A Nurse is a person who usually works with doctors and other medical care practitioners to provide care to people who suffer from physical injury or illness. Their aim is to cure patients and retain them fit and vigorous. They can help maintain an individual’s life needs and their emotions.

According to the International Council of Nurses (ICN), a Nurse is a person who has fulfilled a program of basic, charted nursing education. It should be accredited by the administrative force. They should have been licensed to practice as a nurse. It includes promotion of health, avoidance of disorders, and concern of physical or mental illnesses and weakened of all ages in every setting.

A nurse can choose from a wide variety of career pathways:

?      Nurse as an educator - Experiencing and practicing is a vital role in this field of nursing care. Nurse as an educator should educate about managing symptoms, maintaining ideal health concerns, and so on. Their recipients are patients, individuals, families, communities in different settings, etc.

?      Nurse as a counsellor - When patient and medical health provider is in a therapeutic relationship a nurse counsellor can assist in making decisions.

?      Nurse as a confidant - The nurse is constrained to maintain confidentiality. They must keep the attention to the information which has been shared with the client.

?      Nurse as an advocate - Advocacy is something which nurses must deal with in any specialties and health care setting.

?      Nurse as a researcher - A nurse can conduct research personally or with a team. Nurses can be administering the studies regarding medical care. With the improvement of evidence-based practice, there has been a higher demand for nurses' involvement in research. 

Required Qualifications to be a Nurse in New Zealand

For nurses, the country is showing high demand as the present nursing deficits occur in New Zealand. Nurses should get their Nursing licences to work. For that, you should register with the Nursing Council of New Zealand. For that, the individual must follow these steps:

?      Show your identification with a passport and proof of registration in all the countries you are registered to be a nurse

?      Before the registration pass, one of the OET or IELTS - The person can take the test in any country, but you must show a copy of your certificate.

?      You must justify your nursing qualifications suit with NZ - Basically, the individual is required to have a bachelor’s degree. You must practice according to the NZ’s scope, and you must cover different areas in your education. If you have scored mental health practices, then you can enter the practice in a mental health setting.

?      Show your current Nursing licence - The nursing regulatory authority will send a form as the Nursing Council of New Zealand

?      You must provide your personal resume - There should be your personal/ professional details

?      You can provide confirmation about your post-graduate experience - for that you need at least 5 years of nursing experience in recent 5 years. The 5 years are from the date of the registration with the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

Includes the writer’s full name, work email, and postal address, your name, DOB, registration number, your role, beginning date and end dates of your employment, and clinical practice hours in your career.

            If you have given any false information the New Zealand Nursing Council can cancel your license at any time. Work/traveling nursing in New Zealand requires a work visa. And also, for nurses, there is very high demand in NZ.

Tasks and Duties of Nurses
            Nurses play a vital role in helping patients, managing their physical needs, treating health conditions, and preventing illness. As highly trained individuals of the health care system, most nurses have broad skills and a wide range of responsibilities.
            The nurses who are registered, use nursing knowledge and compound nursing judgment to determine medical needs, advice, support, and provide care to manage their medical conditions.  Nurse practitioners (Nurse Practitioners New Zealand website) have access to flexible funding and capitation funding streams through Primary Health Organisations (PHOs). 

Recording medical history and symptoms
Nurses maintain factual documentation of their patients. So that they can assure about the treatment which has been given to the patient. Nurses start this process by patient's medical history regarding their prior surgeries and diagnoses, present medical treatments, symptoms, and family health care history.

Nurses are responsible for updating their books if they diagnose a new symptom or disease.

Some of the responsibilities of a nurse are listed below:

1. Maintaining comprehensive and careful medical notes is analytical for assuring patients get good health care
2. Handling medications and medications

Nurses handle medications and treatments under the physician's guidance to their patients. Some treatments such as cleaning and dressing wounds can be done by a nurse. Nurses also assess doctors with health care advice in emergency situations.

3. Cooperative with groups for patient care

Nurses do an important part in gathering information from patients and distributing it with the rest of their health care team. It is the main obligation of this profession. They must have effective communication skills in verbal and written. It will help to cooperate with doctors and other medical care providers.

4. Fulfilling characteristic test

Nurses execute a large variety of characteristic tests (samples for analysis). It is especially important to assure full information to diagnose and administer the tests. Nurses are also subjected to consider the results and share what they have found with the tests.

5. Guiding physical examinations

Doing physical examinations by nurses will help to take patients’ temperature, weight, heartbeat, and blood pressure. This helps to inspect their body parts.

6. Investigating patient’s health

Nurses must inspect and detect a patient's health record and symptoms. It could guide them to diagnosis or rearrange their treatment plan. Nurses must understand patients’ non-verbal and verbal communication. They must address/ understand their mental conditions. With these cues, nurses must help with their medical issues.

