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.
The average registered nurse salary in Australia is $81,338 per year or $41.71 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $77,154 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $101,736 per year.
In Australia, male nurses on average earn higher salaries than female nurses despite women making up the largest segment of the nursing workforce. Across the healthcare workforce, the wage gap divide is even greater.
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.
Nurses are an integral part of the country's health service. 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.
Working Hours of Australian Nurses
However, most midwives and nurses work a total of 33 hours on average. 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.
What is the highest-paid nurse? Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists! Earning $195,610 annually, CRNAs earn significantly more than any other type of nurse or nursing specialty.
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.
What can I earn as a General Practitioner? The average annual salary for General Practitioner jobs in Australia ranges from $360,000 to $380,000.
Annual/recreation leave
Nurses and midwives who don't do shift work can get 5 weeks annual leave. If you do shift work, you can get 6 weeks. Medical imaging and radiation professionals can get 5 weeks annual leave. During this time you will receive your leave loading for 4 weeks across the 5 weeks.
The median annual wage for registered nurses was $77,600 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $59,450, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $120,250.
The bottom 10% of RNs make an hourly wage of $28.58. The top 10% of RNs make an hourly wage of $57.81. The median hourly wage for an RN is $37.31.
The annual salary for a nurse in France (€35,531) or Italy (€29,222) was less than half the annual salary in Belgium (€72,508) and almost exactly half that in Switzerland (€70,965).
Is there an age limit to work in Australia as a nurse? While there is no age limit to work as a nurse in Australia or to apply for AHPRA registration. Different Australian visa's do have different age limit requirements. Some countries are eligible to apply for a working holiday visa up to the age of 35!
2021 demographic data – employed nurses and midwives
Average age nationally – 43.05 years.
In most cases, hospitals will not allow nurses to work more than 16 hours in a row. Clinic nurses (private practice) typically will not work more than 8 hours per day. Scheduled shifts are typically either 8, 10, or 12 hours in duration and may not follow the typical pattern of the day, evening, or night shifts.
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.
Nurses and midwives in NSW are experiencing such high levels of stress and burnout that 15 per cent are reporting symptoms of PTSD. Experts are calling for better pay and mandated staff-patient ratios.
Nursing Salary in Australia
The student's eligibility is measured on their experience, skills, and their academic scores. All these factors also determine their pay scale. A registered nurse can make up to AUD 70,000–AUD 80,000 annually on an average wage.