A ‘nursing philosophy’ underpinning the curriculum is mandated by the accrediting body, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC). We believe that a rigorous philosophical position underpinning nursing theory and practice can provide a focus for the discipline in terms of practical reasoning and moral commitment.

This chapter introduces the concept of gratitude as an example of a virtuous character trait. Aristotle recognised the importance of properly trained emotions for acquiring the virtues; thus his account is consistent with our emphasis on emotional intelligence and self-awareness. We show how excellent practice as a nurse aligns with doing well as a human being. The main point argued in this chapter is that Aristotle’s conception of virtue can provide a philosophical ‘basis for nursing that focuses on moral competence in a robust, coherent and systematic way, while at the same time accommodates the demand for discipline-specific knowledge and high levels of technical skill’ (Bliss et al. 2017, p. 1). We contend that this underpinning philosophy allows the knowledge and caring aspects of nursing to be united.

All regulated health practitioners need to be aware of the standards imposed on them by their regulatory body in order for them to be able to practise and keep the public safe. In Australia, the standards for nurses and midwives have been developed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), which regulates the Australian workforce through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).

This chapter helps you understand your obligations to obtain and maintain your nursing or midwifery registration, and your legal, regulatory and moral obligations both as a professional and as an individual. It differentiates the scope of practice for the registered nurse, enrolled nurse and midwife.

The first section discusses general legal and regulatory requirements for nurses. Next, we turn to the Professional Practice Framework that constitutes a key part of nurses’ legal and regulatory obligations. This framework forms the overarching statement of nursing’s values contained in a number of codes and standards. The next section covers professional boundaries before we make some brief remarks relating to scope of practice.