7. Advice to patients and giving support to them

It is especially important to understand a patient's emotions and needs. And also, nurses have to deliver challenging medical news. Patients are always looking to support nurses in many ways. Nurses who have a good concern can deal with patients and their family members. For that, effective coping methods are very essential.

8. Ability to operate medical equipment

Nurses must use technological components in their day-to-day medical care services. They must have the knowledge to operate different machines. Such as blood pressure machines, pulse oximeters, thermometers, etc.

9. Teach patients about managing diseases

Nurses can educate about various health conditions, how to manage and how to maintain them. Nurses can teach patients about home care needs. It includes recommendations, physical therapies, exercises plans, and diet.

10. Encourage the health of patients

Nurses can advocate for their health. It helps to share medical information, encourages patients to ask questions about their medical concerns. Advocate patients to actively listen to their issues, respect their ideas and have effective communication.

11. Giving basic bedside care

It can include helping patients bathe, hygiene-related activities.

12. Training and educating staff

Qualified nurses with pleasant experience will help to supervise new members/ nurses of their team.

13. Maintaining fund

Experienced nurses get extra job roles.

Registration in NZ

The individuals who have completed their degree and an approved program of study in New Zealand can apply for registration as a nurse. For registration, nurses have to show their educational qualification and sign a declaration form. 
Nurses should have the following in order to be eligible for registration:

?      Effective communication

?      English proficiency

?      Protect the health and security of the society

?      Have good physical or mental conditions

?      Are not the subject of any inspection in NZ or any other country

?      Have good awareness

Before registration, the Nursing Council( Nursing Council website) will look at their applications on an individual basis whether they may require any further information. If the applicant has issues impacting on fitness to practice, they may ask to give extra information and to meet with the committee. Those who have fulfilled the requirements will call to practise after they pass the examination. Those who have not fulfilled the requirements have a chance to discuss their application with the Council or to appeal to District Court. For more information write to  nznurse@nursingcouncil.org.nz. To know more details for those who are international can refer to the link international registration section.

Skills of a Nurse

1. Knowledge and awareness about techniques - Nurses are the front line of medical health care providers. They should know about basic skills. Such as,

?      Determine patients

?      Leading important measurements

?      Giving injections

?      Assessing treatments and tests

?      Knowledge about medical terminology

2. Emergency care - Nurses must keep an eye on some areas of health care. The most hospital has separate specific specialty care. It depends on the patient's condition and treatments. Skills may include,

?      Wound care

?      Catheter care

?      Dialysis

?      Central line dressing and care

?      Antibiotic therapy

?      Gastrostomy (feeding) tube care

3. Patient Transport

?      Explaining how to use crutches, wheelchairs, etc.

?      Teach how to use a wheelchair safely

?      Moving hospital beds

?      Moving the patient to a vehicle when discharged

4. Patient and family education

The nurse can teach what to do and how to do the treatments or after-care. For that nurses can use their education skills, such as understanding treatment, teaching them about the disorders, explaining prescriptions, sharing information about infection control/ pain management, etc.

4.     Safety of the patient

6. Ability to use technology

A nurse must be familiar with health care technology. Such as, maintaining medical records, setting up and monitoring equipment, ability to use health care software. Some can be trained as nurse informatics specialists.

Soft skills such as communication skills, teamwork ability, interpersonal skills, etc.

7. Communication Skills

Nurses must communicate with a lot of medical health care people and with the patient and their family members. They must understand verbal/ non-verbal/ written communication, voice tone, responsiveness, etc.

8. Interpersonal skills

These skills will help to build interaction with others. Such as dependability, patience, leadership, flexibility, and responsibility.

9. Teamwork skills

Nurses must build teamwork skills. It helps to have good facility and it increases the effectiveness of work. Some skills are reliability, conflict resolution, problem-solving, rapport-building, empathy, understanding, compassion, validation, and planning.

10. Critical thinking

Nurses must think quickly and must come for solutions quickly. For that, they need critical thinking, problem-solving, interview skills, etc.

11. Time management

It helps them to do their daily tasks and effectiveness. In that case, they have to think about stress management, planning, goal setting, and communication. 

12. Ethics and professionalism

Nurses should have concern for patients and must maintain professional skills. Such as respect, positive attitude, discipline, responsibility, and integrity. 

How much do Nurses earn in New Zealand?

Nurses will get an average salary in New Zealand is $66 000 per year or $33.85 per hour. Their entry-level position will start from $60 450 per year. Those who have more experience in years will get $93 466 per year.

Registered nurses working in the district health boards and graduates normally earn $60 000 per year. Nurses who have 3 - 7 years of experience usually earn $ 68 000 to $ 83 000. Those who are senior registered nurses with more experience will get $85 000 to $ 136 000.

To prepare yourself to work as a nurse in New Zealand you can refer to https://www.medfuture.com.au/specialty/general-practice. Medfuture is always on the lookout for medical Practice nurses who can help us continue to fill the workforce needs in Australia. Explore your career in medical settings via the Medfuture Job board.