Registered Nurse (Aged Care)
What the work is
Provides nursing care to the elderly in community settings, aged care homes, retirement villages and health care facilities.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Assesses the health needs of elderly patients and develops individualised care plans
- Administers medications and treatments as prescribed by health care professionals
- Monitors and records vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate
- Assists elderly patients with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and eating
- Provides emotional support and companionship to elderly patients
- Collaborates with other Health Professionals to coordinate and manage patient care
- Educates elderly patients and their families on health promotion and disease prevention
- Performs wound care and dressing changes
- Assists in the management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension
- Responds to emergencies and provides immediate medical assistance when necessary
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a busy medical ward at a fictional regional hospital. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A patient who was frightened at breakfast goes home understanding their care
- You spot a small change early, speak up and the team acts on it
- A shift where the team backs each other and everyone gets a break
Hard days
- More patients need you at once than you can reach, and you have to prioritise
- A family is upset, and you are the person standing in front of them
- Night shifts, weekends and paperwork still waiting at the end of a long day
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 265433, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.