Australian registered and enrolled nurses: Is there a difference?

Abstract

There are two categories of nurse registered to practise in Australia, the degree-educated registered nurse and the certificate/diploma trained enrolled nurse (EN). While it is argued that the roles of the two categories of nurse in Australia are different, recent changes to the educational preparation and supervision requirements of ENs have narrowed these differences. This paper examines the existing literature to determine the perceived differences and similarities between registered and ENs in Australia. Differences identified included registration requirements, educational preparation, supervisory requirements and role expectation. Further research needs to be undertaken to examine the educational preparation of registered and ENs in order to obtain a greater understanding of role expectations on graduation. Supervision processes also require reviewing to demonstrate differences between indirect supervision and independent practice for ENs.

Roles and functions of enrolled nurses in Australia: Perspectives of enrolled nurses and registered nurses

“…Over two decades ago, Bond found ENs with several years of experience working in less acute hospitals often assumed responsibilities on a par with those carried out by RNs working in high acuity settings (Bond, ). Jacob, Sellick, and McKenna () conducted a literature review to discover whether there were differences or similarities between ENs and RNs; they found more similarities than differences between the two roles particularly in patient care and skill requirements. A literature review in 2013 found that the roles of ENs have expanded since their introduction into the Australian healthcare system, resulting in role confusion (Jacob, Barnett, Sellick, & McKenna, ).…”

The impact of a Web‐based educational program on the recognition and management of deteriorating patients

“…Enrolled nurses, also known as LPNs in the USA, play a pivotal role in the health workforce in Australia, Singapore and the USA (Jacob, Sellick, & McKenna, 2012). The need for an educational intervention to enhance the roles of ENs in recognising and responding to patient deterioration has been identified in previous studies (Chua et al, 2013;Mok et al, 2015).…”

Educators' expectations of roles, employability and career pathways of registered and enrolled nurses in Australia

“…Whilst originally hospital trained, RN education in Australia moved into higher education in the 1980s, and RNs now obtain degrees prior to registration (Jacob et al 2012). …”