Enrolled nurses may work in general medical practices, community health practices, hospitals, aged-care facilities or after-hour clinics. They are expected to adhere to the strict rules and regulations necessary to ensure that these environments are kept safe and sterile. Enrolled nurses may be exposed to bodily fluids and other unsanitary or hazardous materials, so must wear any necessary safety clothing. Depending on the organisation for which they work, they may be required to work long shifts, odd hours and weekends.

As they work in a medical environment, enrolled nurses need to be familiar with medical and surgical instruments such as thermometers, stethoscopes and otoscopes for examining ears, as well as specialist machines such as electrocardiographs (ECGs) and other monitoring equipment. They also need to know how to correctly apply dressings to wounds and plaster to make casts, and how to administer immunisations and vaccines using syringes. They usually also need to be familiar with computers for the entry of patient data into electronic record keeping systems.