What’s it like to work as a community nurse in Home Care?

It cannot be underestimated just how much of an impact nurses make to our world. 

According to the World Health Organisation, nurses are the “backbone of healthcare provision,” with over 29 million providing vital care to people worldwide.   

In Australia, nurses are the single largest workforce group, caring for people in every community across the nation. According to Jacqui Cross, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer for NSW Health, nurses are the ‘glue that holds everything together.”

International Nurses Day, celebrated on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, is a day to acknowledge our nurses and thank them for the difference they make in providing compassionate, professional care in our communities. 

To find out what this looks like in practice, we spoke with Alicia, a Community-Enrolled Nurse with BaptistCare at home who cares for older people in the comfort of their own homes across Sydney’s Inner West and South East regions. 

What’s it like to work as a community Enrolled Nurse in home care? 

It’s a fantastic role and very different to my first nursing job, which was based in a private hospital. I wasn’t a big fan of being stuck in the ward all day. In this role, I’m out and about on the road a lot, driving to appointments with our elderly clients in their homes across the region.

There is so much variety in this role – although BaptistCare at home clients are all within a certain age bracket, they come from completely different walks of life and have some amazing stories. Everyone has varying healthcare needs, too, which keeps things interesting!

I really enjoy getting to know my clients and build relationships, rather than it being about beds in a ward – which is so often the case in hospital work.  

What does community nursing look like day to day? 

It looks like back-to-back client appointments most days, with a lot of driving in between. 

We usually receive a warm welcome as we arrive at the person’s house—nurses are generally appreciated for the work they do, especially if the older person hasn’t been able to interact much with other people throughout the week. 

I usually make visits on my own, but if we’re seeing a new client or the person has a particularly complex wound, I travel with another Registered Nurse.

The most common type of problem we treat in home care nursing is wounds. Older people have thinner and more fragile skin and so are at higher risk of skin tears. They might have also had a trip or fall and sustained an injury. 

Pressure sores are also common for our clients, especially if they are unable to move around as easily as they once did. 

It's so rewarding to see someone’s wounds begin to heal after spending several weeks treating them. 

What are some of the challenges of being a nurse? 

It can be challenging treating someone who is palliative. Sometimes, there are multiple wounds, and there’s not much you can do to help them heal because it’s just the end of their life. 

Chronic or terminal illnesses obviously cause a lot of anxiety and fear for a family, which alters their behaviour. This can sometimes spill out into our interactions with them, and so I think it’s important to have compassion and remember that we’re dealing with people in their most vulnerable moments. 

I’m lucky to have a very supportive and caring team here at BaptistCare. I can debrief with them and get extra support if I need it. 

It’s also taken a bit of time to get used to making diagnoses yourself as a nurse in the community. Unlike in the hospital, where nurses work alongside doctors, home care nursing involves managing things mostly by yourself.  

We do facilitate doctor visits if necessary, but it’s a very different environment compared to the acute sector. 

How do you keep up to date with your professional development?

I have one afternoon each week to catch up on administration and work on my professional development.

BaptistCare is incredibly supportive of our ongoing learning obligations as nurses, and there are regular training opportunities. 

For example, last year, soon after I started with BaptistCare, my manager sent me on a catheter training care course for two days, which was really helpful. 

The nurses from our site also meet each month to share advice and tips and ask questions of the head nurses. There’s also an annual forum of all the BaptistCare at home nurses which is a fantastic learning experience – I’m really looking forward to going this year.

It’s been great to work for an organisation that places such high value on our development. 

What does International Nurses Day mean to you?

It certainly feels good to be recognised. 

I love that the day recognises and honours the birth of Florence Nightingale – she was really the founder of modern nursing. If it wasn’t for Florence, I’d hate to think where nurses would be today! She made such a big impact on the healthcare sector and has saved so many lives - well beyond her own lifetime.

I think International Nurses Day provides a good opportunity for those who don’t work in the healthcare sector to understand more about what we do in nursing, as our work is so often undervalued. 

Get in touch

Could you benefit from nursing care at home? 

BaptistCare at home is one of Australia’s largest and most trusted providers of home care for seniors. 

For 80 years, we’ve been delivering loving, respectful, and reliable care to people across NSW, ACT, and WA. 

If you would like to know more about BaptistCare’s home care services, our friendly team are here to help you. 

In 2024, BaptistCare celebrates 80 years of delivering loving, respectful and reliable care to people across NSW, ACT and WA.

We’ll listen, guide you through the care and support we have available, and provide tailored advice for your particular situation. 

Please call 1300 275 227 (Monday to Friday, from 8:00am to 6:00pm) or email us at ask@baptistcare.org.au.