Are nurses in OZ underpaid?

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Hello!

I'm from Ontario, thinking of moving to Australia (Brisbane) and have been comparing nursing wages. Are nurses in Australia generally underpaid compared to other careers?

Personally, I think so, especially if the max pay is only 26/hr after 9 years of experience?

It's rather discouraging to seek employment in Austrlia when the pay scale is lower than here in Canada, but other jobs seem to pay higher.

Does anyone have a website that comapres salaries for other jobs in OZ?

Thanks!

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Hiya .. I am from brissy in Australia and yes to your question.

I am looking to move to medicine hat in alberta as I am married to a canadian. I am an endorsed enrolled nurse here and have no idea what that equals in canada. I think its similar to your LPN. I can do most medications but not all. could you please help me figure out who I need to contact in order to be recognised in canada and be allowed to work. or will I have to re sit exams first..?

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oh....this is sad. I thought all nurses wherever they may be complain of being underpaid? Is this only true in Oz?

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Ortho/HH/Radiology-Now Retired.

In answer to your question.... YES! Grossly underpaid and undervalued. Despite what some might have you believe.

This is part of the reason for the high attrition rate.

Corporations pay big dollars to attract the right, well qualified, people to the job. Yet the health sector deems it acceptable to renumerate poorly, but places HIGH expectations on nursing professionals!

While we need HIGH standards in nursing, we also NEED equitable wages.

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I am a NY RN and we are being crushed under the weight of our workload, stress and property taxes and are almost to the point of not taking it anymore. 3 nurses resigned in the past two weeks from our small rural hospital. They are making day shift work night shift, and never two in a row. A local nursing home has just advertised for LPNs at $19.97/hr full time with benefits, and that is more than I make as an LPN instructor without benefits. The hospital RN's are making around $17 and $18/hr. The benefit package has been budget cut to the bone, no tuition reimbursement to speak of, and a pt to nurse ratio of about 1:10 (don't even mention acuity... the ICU beds are often full with floor patients). I celebrated the passing of California's minimum staffing law that has successfully mandated 1:5/6 staffing ratios. Dear AMA, the hospitals aren't closing, are they?

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