Nursing Assistant

Support patients through their daily routines, helping them complete exercise, mobility, and hygiene activities.

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Support patients with their day-to-day needs

Working as a Nursing Assistant, you will deliver limited care to patients and support the work of Registered Nurses in a medical environment. A rewarding career requiring strong empathy, Nursing Assistance involves assisting patients with their daily routines, including personal hygiene, mobility, and exercise regimes. You will develop important relationships with patients built on trust and strong communication, and will provide important support to the nurses and medical staff around you.

Key stats

Nursing Assistants provide an important role in supporting the growth and development of communities across Australia, and are always in high demand. Here are some key facts and figures about this career path:

$1,200
Average weekly salary
43 hrs
Average hours worked per week
39 yrs
Average age of people in this career
Multi-region
Jobs available in metro and rural areas
~36,200
People employed in this industry
35%
Of employees are full time
Below average
Unemployment for this industry
9.6%
Future growth (next five years)

Stats as of April 2024. Source: LabourMarketInsights.gov.au

Core skills of a Nursing Assistant

Working as a Nursing Assistant, you’ll have specialised skills in assessing and supporting your clients’ needs. Some of the core skills of Nursing Assistant include:

Teamwork

Working with the nursing and broader medical team to understand patient needs, as well as routine tasks such as setting up for procedures and cleaning medical equipment.

Communication

Building relationships with your patients based on clear communication, trust, and empathy.

Implementing therapy plans

Supporting the nursing team to implement therapy plans and medical interventions, as well as assisting patients with personal care and mobility needs.

Maintaining patient records

Monitoring your patients’ progress and maintaining accurate and detailed records of their health.

Start here

Certificate III in Health Services Assistance

Blended learning or traineeship

Employment as a Nursing Assistant

Once you’ve completed your Certificate III

Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance

Blended learning or traineeship

Employment as an Allied Health Assistant

You may choose to complete further study with the Diploma of Nursing to become a qualified Enrolled Nurse (Division 2).

Why choose GOTAFE?

Community connections

We work closely with the local community and nursing industry to make sure your training gives you all the skills you need to succeed in the workforce.

State-of-the-art training equipment

Our nursing labs feature industry-leasing equipment that help you develop all the skills you’ll need in the workforce.

Join Australia’s 5th largest industry

Approximately 8% of Australia’s workforce are employed in healthcare, and Nurses account for more than 30% of job ads in the industry.

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