Enrolled Nurse
Enrolled nurses give hands-on clinical care in hospitals, aged care homes and community settings, working under the supervision of a registered nurse or doctor.
- Median salary
- $92,400
4.1%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 21,800
1.9%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +21.3%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 41/wk
+1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Enrolled nurses carry out much of the physical and clinical care a patient receives day to day: monitoring vital signs, helping with washing and mobility, giving medications and reporting changes to the registered nurse in charge. They qualify through a diploma rather than a degree, so they start earning sooner, and their scope of practice is narrower than a registered nurse's. In aged care homes and rural hospitals that scope often stretches well past what the hospital-ward version of the job suggests.
How much do enrolled nurses earn?
The median full-time salary for an enrolled nurse is $92,400 per annum, before tax, up $19,300 since 2018.
Where you work moves your pay more than anything else, because public hospital enrolled nurses sit under state enterprise agreements that set shift loadings and penalty rates, while aged care and community employers often pay less for similar work. Rostered nights, weekends and public holidays add to a base rate, and so does medication notation on your registration, which widens what you can be rostered to do. Pay also differs between states and territories depending on the agreement in force.
What does an enrolled nurse do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Helping patients wash, dress and move safely, which is often the most physical part of a shift
- Taking vital signs and watching for changes in a patient's condition, then reporting them to the registered nurse before they escalate
- Giving medications and checking doses, within the notation on your registration and the rules in your state
- Working with a wider scope in aged care and rural settings, where the role runs well past the hospital ward version
- Handing over each patient's condition at shift change so nothing is missed between teams
What skills do enrolled nurses need?
Employers look for patient care and support, clinical assessment and treatment, medication management, backed by Blood pressure monitor fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Patient care and support
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Medication management
- Care planning and coordination
- Infection control and hygiene
Software and tools
- Blood pressure monitor
- Thermometer
- Patient monitoring systems
- Electronic health records (EHR)
- Medication management software
General skills
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Empathy and interpersonal care
Is the job growing?
About 21,800 people work as enrolled nurses in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 21.3% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become an enrolled nurse?
Here's the path most enrolled nurses take, step by step.
- 1Try a support role first
A Certificate III in Health Services Assistance (HLT33115) or Individual Support lets you work as an assistant in nursing or an aged care worker, which is paid, gives you real ward experience and tells you whether the work suits you before you commit to the diploma.
- 2Complete the Diploma of Nursing
This is the qualification you need, usually 18 months full time through TAFE or a private provider, and it must be an approved program of study with around 880 hours of supervised clinical placement built in.
- 3Register with AHPRA
Once you finish, apply to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia through AHPRA. You will need to meet the English language standard, pass a criminal history check and hold professional indemnity insurance, then renew your registration each year with continuing professional development.
- 4Check your medication units
Most diplomas include the medication administration units that allow a notation on your registration. Confirm your course includes them and that your state permits the notation, because without it your duties at work are noticeably narrower.
- 5Consider the bachelor degree later
If you later want to register as a registered nurse, a bachelor of nursing is the route, and most universities give credit for the diploma so it takes less than the full three years.
Study routes we have checked
Qualifications that are a recognised way into this role, and what else you need.
- Diploma of Nursing
A recognised route into this role
Complete an NMBA-approved Diploma of Nursing and all placements, then meet enrolled-nurse registration requirements. This is not a registered-nurse qualification. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
Ready to apply as an enrolled nurse?
Whether you're working toward becoming an enrolled nurse or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an enrolled nurse move to?
Moving into Registered Nurse typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $21,600 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse Brings hands-on clinical care and patient monitoring, but requires further nursing qualification to register as a registered nurse.Known move | +$21,600 | 89% | requalify |
| Mental Health Nurse Brings general nursing assessment and medication skills, with mental health training to specialise in psychiatric care.Known move | +$21,600 | 58% | short course |
| Midwife Builds on nursing assessment and patient care, with midwifery training to support pregnancy, birth and postnatal care.Known move | +$17,500 | 55% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an enrolled nurse?
The typical enrolled nurse is 38 years old; 87% are women, 50% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.
- 38
- Median age
- 87%
- Female share
- 50%
- Full-time
- +1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an enrolled nurse?
