Nursing Career Structure

The following table outlines the types of duties which may be performed at different levels of nursing classifications. This table may assist internationally trained nurses to estimate their level if working within Queensland Health.


Classification	Duties	Pay Point Level
AIN Assistant In Nursing	Duties range from bed cleaning and stock control to actual basic patient care such as bathing, mobility assistance etc. Always work under the supervision of a Registered Nurse if working in a clinical area.	AIN – 1 to 6 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)
EN Enrolled Nurse	Duties involve patient care in a ward setting. Can work in Mental Health as well as Medical and Surgical. Not as common in Midwifery. Without Endorsement they are unable to give medications. Work under the direct or indirect supervision of a Registered Nurse in a clinical area.	EN – 1 to 5 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)
EEN Endorsed Enrolled Nurse	Duties involve patient care in a ward setting. Can work in Mental Health as well as Medical and Surgical. Not as common in Midwifery. Are licensed to give certain medications. Work under the direct or indirect supervision of a Registered Nurse in a clinical area.	EEN – 1 to 2 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)
NO1 Nursing Officer Level One	Duties are clinically based and centre on patient care. Covers Registered General Nurses who care for adults and children as well as Direct Entry Midwives (with a degree) or Registered Nurses with a midwifery qualification. Mental Health nurses who are clinically based are also classified as NO1. Duties involve care of Mental Health Patients in either an acute/forensic setting or in the community.	NO1 – 1 to 7 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)
Nursing Officer with Midwifery Certification / Qualification only	Direct entry Midwives who do not have a degree level qualification. Duties are clinically based and centre on the care of Mothers and babies.	1 to 3 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)
NO2 Nursing Officer Level 2	Clinically based, with added responsibilities for example: shift co-ordinator responsible for staff allocation, bedside education of junior staff and are usually given a ward portfolio. Some areas require NO2’s to have post-graduate qualifications in the pertinent speciality. This classification includes Registered General Nurses with Midwifery and Mental Health qualifications working in those specialties.	NO2 – 1 to 4 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)
NO4 Nursing Officer Level 4	Classification includes Nurse Unit Manager, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Nurse Educator and After Hours Nurse Managers. Responsibilities may include a budget, rostering, education programs etc.	NO4 – 1 to 3 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)
NO4 – DON Nursing Officer Level 4 Director of Nursing	This classification encompasses Directors of Nursing of smaller hospitals – usually those with smaller bed numbers, staffing levels and are responsible for a single facility.	NO4 (DON) – 1 to 3 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)
Nurse Practitioner	Registered Nurses educated to function autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced and expanded clinical nursing role. The role includes assessment and management of clients and may include: The direct referral of clients to other health care professionals Prescribing medications Ordering diagnostic investigations.	Nurse Practitioner 1-2 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)

The NO3 classification was removed in the latest Nurses (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB6) 2006.

Note: Not all levels have been covered in the table above. Please see the full nursing wage rates table and the Salary/Remuneration page for more information.

Last updated: 30 January 2007
Last Reviewed: 30 January 2007