Nursing is a healthcare profession that focuses on the provision of quality healthcare to ensure that all members of the community are able to access and retain a quality of life expected in modern society. Nursing is a profession that has been in existence arguably since the beginning of time, and nursing has continued to meet the needs of today’s society. Nurses are employed in a large variety of specialties where they work independently and as part of a team to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care.

Nurses are frequently employed in a range of positions that vary from healthcare advocates and health educators working with patients, families and communities, to other roles that require nurses to provide direct patient care. Nurses are required to observe patients, assess their needs and then record visible patient symptoms, their reactions and individual progress. Nurses work in a constantly changing environment where the latest in healthcare technologies and procedures must be learnt and adhered to. This ensures that the profession is continually challenging.

There are vast employment opportunities within the field of nursing as a nurse can be as specialised, or as unspecialised as they choose. Nursing is known as the largest health-care occupation therefore, the opportunities afforded to nurses are excellent with continual opportunity for advanced education and training. Accompanying this is the rapid growth in technology, which creates newer and more efficient ways to implement patient care. Furthermore, the ageing population creates further pressures on public and private healthcare systems, as individuals within these older age brackets require higher levels of care than their younger counterparts do.

There are a wide variety of nursing employment opportunities within the public health sector where nurses are employed to carry out health education. This role includes educating the general public in relation to healthy lifestyles and assessment of individual’s health. Nursing employment provides individuals with the opportunity to become highly involved in one’s community, providing education around disease prevention to schools and community organisations, promoting a healthy lifestyle with a focus on preventative care. District nurses commonly provide care and treatment within the patient’s home environment, working alongside doctors, general practitioner doctors and community groups who contribute to the support and care process. Hospital nurses are employed to assess patients, treat, care and then support patients in hospitals, clinics and residential care facilities.

The range of nursing employment opportunities vary from short-term to long-term positions, as well as a wide selection of international opportunities. Nurses with the appropriate skills, education and training are in extremely high demand worldwide.