The shift is the unit of the job: you arrive, take handover, work through your allocated patients, and document as you go. The work is physical and constant, and much of its value is in noticing small changes before they become something bigger. People who stay in enrolled nursing tend to like being at the bedside, knowing their patients well and finishing a shift with something concrete done.
What people like
- You spend the shift with patients. Most of the day is direct contact rather than paperwork or meetings, and you get to know the people you care for across a run of shifts.
- A shorter route into nursing. The diploma takes around 18 months and you earn while you finish, which matters if you cannot afford three years without an income.
- The settings are broad. Hospital wards, aged care homes, community nursing, GP clinics, day surgery and rural health services all employ enrolled nurses, so you can move around without retraining.
- Rosters can be shaped around your life. Shift work is demanding, but set patterns mean some enrolled nurses fit the job around school hours or study in a way a Monday to Friday role would not allow.
What people find hard
- The physical load. Manual handling of patients, repeated over a full shift, takes a toll on backs, shoulders and knees, and it is the part of the job people most often underestimate.
- Nights, weekends and public holidays. Patients need care around the clock, so most roles come with a rotating roster and the disruption to sleep and family life that goes with it.
- Your scope has a ceiling. You work under a registered nurse, so complex assessments, care planning and some procedures sit with them rather than you, and in some teams that means being given the more routine work.
- Thin staffing in some settings. Aged care homes in particular can run with high resident loads and less registered nurse cover, so you carry more responsibility with less support than a hospital ward would give you.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ enrolled nurses?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of enrolled nurses.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 70.8% | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate III/IV | 12.8% | |
| Bachelor degree | 7.9% | |
| Year 12 or below | 3.1% | |
| Postgraduate | 1.9% |
Will AI replace enrolled nurses?
Enrolled nursing is a low-exposure job because almost all of it happens in the room with the patient, and none of the technology in use has changed that. Health services run electronic health records, patient monitoring systems and rostering software, and those tools do change how observations are logged and shifts are filled, but they do not wash a patient, notice a change in breathing or steady someone who is frightened.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Personal care and safe patient handlingWashing, dressing, repositioning and walking with patients needs hands, judgement about how much someone can manage today, and a second pair of hands for a hoist.40%low
- Vital signs and patient observationAutomated monitors and early warning systems calculate scores and flag deterioration, but someone still has to decide whether the reading matches the patient in front of them.25%moderate
- Medication administrationElectronic medication management and barcode scanning reduce dosing errors, though the checking, the patient identification and the conversation about side effects remain yours.20%moderate
- Clinical documentation and handoverVoice-to-text and templated progress notes can draft much of the record, but you still verify what is written and give the verbal handover to the next shift.15%high
Common questions about becoming an enrolled nurse
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do enrolled nurses earn?
$92,400 per annum, before tax, for full-time enrolled nurses. That is a median across the workforce rather than a starting rate, and your setting, state agreement and how many nights and weekends you work all shift it.
How do you become an enrolled nurse?
Complete the Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121), which takes about 18 months full time and includes supervised clinical placement, then register with AHPRA through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. You will need to meet the English language standard and pass a criminal history check before you can work.
Are enrolled nurses in demand?
Enrolled nurses are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 21.3% over the decade to 2035. Growth at that scale usually means more roles across hospitals and aged care rather than in one setting, but it does not guarantee a job in the town or specialty you want.
Will AI replace enrolled nurses?
No. The job is hands-on and physical, and the monitoring software, electronic health records and rostering systems used in health care change how information is recorded rather than who provides the care. What is already shifting is documentation, where voice-to-text and templated notes cut the time spent writing things up after a shift.
What can I move into from enrolled nursing?
Registered nurse is the main step, which means a bachelor degree, though most universities give credit for the diploma so it takes less than the full three years. Further training also opens mental health nursing and midwifery, both of which build on the assessment and medication skills you already use and pay more than enrolled nursing.
Is it better to be an enrolled nurse or a registered nurse?
They are different qualifications rather than better and worse: an enrolled nurse holds a diploma and works under a registered nurse's supervision, while a registered nurse holds a degree, carries more responsibility and earns more. If you want to start working and earning sooner, the diploma gets you there; if you want the wider scope and higher pay, plan for the degree.
Related roles
- Registered Nurse
- Midwife
- Mental Health Nurse
- Assistant in Nursing
- Aged Care Worker
- Disability Support Worker
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