The nursing workforce is critical to the health and aged care system and broader society.
Nursing represents more than 54% of the healthcare workforce nationally and is the single largest health profession in Australia.9 In 2023 there were 455,000 nurses with general and provisional registration in Australia and 88% identified as female. Of the total number of nurses, 389,787 were registered nurses and 65,213 were enrolled nurses.10 Comprehensive data on the nursing workforce is updated annually and published through the National Health Workforce Dataset.
There is recognition that economic growth and health system recovery and rebuild post COVID-19 is dependent on having an effective and sustainable health workforce.11 There is also a recognised need for urgent and effective policies and planning to support and sustain the nursing workforce.12
Nurses have a broad scope of practice for both physical and mental health and across the lifespan. They deliver exceptional evidence-based, quality care and services across all health and aged care settings, in many speciality areas, in all communities and to all people throughout Australia. Pre-registration nursing education prepares students for generalist practice in a variety of health settings. Nurses may choose to undertake further study to develop knowledge and skills in a range of health and aged care settings, specialties, conditions and scopes of practice.
Nursing in Australia provides many opportunities to consolidate and develop either generalist or specialist knowledge and skillsets in unique geographic and cultural landscapes. With its vast land area and dispersed population, a career in nursing in Australia can range from working in a large metropolitan hospital to being the primary healthcare provider in a remote area. It can involve being an integral member of the local community, building connections with people from different cultural, linguistic, social backgrounds and intersectionalities. With the ability to work across a variety of practice contexts, nursing in Australia leads to diverse, interesting and rewarding careers.
Nurses have the highest rates of consumer contact of any health workforce within acute care, residential aged care and in remote settings. Nurses have an essential role in providing health services to meet the needs of people and promote health across the lifespan. Nurses collaborate with other health workers and work as part of multidisciplinary teams coordinating service delivery. They are key strategic and operational leaders across the entire health and aged care system. Nurses hold pivotal roles in areas outside the clinical environment. This includes leading research, teaching and education in the tertiary and vocational sectors, and leading regulation, policy development and implementation in government and non-government organisations.
Nurses are essential drivers of innovation and improvement. Through their leadership in research, education and policy development, nurses help create, disseminate and translate evidence-based knowledge, best practice and standards of care to drive continuous improvement in population health. Their role as collaborators, positively engaging and connecting with people, communities, organisations and multidisciplinary teams, is crucial to promoting health and wellbeing. Appendix A illustrates the integration of the nursing workforce in Australia’s health care system.
The societal and economic impact of nursing is profound. Investment in the nursing workforce has been shown to yield high returns, including in improved consumer outcomes, reduced hospitalisation and fewer patient safety errors.13 The value of nurses goes beyond the services they provide. Evidence shows that investment in healthcare improves health outcomes and quality of life.14 Healthy individuals are more likely to be employed and have higher productivity rates.15,16,17 Alongside delivering health outcomes, it is also important to recognise the considerable and broader value nurses generate. This is reflected in the economic growth and stimulatory effect of health spending – evidence shows a one Australian dollar investment in better health, results in a two-to-six-dollar return.18 The nursing profession continues to provide many Australians with stable and rewarding employment. As we advance into the future and the demand for health and aged care grows, the value and impact of nurses will become even greater.