Hear firsthand from one of our Nurses here at NNA who talks about her time as a Community Nurse:

What do you think of you when you hear the term Community Nursing? When I ask this of other nurses, usually I hear back things like duties of a nurses’ aid, someone who “cleans up” client’s houses and does their chores, boring, underpaid, or just simply “not for me”. It really makes me sad and disheartened to know that most nurses sort of disregard community nursing as not for them before they even give it a try. I’m here today to tell you why I love community nursing, and why you really should give it a try!

First, community nursing is extremely fulfilling and every shift you really feel like you are making a difference for someone! Think…is there another area of nursing where you, in the clients’ own home and environment, are providing them care that will increase their comfort, quality of life, independence, and/or autonomy. By providing this care directly in the client’s home as well you are assisting them to stay out of hospital, and not only assisting the client but also providing care that will lift the burden from their family or other caregivers as well. I think this is definitely something myself and other community nurses should feel proud of!

Speaking of being in the clients’ home or own environment, I also don’t believe there is another area of nursing where you are able to develop such strong, therapeutic, nurse/client relationships as you do within community nursing. I have worked in different areas of community nursing ranging from Paediatric Palliative Care, to NDIS clients, to Hospital in the Home, the one commonality between all of them has been the relationships that I was able to develop with each client and their family. I have laughed, cried, and celebrated milestones with each of them. It truly is a special bond that is developed between the community nurse and their clients, something that goes unmatched within hospital nursing for sure.

Another huge benefit to community nursing is the flexibility and stability that comes along with this field of nursing. Most community nurses work with the same clients for a long time, which means that you get to know the client’s routine and work the same shifts every week. The client will have a set care plan and need the care, meaning your shifts don’t get cancelled and you know far in advance what your hours will be. For someone who also has worked in agency nursing, this benefit is a dream come true! Set hours, with set clients, on set days…amazing!

Lastly, a huge benefit to working as a community nurse is that you will always be needed. As our population is aging, and more and more people want to stay at home instead of entering care homes, the demand for community nurses is going to increase drastically and the scope of practice I’m sure will increase. Now is really the time to start working as a community nurse before everyone else catches on to how amazing this field is to work in. I absolutely love my job and can’t recommend it enough; I think that you would give it a try and I am sure that you will love it too!