Healthcare is an industry that impacts the Australian population directly and significantly. Healthcare professionals work around the conditions of the country’s residents to provide each person with an appropriate form of care.
Nursing and midwifery are two popular career options in the health sector and have a significant impact on the everyday lives of people. Becoming an enrolled nurse means no two days will ever be the same. Each day will offer exciting and new situations to learn and grow from.
There are many career pathways in nursing and midwifery, which can make deciding which direction is the best to take, confusing. Choosing the right career pathway for you depends on where you would like to make a difference. Here are some career pathways in nursing and midwifery to help make the decision simpler.
Midwifery
Midwives work closely with women to provide adequate support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour, birth and during the postnatal period. Midwives can work in a range of settings including public and private hospitals, clinics and patients’ homes.
Midwifery does not require you to have a nursing qualification, but you must have an accredited midwifery qualification. Some institutions provide students with the option to study a TAFE course such as the Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121) which gives them credited units for entry into a Bachelor of Nursing. This is a great pathway into midwifery.
Aged Care
With a rise in life expectancy, there is also greater demand for nurses to work in aged care. Aged care nurses generally work in nursing homes, residential facilities, hospitals or through home care services. They perform a range of duties including administering medication, changing dressings, monitoring patients/residents and liaising with the patient’s doctor.
Alongside their medical duties, aged care nurses manage paperwork involving their daily tasks. They are required to document everything they do, such as each patient interaction, their health status and any noticeable changes in their health. Aged care nurses also take care of the paperwork involved with new admissions.
It can be a highly rewarding career pathway for hard working individuals who appreciate working with the elderly.