Key Facts:
- The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) has launched Nursing Career Pathways, a free national resource mapping 12 career pathways across areas including clinical practice, education, research, policy, and executive leadership, developed in consultation with nearly 800 nurses across Australia.
- The resource was created in response to nurses reporting that career progression often happened through guesswork rather than clear, visible pathways, with ACN CEO Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz emphasising the need to support nurses to build rewarding careers to reduce attrition.
- Nursing Career Pathways aligns with the recently released National Nursing Workforce Strategy, supporting career mobility and flexibility, access to education, and the visibility of clinical-academic and research career pathways.
- Alongside the career maps, the resource offers planning and decision-making tools, real-world examples, and wellbeing, mentoring and reflective resources, with an accompanying Nursing Pathways Report also available.
- The initiative is considered essential given rising demand for nursing care as Australia’s population ages and more people live with chronic and complex conditions, with the resource freely accessible at www.acn.edu.au/nursing-career-pathways.
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) has launched Nursing Career Pathways, a free national resource designed to help nurses and aspiring nurses see the full breadth of career options in the profession and plan the steps to get there.
Based on consultation with nearly 800 nurses from metropolitan, regional, rural and very remote Australia, the resource currently maps 12 career pathways spanning clinical practice, advanced practice, education, research, management, policy and advocacy, innovation, informatics, business and executive leadership.
ACN CEO, Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz FACN, said Nursing Career Pathways responds directly to what nurses said they need to stay in the profession.
“Nurses told us loud and clear that they love nursing and want to stay, grow and lead. But too many described career progression happening through guesswork rather than clear, visible pathways,” Adjunct Professor Zeitz said.
“Nursing Career Pathways is designed to bolster the profession by clearly outlining career options and career progression. It aims to give every nurse, at every stage, the tools to take control of their own career.
“We believe this kind of support is essential, with demand for nursing only set to rise as Australia’s population ages and more people live with chronic and complex conditions, while early-career attrition remains high.
“We cannot train our way out of the workforce challenge alone. Every experienced nurse who leaves takes years of skill and knowledge with them,” Adjunct Professor Zeitz said. “The evidence shows that supporting nurses to build rewarding, flexible careers is one of the most effective things we can do to keep them, and to make sure Australians get the care they need now and into the future.”
Nursing Career Pathways directly supports key actions in the recently released National Nursing Workforce Strategy, including:
Enhancing nurses’ mobility and career flexibility, by showing nurses how to plan, pivot or grow across settings and specialties at any stage of their career.
Helping students and nurses to access and complete nursing education, with guided starting points for people considering nursing and clear links between career goals and the education needed to reach them.
Building and growing nurse clinical-academic and research career pathways, by making research and academic careers visible and achievable options rather than paths few nurses know exist.
“The Strategy sets out a vision for nurses to progress their careers in the way they choose, and Nursing Career Pathways helps turn that goal into a practical, everyday reality for nurses,” Adjunct Professor Zeitz said.
The resource drew on focus groups, forums, interviews and surveys with students, enrolled nurses, registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nurses transitioning to retirement, across acute, community, primary, aged care, mental health, justice health, defence and research settings. ACN also consulted career development experts, recruitment specialists, policymakers, regulators, consumers, universities, TAFEs and employers.
Alongside the pathways, the resource offers career planning and decision-making tools, insights into where and how nurses work, real-world examples, and wellbeing, mentoring and reflective resources.
The accompanying Nursing Pathways Report, detailing the project’s findings and recommendations, is also available.
Nursing Career Pathways is free to access at www.acn.edu.au/nursing-career-pathways
