Children’s and General Nursing

Children’s nursing is a hugely rewarding career. The education you receive and skills you will develop from your training will enable you to provide nursing care to children with diverse care needs.

Children’s nurses’ work as part of a multidisciplinary care team to support the child and their family on their healthcare journey – providing nursing care that positively impacts a child’s health and wellbeing.

You will care for children of diverse abilities, ethnicities, backgrounds and ages from birth to 16 years.

Children’s nurses help children and parents to understand their illness and teach the child and families the knowledge and skills to manage their illness, so that they can live as normal a life as possible.

Children’s nurses not only care for the child’s physical condition but also reduce the anxiety and confusion a child may feel when faced with unusual surroundings. Children’s nurses support children’s emotional, physical and intellectual development by building trust through activities such as play.

The duties of a registered children’s nurse:

• Provides direct nursing care to assigned paediatric caseload.
• Assess the health care needs of the child.
• Plan care on the outcomes of these assessments.
• Implement care.
• Evaluate care outcomes, reassess, plan and implement accordingly, taking into account the health needs of the child.
• Observes and records signs, symptoms, and behaviours, including the physiological status of a child as per age group; presents the assessment of changes, the proposed revision of interventions, and desired outcomes.
• Follows policy for activating an individualised plan of care for newly admitted child.
• Delivers designated nursing interventions to assigned paediatric patient that are consistent with the stated medical plan of care.
• Performs admission, discharge and transfer procedures and assists others with paediatric patient’s activities and care.
• Executes physician’s orders for all assigned patients; safely and properly administers medications and treatments.
• Notifies appropriate nursing and medical staff to changes in the paediatric patient’s status.
• Independently performs duties and assumes responsibility for care of assigned paediatric patients.
• Performs techniques and routines in the speciality service area.
• Performs or assists others to perform proper aseptic techniques, isolation procedures and infection on control measures.
• Documents nursing care in all assigned patient records.
• Maintains patient’s privacy and confidentiality of information and records at all times.
• Educate parent/guardian on any aspects of care required.
• Evaluates care given including the patient response.
• Reassesses and documents the proposed revision of interventions and desired outcomes.
• Demonstrates ability to assess parent/guardian and/or child’s understanding of and compliance with instructions and health care teaching.

Skills required: 

• Clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning skills and evidence-based practice to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the role.
• Critical thinking skills and the ability to work as part of the multidisciplinary team.
• Clinical and interpersonal skills to deliver child and family-centred, high-quality and safe nursing care in collaboration with the child and family respecting the child’s rights to make decisions.
• The ability to plan and organise yourself and your care for children and their families effectively.
• Effective communication skills.
• A commitment to providing a quality service and the chance to make a difference from day one.

Further details can be found on the Careers Portal