Salary of nurses in Australia

The salary of nurses in Australia is one of the things every nurse wishes to know before starting a job.

A worker is liable for his wages, so if you wish to know the salary of nurses in Australia this article is for you.

Nursing as a career has a high demand and always proved to be a rewarding one. It also provides an opportunity to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of people financially.

The salary of nurses in Australia is dependent on different factors like;

  1. City
  2. Type of nursing work
  3. Level of Academic acquisition
  4. Work experience
  5. Nature of establishment
  6. Health institution

In this article on the salary of nurses in Australia, the factors that determine what a nurse earns in Australia are elaborated with the average estimated salary in Australian dollars.

Salary of nurses in Australia based on city

Different cities in Australia have various salaries for different services, the salary of nurses in Australia might be higher in some cities maybe because of the cost of living or the population in a given geographical entity.

Below is a breakdown of the salary of nurses in Australia based on city

City Average Salary
Adelaide 73,200 AUD
Brisbane 80,100 AUD
Canberra-Queanbeyan 71,900 AUD
Gold Coast-Tweed 69,900 AUD
Gosford 67,500 AUD
Melbourne 75,800 AUD
Newcastle 72,300 AUD
Perth 76,600 AUD
Sunshine Coast 65,400 AUD
Sydney 79,300 AUD
Wollongong 65,800 AUD

Salary of nurses in Australia based on Type of nursing work

The type of health service a nurse does determine his or her pay, in a health institution, not all nurses receive equal pay. Since there is a division of labor and specialization, there is equal variation in the salary of nurses in Australia.

salary of nurses in Australia

Below is the comparison of the salary of nurses in Australia based on work type.

Job Title Average Salary
Acute Care Nurse 81,300 AUD
Assistant Director of Nursing 139,000 AUD
Case Manager 106,000 AUD
Company Nurse 61,700 AUD
Critical Care Nurse 82,000 AUD
District Nurse 70,900 AUD
Head Nurse 83,200 AUD
Home Nurse 68,000 AUD
ICU Registered Nurse 80,100 AUD
Informatics Nurse Specialist 79,300 AUD
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) 73,900 AUD
MDS Coordinator 82,400 AUD
Mental Health Nurse 76,500 AUD
NeonatalNurse Practitioner 109,000 AUD
Nurse 72,600 AUD
Nurse Midwife 88,400 AUD
Nurse Practitioner 93,100 AUD
Nursing Assistant 68,900 AUD
Nursing Coordinator 91,100 AUD
Nursing Director 168,000 AUD
Nursing Services Instructor 81,900 AUD
Nursing Supervisor 111,000 AUD
Occupational Health Advisor 142,000 AUD
Occupational Therapist 123,000 AUD
Personal Support Worker 57,300 AUD
Psychiatric Nurse 74,100 AUD
Registered Nurse 73,800 AUD
Respiratory Manager 142,000 AUD
School Nurse 67,300 AUD
Staff Nurse 73,800 AUD
Theatre Manager 126,000 AUD
Utilization Review Nurse 80,100 AUD

Salary of nurses in Australia based on Level of Academic acquisition

As in our previous post (how to become a nurse in Australia), you learned about enrolled nurses and registered nurses, however, there are other levels of academic acquisitions that are rated higher than others.

In the same vein, there are differences in the salary of nurses in Australia based on the level of academic acquisition.

salary of nurses in Australia

We will be considering the salary difference between nurses having some work experience, doing some work but different levels of education or academic acquisition.

Below is the salary of nurses in Australia based on level of academic acquisition

We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Staff Nurse salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.

When the education level is Bachelor’s Degree, the average salary of a Staff Nurse is 52,100 AUD annually while a nurse with a Master’s Degree gets a salary of 92,400 AUD annually.

Many people pursue higher education levels as a tactic to switch to higher-paying jobs.

The salary of nurses in Australia based on Work experience

The experience level a nurse has is one of the most important factors in determining the salary. Normally, the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Staff Nurse salaries by experience level and this is what we can say.

A Staff Nurse with less than two years of experience makes approximately 42,200 AUD annually While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 55,200 AUD annually.

However, an experience level between five and ten years attracts a salary of 77,200 AUD annually.

Additionally, Staff Nurse(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 92,800 AUD annually while the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 101,000 AUD annually.

The salary of nurses in Australia increases as one advance in the experience of work.

The salary of nurses in Australia based on the nature of the establishment

There is a great difference in salary for the nurses working in the private sector and those working under government establishments.

On a general comparison, the nurses working in Australia earn more than 10 percent of those under private establishments.

Salary of nurses in Australia based on health institution

The health institution one works for has a lot to say about the salary he or she gets annually. Different hospitals have different salaries they can pay to workers depending on what they earn as a health institution.

There is a variation of salary for different establishments most especially for private sectors.

You are, therefore, recommended you check and discuss your salary terms before accepting work offers as a nurse in Australia.

Nurse salary Australia per hour

The nurse salary Australia per hour is determined by many factors as stated above however, some of the salaries are compared and summarized below on an hourly basis by indeed.

The salary of nurses in Australia per hour

Salary estimated from employees, users, past and present job advertisements on Indeed

Assistant in Nursing

4 salaries reported

$55.83 per hour

Endorsed Enrolled Nurse

5 salaries reported

$88.36 per hour

Midwife

17 salaries reported

$58.44 per hour

Nurse

51 salaries reported

$47.07 per hour

Practice Nurse

3 salaries reported

$80,000 per year

Registered Mental Health Nurse

80 salaries reported

$49.67 per hour

Registered Nurse

89 salaries reported

$57.25 per hour

Registered Nurse – Acute Care

71 salaries reported

$56.65 per hour

Registered Nurse – Anaesthetics

16 salaries reported

$53.81 per hour

Registered Nurse – Catheterization Lab

5 salaries reported

$43.93 per hour

Registered Nurse – Emergency Room

40 salaries reported

$58.67 per hour

Who are the highest-paid nurses in Australia?

The highest-paid nurses are also determined by many factors like;

salary of nurses in Australia

  • Place of work
  • Work experience
  • City of work
  • Education and other factors.

For the sake of comparison, the highest-paid nurses are listed below based on general annual salaries in Australia.

Assistant Director of Nursing 139,000 AUD
Case Manager 106,000 AUD
Nursing Director 168,000 AUD
Nursing Supervisor 111,000 AUD
Occupational Health Advisor 142,000 AUD
Occupational Therapist 123,000 AUD
Respiratory Manager 142,000 AUD
Theatre Manager 126,000 AUD

The salary of nurses in Australia is not fixed considering various factors that determine what a nurse earns either per hour, monthly, or per year.

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