Intensive Care Nurse
As a part-time Intensive Care Nurse, you’ll bring your qualifications to a rewarding role working alongside Army colleagues on exercises and operations, as well as in non-operational environments. You’ll provide expert clinical knowledge and support the health needs of ADF members.
If you’re looking to experience adventure and excitement outside the everyday, earn tax-free pay and work as part of a close-knit team, this is an exciting opportunity that can work around your lifestyle.
What you'll do
You’ll be an integral component of the Army’s health capability, where you’ll work within a range of units providing both pre-hospital trauma and primary care, or in-patient field hospital level care. You’ll work alongside expert health professionals from across Australia, and train and deploy alongside your Army colleagues.
If you’re passionate about nursing, this is an excellent opportunity to give back to your country while learning and growing skills that you can take back to your full-time civilian role.
Your duties may include:
- providing expert clinical knowledge
- supporting the health needs of ADF members in a variety of environments
- coordinating patient care in a multi-disciplinary health care team
- providing technical advice for the development of health support plans
- coordinating the clinical training of other health care professionals
- assisting in the planning and deployment of a health care team on operations
- working across multidisciplinary teams.
Opportunities for progression and upskilling continue throughout your career as an officer. As you progress, the Army will provide you with leadership, management, and specialist skills training to develop your ability to effectively manage your teams. You’ll also be provided with training opportunities to further develop your role-related expertise. This world-class training will strengthen your skillset and enable you to become an influential leader in the Army.
The Army Reserve has units located all across Australia and offers you the flexibility to serve where you live. There are training locations in cities, small towns and regional areas. Even if there isn’t a unit close to you there may be other ways to serve. You’ll have a Careers Coach who you can ask about your options.
You can expect to be posted to a Health Battalion, which are located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Sydney and Townsville, with smaller detachments located around Australia. So, no matter where you live, there will be a local unit that may require nursing support. There are also opportunities to work overseas wherever Australian troops are currently deployed.
Requirements and training
You must be an Australian citizen to serve in the ADF. However, Australian permanent residents may be eligible. For more details, visit the "Citizenship" tab on the Eligibility Requirements page.
You can apply for a role in the ADF from 16.5 years of age and must be at least 17 to join. For Reserve service, the maximum age to apply is 60 years, with a Compulsory Retirement Age (CRA) of 65. Candidates who wish to enlist into the Reserves beyond the age of 61 years will need further assessment to ensure they can complete all pre-requisite training in their chosen field prior to reaching CRA.
You don’t need a driver’s licence for this role but if you have one, it can’t be suspended or cancelled.
All ADF members require a security clearance. As an ADF member, you’ll need to obtain the appropriate level of security clearance for your role. You’ll need a collection of relevant information including background checks and/or interviews so the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) can make an informed assessment to ensure the protection of Government resources and information. Your Careers Coach will explain what level of clearance is required for the career you are considering.
For more information or to learn about how security clearance will apply to you, view the eligibility requirements page.
The minimum requirement for entry into this role is registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) as a Registered Nurse (DIV 1), General.
As a Registered Nurse, you’ll also need to have completed postgraduate studies in Critical Care or have 5 years’ experience in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nursing.
To join the ADF, you must be healthy and physically fit. This is partially assessed from the completion of an extensive questionnaire covering your medical history, followed by a physical examination.
You’ll also be required to successfully pass a physical fitness assessment.
Male
- Push-ups: 8
- Sit-ups: 20
- Beep Test: 6.1.
Female
- Push-ups: 4
- Sit-ups: 20
- Beep Test: 6.1.
For further details on medical and physical fitness standards, refer to physical fitness standards for entry into the ADF and medical process for entry into the ADF.
There is no minimum number of years required in the ADF Reserve as service is voluntary. You can volunteer until the Defence Reserve retirement age of 65, subject to the requirements and your suitability for further service.
Reserve service is flexible and can fit around your family, life and work responsibilities. In your first year, you can choose to serve between a minimum of 20 and up to 150 days, which includes Initial Employment and Military Training. After that, you can choose to serve 20 to 150 days each year, with the potential to extend to 200 days. On training completion, you can serve from as little as one night a week, one weekend a month, or in consecutive weeks - in a way that suits your lifestyle.
Course: Specialist Service Officer First Appointment Course (SSO FAC)
Duration: 25 days
Location: Royal Military College – Duntroon, Canberra, ACT
You’ll learn fundamental knowledge of:
- leadership and military justice
- weapons handling
- command and control
- unit and personnel administration
- basic military skills
- the ideals of officer behaviour
- attitudes necessary for future employment.
This course is delivered in 2 parts for both full-time and part-time (Reserve) Officers.
- Part 1 - 10 days
- Part 2 - 15 days.
Course: Logistic Officers Basic Course (LOBC) - Health
Duration: 14 days
Location: Army Logistic Training Centre (ALTC), Bonegilla, Vic
You’ll undertake this course in the first 12 months of your appointment, where you’ll learn the fundamental skills required to operate in a deployed environment. The course includes theory, practical and simulated activities.
The LOBC aims to provide Logistic and Health Officers with corps and integrated skills and knowledge to fulfil a range of command and health specialised appointments at the rank of Lieutenant in a foundation warfighting environment.
You’ll also undertake the ADF Extended Practice Nursing (ADFEPN) Course in the first 12 months of appointment. This is conducted at the Army School of Health (ASH) and is conducted in 2 parts. Phase 1 is 15 days and Phase 2 is 16 days.
You can also expect to undertake additional training in military logistics at the Army Logistics Training Centre (ALTC) in the first 2 years.
Health units also interact with major medical facilities in each region to provide additional clinical skills and currency training for nurses.