Professional Nursing Concepts: Scope of Practice in Australia

This essay explores the scope of practice within nursing, defining it as the authorized activities of a qualified nurse based on their professional licenses, nursing standards, and NMBA regulations. The essay specifically examines the scope of practice for registered nurses in Australia, highlighting their roles in diagnosing and treating health conditions, designing therapeutic regimes, initiating referrals, prescribing medications, and interpreting tests. The author reflects on a clinical placement at an aged care facility, emphasizing the importance of providing compassionate care to elderly Aboriginal Australians, many of whom are homeless or at risk. The author expresses a desire to specialize in aged care, recognizing the physical and mental challenges faced by the elderly and the need for constant assessment and emotional support. The essay concludes by reiterating the significance of professional nursing concepts, especially the scope of practice, in enhancing patient care, and the importance of care for the elderly.

Running head: NURSING 1
Professional Nursing Concepts
Name
Institution

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Scope of Practice within Nursing
Introduction
Professional nursing concepts may be defined as mental images, mental formulation,
abstractions, and words that nurses use to construct mental images that help in enhancing
practice. Nursing concepts are used to develop theories that may be crucial in the provision of
quality care (Finkelman, 2017). Examples of professional nursing concepts include the aim of
healthcare, clinical theory, the scope of practice, cognitive styles, and intuitive thinking among
others. In this paper, I will talk about the definition of the scope of nursing practice. I will
additionally discuss the registered nurses’ scope of practice according to the healthcare system in
Australia. Furthermore, I will identify and reflect upon a particular area of clinical practice that I
would wish to pursue in the future.
Scope of Practice
Scope of practice within nursing may be defined as the activities and services that a qualified
nurse is authorized to perform according to the terms of their professional licenses (Lubbe &
Roets, 2014). These activities that a registered nurse is authorized to perform are complemented
by the nursing standards and the conditions set by the NMBA. The scope of practice in nursing
requires that a nurse provides care wherever and whenever there is a need of the same.
Registered Nurses’ Scope of Practice in Australia
According to Birks, Davis, Smithson & Cant (2016), the profession of nursing constitutes the
largest regulated health workforce in Australia. There is a lot of ambiguity that surrounds the
scope of practice in nursing that limits the practitioners’ ability to adequately respond to the
emerging health issues in Australia (Birks et al., 2016). The nursing scope of practice is defined

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by the registered nurse in accordance with the NMBA. According to the NMBA, the scope of
practice in nursing allows the registered nurse to diagnose and treat several health conditions
(Cashin et al., 2017). Additionally, the RN is allowed to design and implement the appropriate
therapeutic regimes that are suitable for the healthcare system of Australia. Initiation of referrals
to other practitioners is also within the scope of nursing practice. Medication prescriptions and
interpretation of radiology and pathology tests are also performed by registered nurses (Cashin et
al., 2017).
Reflection
I was previously placed at the emergency department at Juninga Centre Nursing Home where I
encountered several old patients who needed aged care. Most of the patients at this nursing home
were aged above 65 years old and were either homeless or at risk of being homeless.
Additionally, they were mostly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. Some patients were
given short-term care after coming from the hospital. This type of care was mostly recommended
for patients whose family members were not available. Those who were not able to live
independently at home were also given aged care at Juninga Centre Nursing Home. The primary
role of nurses in aged care is the provision of care to the elderly. The nurses at Juninga Centre
Nursing Home were tasked with giving medication to the patents, bathing and dressing them,
checking the vitals of the patient, and directing the enrolled nurses. Additionally, the nurses at
Juninga Centre Nursing Home were tasked with documenting all the patients in aged care and
admission of new residents.
The nursing profession is one of the most important professions because it prioritizes the care
and safety of the general population. Aim of health care and scope of practice were some of the
visible professional concepts from my placement at Juninga Centre Nursing Home. Health care

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aims to ensure that care is safe, effective, and patient-centred. Additionally, nursing ensures that
care is timely and efficient (Blais, 2015). It is also important to note that the scope of practice in
nursing provides the framework to ensure that nurses adhere to standards of improving the
quality of care for patients (Blais, 2015). There are several areas of clinical practice that one may
wish to pursue after the completion of their degree in nursing. After studies, I would wish to join
the department of aged care. Aged care deals with the nursing care given to the older Aboriginal
Australians that may be incapable of living independently ("Aged Care", 2019). The nurses in
aged care deal with both physical impacts of aging and mental impairments such as dementia
(Ward-Griffin, 2016). They additionally help the patients bathe, dress, and walk up and down.
They also assess any mental and physical variations of the patient and document them
accordingly (Deasey, Kable & Jeong, 2014). It is also important to note that nursing homes are
crucial in the provision of 24-hour care for the elderly and any other patient who may need
similar facilities and services (Sanford et al., 2015).
In my previous placement at Juninga Centre Nursing Home, I realized that a lot of elderly
patients require constant healthcare and attention because most of them, especially in the
aboriginal community, are neglected. I met and held conversations with a lot of patients who
were brought in for aged care because they were homeless or were at the risk of being homeless.
Some could not independently take care of themselves after being abandoned by their families.
The elderly can be difficult to look after because they are almost like infants who need help with
everything. My wish, therefore, is to show these patients compassion by giving them the
reassurance and comfort that all is under control. I additionally understand the mental burden and
physical health deterioration that aging comes with and patients need constant assessment to
ensure that they get the best available care. I, therefore, intend to ensure that these patients are

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well emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Furthermore, showing them respect and
finding things that might interest both of us can be fundamental in improving the quality of care
in nursing homes (Hanson, 2014).
Conclusion
Professional nursing concepts are fundamental to the enhancement of care in nursing. One of the
most important concepts is the nursing scope of practice. The scope of practice in nursing
describes the activities that a registered nurse is supposed to undertake under the guidelines of
the NMBA. The profession of nursing has several areas of clinical practice. One of the most
important ones is the care for the elderly because it is fundamental in the provision of care for all
the older aboriginals who may not be capable of independently taking care of themselves.

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References
Aged Care. (2019). Retrieved 26 September 2019, from https://www.agedcare101.com.au/aged-
care-overview/aged-care
Birks, M., Davis, J., Smithson, J., & Cant, R. (2016). Registered nurse scope of practice in
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Deasey, D., Kable, A., & Jeong, S. (2014). Influence of nurses' knowledge of ageing and
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Finkelman, A. (2017). Professional nursing concepts: Competencies for quality leadership.
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Lubbe, J. C., & Roets, L. (2014). Nurses’ scope of practice and the implication for quality
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Sanford, A. M., Orrell, M., Tolson, D., Abbatecola, A. M., Arai, H., Bauer, J. M., ... & Hajjar, R.
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Ward-Griffin, C. (2016). Negotiating care of frail elders: relationships between community
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