Most lucrative nursing specialty in Australia

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What is considered to be the highest paying nursing specialty in Australia? In the US we have a couple specialties that pay over 100k a year. I'm considering a move to Australia; however, would be looking for a position that pays well. I'm less concerned about being filthy rich, and more concerned about paying back my college loans from the US.

Thanks!

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What is considered to be the highest paying nursing specialty in Australia? In the US we have a couple specialties that pay over 100k a year. I'm considering a move to Australia; however, would be looking for a position that pays well. I'm less concerned about being filthy rich, and more concerned about paying back my college loans from the US.

Thanks!

Hi there,

in Australia nurses wages are governed by the state award for nurses according to which state you work in. A post grad qualification allowance is paid for speciatly nurses eg, ICU, MHN etc. However to find a job paying over 100 a year for nurses will be quiet difficult. As a rough guide you pay rate in $A dollars will be somewhere between 50-80.000, a qualification allowance will very to state to state 2-5%. Genreally speaking nurses are paid the same rate of pay whether you are working in ICU, ED, Cardiac, MH or just a medical ward! With the exception of the post graduate qualification allowance that I mentioned.

I hope this does not put you off coming to Australia as it is a great country to live and work in!

Nursing agency will pay more so you might want to check out a few different agencies online.

Good Luck.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
What is considered to be the highest paying nursing specialty in Australia? In the US we have a couple specialties that pay over 100k a year. I'm considering a move to Australia; however, would be looking for a position that pays well. I'm less concerned about being filthy rich, and more concerned about paying back my college loans from the US.

Thanks!

Here you can find exactly what nurses are paid in Queensland. I don't know about the other areas:

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/hrpolicies/wage_rates/nursing.asp

Other than CRNA what nursing specialties pay 100K+ in the USA and where?

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Specializes in CTICU.

I would venture to say there are NO specialties paying over $100Kpa. However, I have made close to that before when I worked permanent night shift, doing 12 hr shifts, then worked a lot of overtime. I was a Grade 3 Clinical Nurse Specialist with postgrad ICU qualification.

Edit to add: Of course you can make significantly over that if you use your nursing background and go to industry.

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Specializes in rural.

Only one way, if you are an experienced remote nurse capable of working way out in the bush - on your own - and also maybe rural remote hospitals where you need to be capable of doing everything from suturing to X-ray to delivering babies, dealing with emergencies etc. then it is possible to earn $100k. pa as an agency nurse, but to do this you must be able to find work every week of the year, be prepared to travel and, again, be VERY experienced, oh, you mustn't mind crocs, snakes, flood, fire and drought too much either!!

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
with postgrad ICU qualification.

*** I am interested in this post grad ICU qualification. Can you explain how and where one acquires such a qualification?

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

Only one way, if you are an experienced remote nurse capable of working way out in the bush - on your own - and also maybe rural remote hospitals where you need to be capable of doing everything from suturing to X-ray to delivering babies, dealing with emergencies etc. then it is possible to earn $100k. pa as an agency nurse, but to do this you must be able to find work every week of the year, be prepared to travel and, again, be VERY experienced, oh, you mustn't mind crocs, snakes, flood, fire and drought too much either!!

*** No problem. I can do all those thing and, after all my wife and I met and lived in Normonton, then in Blackall.

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Specializes in CTICU.
*** I am interested in this post grad ICU qualification. Can you explain how and where one acquires such a qualification?

http://www.latrobe.edu.au/coursefinder/local/2010/Postgraduate-Diploma-of-Nursing-Science-in-Critical-Care.5248.html

http://www.deakin.edu.au/future-students/courses/course.php?course=H667&stutype=local&keywords=graduate%20diploma

My course involved 1 year fulltime, studying 1 day a week and working 4 days a week in an ICU. You could also do a Graduate Certificate (rather than Grad Diploma) which did not include the research subjects etc and could be done part time over a year.

These courses permit you to receive the certificate allowance, which was about a dollar something per hour last time I worked in Australia.

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Only one way, if you are an experienced remote nurse capable of working way out in the bush - on your own - and also maybe rural remote hospitals where you need to be capable of doing everything from suturing to X-ray to delivering babies, dealing with emergencies etc. then it is possible to earn $100k. pa as an agency nurse, but to do this you must be able to find work every week of the year, be prepared to travel and, again, be VERY experienced, oh, you mustn't mind crocs, snakes, flood, fire and drought too much either!!

That sounds like hard work!

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If possible could you please email me because I have a project that I have to correspond with a nurse from another region. If you are able to correspond via the email I would love to speak with you for information concerning your nursing career and experience.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
If possible could you please email me because I have a project that I have to correspond with a nurse from another region. If you are able to correspond via the email I would love to speak with you for information concerning your nursing career and experience.

*** Who are you talking to?

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