This page provides information and data on Enrolled Nursing, which is one component of the Health industry.
Enrolled Nurses play a key role in Australia's health system, providing care and treatment in a range of settings and under the supervision of a Registered Nurse. Where a person successfully completes the educational and clinical requirements of the Diploma of Nursing program (HLT54115) they are eligible to make an application to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) for registration as an Enrolled Nurse, provided the education provider and course they have completed hold current accreditation with the NMBA.
According to the Enrolled Nursing IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast, the Enrolled Nurse workforce represents just over 63,000 workers in Australia, and this is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. The National Health Workforce Dataset (see the Enrolled Nurses 2019 factsheet) indicates the major employers of Enrolled Nurses are public and private hospitals. In 2019, slightly more Enrolled Nurses were working in the public sector (just over 21,070), compared with Enrolled nurses private sector (about 20,450).
Nationally recognised training for Enrolled Nursing is delivered under the HLT – Health Training Package.
For information on other health-related training and employment, visit the Health industry page and the various sectors.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
The employment level for Enrolled and Mothercraft Nurses has fluctuated, with the overall the trend showing a small decrease in employment levels between 2002 and 2022 . In 2022 there were 23,500 Enrolled and Mothercraft Nurses. Employment is projected to slightly decrease to 22,600 by 2026.
Overall, program enrolments in Enrolled Nursing-related qualifications declined slightly (less than 5%) from more than 27,880 in 2017 to approximately 26,870 in 2021. Program completions decreased between 2017 and 2021, with approximately 6,340 recorded in 2021. All enrolments were at the diploma or higher level and with all program enrolments across these higher-level qualifications leading to the intended occupation of Enrolled Nurse.
In 2021, TAFE institutes delivered two-thirds (66%) of the Enrolled Nursing related qualifications, followed by private training providers (19%). The majority of the training delivered was government funded (81%), with international (10%) and domestic (9%) fee for service accounting for the remaining proportions.
One third of student enrolments (33%) were reported for students located in Victoria in 2021, followed by Queensland (23%) and New South Wales (15%). More than one-tenth (11%) were reported for students located overseas. More than a third of Enrolled Nursing-related qualifications were delivered in Victoria (37%), a quarter in Queensland (25%), followed by New South Wales (16%).
Apprenticeship and traineeship commencements in Enrolled Nursing-related qualifications have steadily declined, from approximately 260 in 2012 to less than 20 in 2021. Apprenticeship and traineeship completions have also decreased, from approximately 240 in 2012 to less than 20 in 2021. All the apprenticeships and traineeships had the intended occupation of Enrolled Nurse. Nearly six out of ten (58%) apprenticeships and traineeships in Enrolled Nursing-related qualifications in 2021 were undertaken in South Australia, with the remainder in Victoria (43%).
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The Enrolled Nursing IRC's 2019 Skills Forecast was the most recent industry skills forecast published by the IRC, as of September 2022. It identified the top priority skills for the sector as emotional intelligence, teamwork and communication, critical thinking, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility and technical / job specific skills.
The top five identified generic skills were:
According to the job vacancy data, the top requested skills by employers in the sector were communication skills and computer literacy. The top employers were the New South Wales Government and Government of Victoria.
According to the Enrolled Nursing IRC's 2019 Skills Forecast, both the health care environment in which Enrolled Nurses work and their clinical practices have evolved significantly in recent times. These changes have resulted in evolving skill and competence requirements for the Enrolled Nurse workforce. The sector overall has been experiencing several challenges which are impacting workforce skill requirements and, in summary, include:
A combination of factors continued to drive the evolution of the clinical practices required of Enrolled Nurses, and the environments they work in have changed significantly, thus shaping the evolution of Enrolled Nurses skill and competence requirements. These include changes to the Diploma of Nursing qualification, differing team environments, advancements in patient care and treatment, changing societal demographics, such as an ageing population, and treating and caring for vulnerable populations and people with chronic and acute conditions and comorbidities.
Technological innovation and development are also factors, with nurses increasingly using digital health technologies in the delivery of safe, quality and person-centred care. The National Nursing and Midwifery Digital Health Capability Framework, by the Australian Digital Health Agency outlined the core skills, knowledge and behaviours required for professional practice to guide contemporary practice that could be used by nurses and midwives, organisations and educators to help support professional development and training.
