Note: The Aged Care Association does not support registered nurses being employed into HCA roles.
A registered nurse (RN) holding a valid Annual Practising Certificate (APC) can be employed as a Healthcare Assistant (HCA), as this is an employment matter rather than a regulatory one. However, there are important considerations for both employers and employees to keep in mind.
The RN employed as an HCA must strictly perform only the duties outlined in the HCA role and avoid additional responsibilities that would ordinarily be a part of the RN role. This means not using their nursing knowledge or skills in ways that would exceed the HCA role. Nurses must be cautious in maintaining this boundary to avoid accountability issues under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. Importantly, it must be emphasised that regardless of the APC status, a RN can still be subject to professional misconduct charges.
Additionally, working and accumulating professional development hours as an HCA will not count towards the continuing competency requirements for APC renewal with the Nursing Council, so nurses planning to renew their APC should keep this distinction in mind.
