Nursing salaries in Australia range from around $70,000 for an entry-level position right up to $250,000 for a specialist full time practitioner.
The average registered nurse salary in Australia is around $79,550 per year (about $41,00 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $76,063 per year up to $97,568 per year. On top of your salary, you will also receive a minimum of 4 weeks paid annual leave and superannuation (10,5% from 1 July 2022).
It's a regulated profession with an average graduate annual salary over $70,000. Data from 2021 indicates that the nursing profession grew by 19% between 2016 and 2021, and Labour Market insights suggest great career diversity for nursing and positive future industry growth.
Depending on how you enter the healthcare industry, the cost of living may be on par with your salary, however, the good news is that Registered Nurses and above can expect to live relatively comfortably anywhere in Australia.
Nurses and midwives are some of the worst affected, taking a real pay cut of almost $3000. According to the report: “A first-year nurse working for NSW Health in 2022 earned an annual wage of $76,403.60. When adjusted to 2022 dollars, that same first-year nurse working in 2012 earned $79,184.68.
As alluded to, the profession is facing increasingly stressful working conditions and with evidence of a future shortfall of nurses/midwives, there is a growing need to provide detailed research and evidence as a catalyst and platform for intervention strategies to address issues facing the profession.
Q: Is studying nursing hard in Australia? There is no denying the difficulty of the topics covered in this course. I never thought of myself as a student who was endowed with intellectual ability; rather, I credit my success to hard work, devotion, and a burning desire to succeed.
Getting a nursing job in Australia with no experience can be challenging, but it is possible. By familiarising yourself with the process, doing your research, and preparing for your interviews, you will increase your chances of landing the job you want. Good luck!
The average practice nurse salary in Australia is $88,314 per year or $45.29 per hour.
The average registered nurse salary in Australia is $82,716 per year or $42.42 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $77,386 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $110,464 per year.
1. Surgeon ($457,281) Surgeons were the top-paying job in the country, making an eye-watering $457,281 per year. There are 4,157 in Australia.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) earn a nationwide average of $202,470 per year according to the BLS; this makes CRNAs the highest-paying type nursing job by a significant margin.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Salary. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists earn a median salary of $195,610 per year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, making it the top paying nursing specialty.
Pharmacology. Pharmacology, or the study of medication, can seem scary because of the sheer scope of the course. "It becomes one of the hardest classes for nursing students due to the depth and amount of knowledge needed," says Megan Lynch, RN and instructor at Pima Community College.
It's a challenging course; there's no doubt about that. I did not see myself as a student who was naturally smart – it was diligence, dedication and passion that got me through. Nursing is not a job you do for money. It's not for everyone.
Nursing school is competitive to get into and challenging to get through. Because programs require many credit hours, nursing students sometimes end up taking multiple difficult courses in one semester. Think of late nights studying for exams in addition to clinicals where you'll gain hands-on nursing experience.
The five stages of the nursing process are assessment, diagnosing, planning, implementation, and evaluation. All steps in the nursing process require critical thinking by the nurse.
Working Hours of Australian Nurses
Keep in mind that most nurses will work an average of 38 hours but overtime opportunities abound. When a nurse first starts off their career they can work up to 12 hour shifts for three days in a row. This will put them in the 36-hour range.
The workforce planning projections in this publication show that in the medium to long-term, Australia's demand for nurses will significantly exceed supply (with a projected shortfall of approximately 85,000 nurses by 2025, or 123,000 nurses by 2030 under current settings).
The Bachelor of Nursing is 3 years, full-time under the standard study plan. By fast-tracking you can complete the degree in 2 years, including clinical placements. Studying part-time you set your own pace and decide on the amount of time you can commit to study each term (depending on subject delivery).