After your base qualification, nursing opens up many paths. Through advanced training and further education you can specialise in a clinical field — from the intensive care unit to mobile home care. This guide gives an overview of the main fields, shows how specialising works and helps you find the area that suits you.
Key takeaways
- A specialisation deepens your expertise and opens up new tasks and career paths.
- Fields range from intensive care, anaesthesia and OR nursing through paediatric and psychiatric nursing to geriatrics and mobile care.
- You usually specialise via advanced training or further education after your base qualification — content and duration are set by law and by the provider.
- Which field fits depends on your interests, your working style and your life situation.
Why specialise?
Specialising means deepening your expertise and focusing on a specific patient group, setting or area of work. This not only makes your work more interesting in terms of content, but can also open up new areas of responsibility and career paths.
The base first, then the depth
Most specialisations build on a completed base qualification — for example as a registered nurse (DGKP). The deeper training usually comes afterwards.
Key clinical fields at a glance
Austrian nursing has many clinical fields. Here is a selection of the best-known ones, each with a short description:
- Intensive care: caring for critically ill people in the ICU, with close monitoring and high technical responsibility.
- Anaesthesia nursing: support around anaesthesia — before, during and after operations and procedures.
- OR nursing: assisting in the operating theatre, preparing and running sterile procedures.
- Paediatric nursing: caring for infants, children and adolescents with their particular needs.
- Psychiatric nursing: supporting people with mental illness, often as part of a team with therapy and social work.
- Geriatrics and long-term care: caring for older people and those in need of care, often in nursing homes or long-term settings.
- Community and mobile care: nursing at home and in the living environment, with a lot of independence and relationship work.
Trying things out pays off
Many nurses get to know several fields through internships or ward rotations before committing. This gives you a feel for what really suits you.
How you specialise
In Austria, specialising is usually done via advanced training or further education completed after the base qualification. These combine theoretical content with practical experience in the respective field.
- Advanced training: structured, legally regulated additional training for specific fields (e.g. intensive care or OR).
- Further education: shorter deep-dives into individual topics or tasks.
- Practical experience: gaining experience in the desired field, often a prerequisite for or complement to the training.
Details vary
Entry requirements, content and duration are regulated by law and depend on the respective provider. For binding information, check with the training institutions and official bodies.
What changes with a specialisation
A specialisation usually broadens your scope of work. You take on more demanding tasks, often work more independently and carry more responsibility in your field.
- Scope of work: new, often more complex tasks within the field.
- Responsibility: more independence and professional responsibility.
- Career and pay: a specialisation can have a positive effect — exactly how depends on the employer, collective agreement and region.
Not automatic
A specialisation does not automatically lead to higher pay everywhere. Salary and grading follow the collective agreement and the employer — it is best to ask specifically.
How to choose a field that fits
There is no single "right" field — what matters is what fits you. A few questions can help you find your way:
- Which people would you most like to work with — children, older people, the acutely ill?
- Do you like a highly technical, fast-paced environment (e.g. intensive care, OR) or more relationship-focused, calmer settings (e.g. long-term, mobile)?
- How much independence and responsibility are you looking for?
- How does the field fit your life situation — shift times, place of work, workload?
Stay open
Your first choice does not have to be forever. Many nurses change field over the course of their career or combine several experiences.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to specialise in nursing?
No. Many nurses work in general nursing throughout their careers. A specialisation is one possible path to deepen your expertise and take on new tasks — but it is not compulsory.
When can I specialise?
Usually after completing your base qualification. Some advanced training also requires practical experience. The exact requirements are set by law and by the provider.
Will I earn more with a specialisation?
There is no blanket answer. A specialisation can have a positive effect on your tasks and grading, but salary and allowances follow the collective agreement, employer and region.
Can I change field later?
Yes. Many nurses change field over the course of their career. Depending on the target field, additional training or an induction period may be needed.
