Quick answer: Enrolled and Mothercraft Nurses are one of the most stress-exposed occupations in Australia — ranked #11 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 59.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are emotional demands and lack of control.
Enrolled and Mothercraft Nurses stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands64.2 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden72.8 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands52.8 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control40.6 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony75 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment51.4 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for enrolled and mothercraft nurses
Compared with the average Australian occupation, enrolled and mothercraft nurses score furthest above the norm on emotional demands (64.2 vs 37.9 average), lack of control (40.6 vs 24.5 average) and physical environment (51.4 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 88.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for pace and demands (52.8 vs 56), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for enrolled and mothercraft nurses
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
88.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
84.5/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 3Physical environment
Physical Proximity
84/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 4Physical environment
Exposed to Disease or Infections
81.2/100
All-occupation average: 20.2
- 5Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
79/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
All 22 stress factors for enrolled and mothercraft nurses
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
64.2 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People62.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People76 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations54.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
72.8 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results72.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety84.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results68.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error60 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others79 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
52.8 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure67.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week46 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment32.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making67 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition50.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
40.6 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions47.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work34 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
75 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks61.5 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate88.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
51.4 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable55.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting17.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures18.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections81.2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity84 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for enrolled and mothercraft nurses map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Enrolled and Mothercraft Nurses: how stressful is the job?
Enrolled and Mothercraft Nurses rank #11 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 59.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 96.5% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for enrolled and mothercraft nurses?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (88.5/100), responsible for others' health and safety (84.5/100) and physical proximity (84/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, lack of control, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for enrolled and mothercraft nurses?
Enrolled and Mothercraft Nurses score below the national average for pace and demands (52.8 vs 56 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for enrolled and mothercraft nurses. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.