"It's the Most Diverse Job I've Ever Had": What do Registered Nurses Working in Australian Schools do?

Although nurses have been working in Australian schools for many decades, research has focused primarily on narrow aspects of clinical practice or service delivery in specific regions. The aim of this study was to identify the domains of practice registered nurses report in a typical working day in Australian schools, using interview data from a national sample. Forty-five nurses working in government and nongovernment schools in every state and territory of Australia participated. Interviews were analyzed using inductive content analysis ( Elo & Kyngas, 2008). Six distinct domains of practice characterized nursing work in Australian schools: (i) responding to diverse individual health needs, (ii) promoting health to groups, (iii) working with families, (iv) planning for health needs at school, (v) collaborating for positive student outcomes, and (vi) facilitating service delivery. Collectively, Australian registered nurses deliver a comprehensive range of services at the individual, group, family, and school level.