National Nursing Workforce Strategy

Glossary

The strategy aims to use inclusive and respectful language and nationally accepted definitions - noting that on occasion there may be different definitions for some of the included terms in the strategy.

Table 1. Glossary for the National Nursing Workforce Strategy

TermDefinition
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander personA person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is accepted as such by the community in which they live.
AccreditationRefers to a formal process of approval for a program of study or training that ensures a person who successfully completes that program or training has the knowledge, skills and professional attributes needed to practise their health profession or undertake that activity.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) is responsible for:

  • establishing education standards
  • assessing and accrediting nursing, midwifery and other healthcare education programs, and
  • assessing and validating the skills, qualifications and experience of overseas qualified nurses, midwives and health care workers.
Artificial intelligenceComputer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.
Climate resilienceClimate resilience is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to events, trends, or disturbances related to climate.
Co-designCo-design is a process to combine lived experience and professional expertise to identify and create an outcome or product. 
Cultural safetyCultural safety represents a key philosophical shift from providing care regardless of difference, to care that takes account of people’s unique needs. It requires nurses to undertake an ongoing process of self-reflection and cultural self-awareness, and an acknowledgement of how a nurse’s personal culture impacts on care. 
Culturally and linguistically diverseEncompasses communities with diverse languages, ethnic backgrounds, nationalities, traditions, societal structures and religions.

Discrimination

 

Discrimination happens when a person, or a group of people, is treated less favourably than another person or group because of their background or certain personal characteristics.
GenomicsThe study and mapping of genomes – the full set of genetic instructions for an organism. It includes both human and other genomes and how these interact with the environment.
Health and aged careReference to health and aged care in this strategy represents Australia’s multifaceted public and private health system: the providers, settings, specialties, participants and support mechanisms that deliver services to meet people’s physical, mental and social health needs across the life course.
HumanAbilityHumanAbility is the Jobs and Skills Council for the aged care and disability, children’s education and care, health, human services, and sport and recreation sectors.  
IntersectionalityIntersectionality refers to the ways in which different aspects of a person’s identity can expose them to overlapping forms of discrimination and marginalisation.
Jobs and Skills CouncilsJobs and Skills Councils identify skills and workforce needs for their sectors, map career pathways across education sectors, develop contemporary VET training products, support collaboration between industry and training providers to improve training and assessment practice, and act as a source of intelligence on issues affecting their industries. 

Leadership

 

Leadership has similarities in all industries although health is recognised for its complexity. Health leaders strive to improve clinical and quality of life indicators, and the wellbeing of the health system. Research shows the quality of health leadership directly and indirectly affects the quality of patient care and is an important factor supporting best practice.
LGBTIQA+People who have identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual or otherwise diverse in gender, sexual orientation and/or innate variations of sex characteristics.
Model of careModel of care refers to the way in which a health service is delivered. It may refer to the process of care as well as which healthcare professionals or skills are required.

Multidisciplinary team

 

Multidisciplinary team care refers to collaborative care, which occurs when multiple health professionals from different professional backgrounds provide comprehensive services by working with each other, and with consumers, their families, carers and communities to deliver the highest quality of care across settings.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

 

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) works to ensure that Australia’s nurses and midwives are suitably trained, qualified and safe to practise. The functions of the NMBA include:

  • registering nursing and midwifery practitioners and students
  • developing standards, codes and guidelines for the nursing and midwifery profession
  • handling notifications, complaints, investigations and disciplinary hearings
  • assessing overseas trained practitioners who wish to practise in Australia, and 
  • approving accreditation standards and accredited courses of study.
Nursing professionThe specialised field of nursing, characterised by the qualifications, skills, knowledge, standards, behaviours and values associated with delivering nursing care. 
Nursing workforceIndividuals who are engaged or available to be engaged to deliver nursing care. This encompasses nursing students, assistants in nursing (or however named), enrolled nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners.
Person-centred careA collaborative and respectful partnership with health professionals built on mutual trust and understanding through good communication. Each person is treated as an individual with the aim of respecting people’s ownership of their health information, rights and preferences while protecting their dignity and empowering choice. Person-centred care also recognises the role of family and community with respect to cultural and religious diversity.
Positive practice environmentA positive practice environment is one that supports excellence and decent work, ensures staff health and safety, supports the delivery of high-quality person-centred care, and fosters motivation and productivity. 

Prejudice

 

A preconceived opinion toward another person or group formed in advance of any experience with that person or group. It is typically manifested behaviourally through discriminatory behaviour.
Pre-registration educationIncludes education and training undertaken before becoming a registered nurse or an enrolled nurse. 
Professional partnershipsFormal partnerships between organisations to support the outcomes sought with agreed joint decision-making roles and responsibilities.

Racism

 

Racism is the process by which systems and policies, actions and attitudes create inequitable opportunities and outcomes for people based on race. Racism is more than just prejudice in thought or action. It occurs when this prejudice – whether individual or institutional – is accompanied by the power to discriminate against, oppress or limit the rights of others.
Registered training organisationsRegistered training organisations deliver nationally recognised training in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. To deliver this training, they need to be approved by the Australian Skills Quality Authority.

Registration

 

Applicants for registration must meet a range of standards to gain and retain their registration (licence) to practice as a nurse in Australia. 
Scope of practiceThe range of activities that a professional is educated, competent and authorised to perform. The scope of practice of individual practitioners is influenced by the settings in which they practise. This includes the level of competence and confidence of the nurse and the policy requirements of the service provider. As the nurse gains new skills and knowledge, their individual scope of practice changes.
Student employment modelAn employment model where a person currently enrolled in an undergraduate nursing course, who is also registered with the NMBA as a student nurse, can undertake paid employment in a variety of health and aged care settings. 
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