a Diploma of Nursing qualification and work as an EN in the meantime.
Even though Lochie received the ATAR required for direct entry into a Bachelor of Nursing, he chose to study a Diploma of Nursing at UOW College first, so that he could learn the basics of this area of study.
“I wanted to get my clinical practice first and have that experience”, he says.
“I’d talked to friends and family who did nursing before, and they said becoming an Enrolled Nurse not only broadens your skill set, but also strengthens your proficiency as a nurse."
Starting his nursing career by studying a Diploma first, has allowed Lochie to gain practical work experience while also working towards his goal of being a registered nurse.
Meet Aahana
Aahana always wanted to be a nurse. She hoped to go straight into a Bachelor of Nursing after high school, but didn’t receive the ATAR for direct entry. Instead, Aahana applied for the Diploma of Nursing close to home at the UOW College Liverpool campus.
“I had originally applied to the Wollongong campus, but when I saw the Liverpool campus offered the Diploma of Nursing, I applied there,” she says.
The intimate class sizes and added support made Aahana’s learning experience more than just a pathway to her chosen career. She was able to build relationships and meet others in her situation with the same passion and drive to help others.
“UOW College was also the best option for me, because I had to start from the beginning (of my studies) as I had no knowledge of biology. I find the College really helpful, not just with the study but every step of the way. If you are struggling with anything, there is help available,” she says.
Where do I go from here?
With these distinctions in mind, you may have been able to make a decision about which path you’d like to take. If you’re interested in becoming an Enrolled Nurse, you can apply for the Diploma of Nursing at UOW College.
If your end goal is to be a Registered Nurse, but still want to get some basic skills and get qualified as an EN first, you can also apply to UOW College, and receive a packaged offer for a Diploma of Nursing and Bachelor of Nursing. This is also a great option if you didn’t complete your secondary education or don’t have a sufficient ATAR to enter straight into the bachelor.
No matter which path you take, a career in nursing will give you endless opportunities for learning, growth, and fulfilment.
You can find out more about the HLT54121 Diploma of Nursing here.
*Guarantee is subject to meeting UOW entry requirements.