Nursing Career Structure

An Enrolled Nurse is an employee appointed to that classification which covers work by an employee:

1. whose training or education is deemed satisfactory for the purposes of enrolment on a register or roll as a nurse other than a Registered Nurse (as defined); and

Nurse Grade 4
Enrolled Nurse Advanced Practice

An Enrolled Nurse (EN) (Advanced Practice) is an Enrolled Nurse who demonstrates advanced practice within each of the following four domains:

1. Care Delivery/Clinical Responsibilities
2. Learning and Inquiry
3. Leadership Responsibilities
4. Networks, Partnerships and Teamwork Responsibilities

A Registered Nurse/Endorsed Midwife is a nurse or midwife licensed to practise without supervision and who assumes accountability and responsibility for their own actions and acts to rectify unsafe practice and/or unprofessional conduct. It is essential that the nurse/endorsed midwife is registered by the Queensland Nursing Council and holds a current practising certificate.
The degree of expertise will increase as the Registered Nurse/Endorsed Midwife advances through this level.
The nurse/midwife may be a beginning practitioner or a Registered Nurse returning to the field after a period of absence.

A Midwife (Only) is a midwife who has attained a sole undergraduate degree in midwifery and is licensed by the Queensland Nursing Council to practise midwifery without supervision and who assumes accountability and responsibility for own actions and acts to rectify unsafe midwifery practice and/or unprofessional conduct.

Nurse Grade 5 – re-entry to 7 (Pay point levels relate to years of experience)

Nurse Grade 5 - 1 to 3

A Clinical Nurse/Midwife means a Registered Nurse or Midwife who is appointed as such.
The Clinical Nurse/Midwife role requires a broad developing knowledge in professional nursing issues and a sound specific knowledge-base in relation to a field of practice. The Clinical Nurse/ Midwife assumes accountability and responsibility for their own actions and acts to rectify unsafe practice and/or unprofessional conduct.
A Clinical Nurse/Midwife is responsible for a specific client population, and is able to function in more complex situations while providing support and direction to a Registered or Enrolled Nurse, Midwife and other non-registered nursing personnel.
The Clinical Nurse/Midwife identifies, selects, implements and evaluates nursing interventions that have less predictable outcomes.

A Registered Nurse/Midwife may be appointed to an advanced practice position as identified below. Specific leadership roles and responsibilities of each of these advanced practice positions may include, but are not limited to the following:

• integrates key objectives from the Strategic Plan (facility/division, clinical service) into service delivery for a clinical unit /departments;
• overall coordinates, formulates and directs policies relating to the provision of nursing care or speciality services which includes integration of patient care across the continuum of care (inpatient and ambulatory care);
• operationalises the strategies (across a facility/division/clinical service) for a work based culture that promotes and supports education, learning, research and workforce development;
• implements education and applies research initiatives at the unit/division/clinical services/facility level;
• integrates the strategic direction and priorities for quality improvement into a clinical service that establishes a quality framework which confirms/supports the direction a service will take; and
• manages change at a local level.

Clinical Nurse Consultant is a Registered Nurse/Midwife who is accountable at an advanced practice level for the coordination of clinical practice delivered in a clinical specialty
A Nurse Unit Manager is a Registered Nurse who is accountable at an advanced practice level for the coordination of clinical practice and the provision of human and material resources in a specific patient/client area.
Nurse Manager is a Registered Nurse/midwife who is accountable at an advanced practice level for the provision of human and material resources either supporting a division or a specific patient/client area or systems or service.
Nurse Educator is a Registered Nurse/midwife who is accountable at an advanced practice level for the design, implementation and assessment of education programs, managing educational resources and provides nursing/midwifery expertise relating to educational issues within a service /division / facility / Health Service District. 
Nurse Researcher is a Registered Nurse/Midwife who is accountable at an advanced practice level for the development, coordination, implementation and evaluation of nursing/midwifery research projects/programs to ensure clinical practice within the designated area is evidence based.
Public Health Nurse is a Registered Nurse/midwife appointed to that position who is accountable at an advanced practice level for surveillance, prevention and control of communicable disease at a population level across multiple Health Service Districts.

Nurse Grade 7
Nurse Practitioner Candidate

A Nurse Practitioner is a Registered Nurse appointed to that position and who has been endorsed to practise as a Nurse Practitioner by the Queensland Nursing Council.
A Nurse Practitioner is educated to function autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced and expanded (or extended) clinical role. The role includes assessment and management of clients using nursing knowledge and skills and may include, but is not limited to:

• the direct referral of clients to other health care professionals;
• prescribing medications; and
• ordering diagnostic investigations.