Most of us have a general idea of what nurses do – looking after patients, of course.
But the nitty gritty of the different levels of nursing can be a bit of an unknown outside the health sector.
You may have heard the terms Registered Nurse (RN), Enrolled Nurse (EN), Division 1 or Division 2 and wondered about the difference between them. Or, you might have wondered which pathway to nursing would suit you best as you begin your own nursing career journey.
Chisholm Bachelor of Nursing coordinator Philippa Ashworth talks us through the differences between the two and the study and career pathways to choose from.
What is an enrolled nurse?
An EN is a nurse who has completed a diploma level qualification, such as the Diploma of Nursing.
This allows you to work as an EN in a range of settings, including hospitals, aged care services and medical clinics, but you must always be supervised by a RN.
ENs, sometimes called Division 2 nurses, are able to implement and monitor patient care, administer medicines, comply with infection control and work, health and safety policies, perform clinical assessments and contribute to planning patient care.
Once you’ve completed the diploma, you can register with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as an Endorsed Enrolled Nurse (EEN).
What is a registered nurse?
An RN is a nurse with an undergraduate qualification, such as the Bachelor of Nursing.
Able to work more independently and with more seniority than ENs, RNs can plan, implement and evaluate nursing care for patients, provide treatments and therapies such as medications, and monitor responses to treatment and care plans. Sometimes called Division 1 nurses, RNs can supervise the work of ENs and oversee other health care workers.
Philippa says the big difference between an EN and an RN is the scope of practice and that RNs have the option to consider postgraduate study.
“As an EN, you’re limited in some of the things you can do whereas an RN can look at the management stream, education stream and you can advance to post graduate specialist studies.”
Nursing courses and study pathways
Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) Nursing
This pathway allows VCAL senior (year 12) students to commence their Diploma of Nursing, which can be completed the following year, qualifying them to register with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as an EN.
Diploma of Nursing
This 18-month course is run at the Frankston and Berwick campuses by clinically current educators, in facilities that replicate hospital environments. Each diploma graduate is qualified to register with AHPRA as an EN.
Bachelor of Nursing
An EN can apply to undertake a further two years of study to become an RN through the Bachelor of Nursing. Chisholm offers the degree in partnership with Latrobe University, which allows students to continue their education on-campus at Chisholm.
If you’re registered with AHPRA as an EN, you can approach Chisholm’s higher education department or Latrobe University to gain admission to the Bachelor of Nursing.
Enrolled and registered nurse salaries
The weekly median income for ENs is $1426, while the median weekly pay for RNs is $1909.
Philippa says nurses wages depend years of experience, level of responsibility and the shifts they work.
“Somebody on night duty will get a much bigger shift penalty loading,” she says. “You also get allowances for working late in the day, weekends and public holidays.”
Nursing career pathways
Both ENs and RNs can find themselves working in a variety of settings, including providing acute care in hospitals, working in aged care or mental health.
For ENs who want to increase the scope of what they can do, Philippa says becoming an RN can lead to a diverse career without ever leaving nursing. She has worn many hats throughout her own nursing career.
“I’ve taught at universities and I’m now coordinating an undergraduate course in nurse education,” she says. “My career pathway has seen me work for Victoria Police as a nurse looking after prisoners at police stations. I’ve been a school nurse, done stints in intensive care, emergency departments, coronary care and theatres. I’ve even worked in a nursing agency allocating staff.”
“The minute you have your Bachelor of Nursing under your belt, the world becomes an even bigger oyster and you find nurses aren’t just restricted to hospitals,” Philippa says. “You can chop and change and there is the opportunity to move around in the field and try before you buy.”
