Best Cities to Work in as a Nurse in Australia
The cities with the most jobs for nurses are Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Perth is also good if you want to be close to nature: it's one of Australia's most beautiful cities! Suppose you're willing to travel further out into Western Australia.
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.
If you want to be a registered nurse, Australia is a great place to be one. It's a regulated profession with an average graduate annual salary over $70,000.
Institutional Nurses
These nurses administer more basic care and typically don't have to work long hours and overnight shifts, so this field of nursing tends to be low-stress. Even with less excitement, these nurses find fulfillment in providing basic and family care to those in need.
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
Situated in the heart of Sydney, just minutes from the coast, UTS is ranked number one for nursing in Australia by the QS World University Rankings 2023. There are nursing courses at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
1. California
With an average salary of $124,000 annually, the Golden State takes the prize for being the highest-paying state for registered nurses.
Being a home health nurse can be an easier job because you are only dealing with one patient at a time. Home health nurses work with patients and family members to coordinate post-acute care outside the hospital or healthcare facility.
Case in point, within all general areas of nursing, the Medical ICU, Trauma ICU, Peds ICU, Neonatal ICU, are perceived to require the highest skill set of nurses.
And many promise a good income, great work opportunities and in some cases, accommodation will be taken care of. Jobs range from South Africa, the Middle East, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or even the ski fields of Switzerland.
Critical care nurses tend to suffer the highest rates of burnout. Critical care specialties include the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU).
Critical care nurses suffer the highest rates of burnout.
More specifically, a whopping 81% of crucial care nurses experience symptoms of burnout. This is mainly due to the nature of the job, as critical care nurses work specialize in the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU).
For introverts, a private duty nurse position can lead to satisfaction in a nursing environment that gives them the best of both worlds. Private duty nursing allows nurses to avoid frequent social interactions while providing bedside care. The only downside to this nursing career is the irregular hours.
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.
Based on average salaries for jobs that require postgraduate education, Master of Nursing graduates in Australia typically earn between $84,331 and $128,319 per year. This salary range reflects the advanced skills and expertise associated with such degrees.
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!
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.