According to the Enrolled Nurses IRC 2019 Skills Forecast, the Australian health care system must keep pace with the impact of societal demands. To ensure these demands are met and to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape, the Enrolled Nurses workforce requires ongoing skill development, particularly through the Health Training Package. The Enrolled Nurses IRC 2019 Skills Forecast, for example, identified that gerontology was an important skills and knowledge area in which the Enrolled Nurse workforce should be better equipped.
The Royal Commission into Aged Quality Care and Safety Final Report: Care, Dignity and Respect (Volume 3A: The New System) reported calls for the incorporation of gerontology care into the Enrolled Nurse Accreditation standards, which the Commonwealth Government supported in principle (see Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety: Submissions by the Commonwealth). However, it stated the curriculum delivered must be in accordance with the Health Training Package and this be considered as part of a review of Enrolled Nursing skills requirements.
Further, in response the industry concerns raised above and additionally, Skills IQ, under the direction of the Enrolled Nursing Industry Reference Committee, updated the Enrolled Nursing Training Package Products. The Australian Industry Skills Committee agreed to the proposed training package in early 2021.
According to the Enrolled Nurses IRC 2019 Skills Forecast, the sector’s employers are challenged to adapt or introduce workplace arrangements to retain a substantial number of mature-age workers. Three quarters (76%) of Enrolled Nurses were aged 35 years of age or over. The average age of an Enrolled Nurse was 46 years, which was significantly higher than the national job age average of 40 years. Job redesign, for example, were being considered as the sector sought to retain mature-age workers.
The Enrolled Nursing IRC 2019 Skills Forecast reported the retention of high quality and skilled health care workforce was a challenge for industry, across all jurisdictions. It outlined some initiatives the Australian Government was implementing in an attempt to address the sustainability of the health care workforce, particularly nursing, including the Clinical Training Funding program, the Rural Health Professionals Program and the Expanded Scope of Practice Program.
The following consider the impact of COVID-19 on the Enrolled Nursing sector, primarily focusing on practice and education and accreditation. For further information please refer to government departments and industry bodies listed below under Links and resources.
The COVID-19 Nurses Support Strategy, developed by the Australian College of Nursing, addresses the professional issues nurses are facing across the system – for members and non-members. It focuses on information, upskilling, advocacy, support for nurses, health system reforms for professional practice and community awareness.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has updated and introduced new policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and are available from the online resource COVID-19 guidance for nurses and wives. The changes reflect the NMBA’s existing policy and standards framework and recognise the unprecedented new environment nurses and midwives are now practising because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council provides COVID-19 news and resources for nursing and midwifery students, health professionals, education providers and our other stakeholders.
Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) news and resources – Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council
COVID-19 guidance for nurses and wives – Nursing and Midwifery Board
COVID-19 Nurses Support Strategy – Australian College of Nursing
National Nursing and Midwifery Digital Health Capability Framework – Australian Digital Health Agency
Royal Commission into Aged Quality Care and Safety Final Report: Care, Dignity and Respect (Volume 3A: The New System) - Commonwealth of Australia
Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety: Submissions by the Commonwealth - Commonwealth of Australia
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC)
Northern Territory Government Department of Health
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Tasmanian Government Department of Health
Victoria Government Department of Health and Human Services
Western Australia Government Department of Health
Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA)
Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA)
Australian College of Nursing (ACN)
Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA)
Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA)
Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM)
National Enrolled Nursing Advisory Council
National Skills Commission 2022, Occupation Employment Projections viewed 10 August 2022, https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/topics/employment-projections
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022, 6291.0.55.001 - EQ08 - Employed persons by Occupation unit group of main job (ANZSCO), Sex, State and Territory, August 1986 onwards, viewed 1 August 2022, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/may-2022
Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:
This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.
Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:
Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.
Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.
Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.
HLT – Health Training Package apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection, including:
Job vacancy data have been extracted from Lightcast 2022, Labor Insight Real-time Labor Market Information Tool, Boston, viewed August 2022, https://lightcast.io/apac.
Data shown represent most requested generic skills and employers according to internet job postings in Australia between July 2019 and June 2022 filtered by ANZSIC and ANZSCO classification levels listed below.
ANZSCO occupations have been used as industry filters because they provide more relevant job vacancy data for this sector.
