Rn's grading and leveling in Australia

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU.

Hey folks! Just wanted to clarify the grading and leveling system of Nurses there in Australia.

I understand that each state has their own way of doing this. The thing is I have been offered a Clinical Nurse position in Queensland. Under the salary tab, it says that I'm paid xx.xx /hr (Level 2 Grade 1 Registered Nurse). When I did a little bit of a research, I found out that an RN is different than a Clinical Nurse, position wise. Now my question is why do I get offered a clinical nurse where my salary states a registered nurse? Will this affect my application as a clinical nurse in my future career?

Kinda confused on this.

Thanks in advance.

:confused:

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Specializes in Telemetry, Emergency, Cardiology, Respiratory.
Hey folks! Just wanted to clarify the grading and leveling system of Nurses there in Australia.

I understand that each state has their own way of doing this. The thing is I have been offered a Clinical Nurse position in Queensland. Under the salary tab, it says that I'm paid xx.xx /hr (Level 2 Grade 1 Registered Nurse). When I did a little bit of a research, I found out that an RN is different than a Clinical Nurse, position wise. Now my question is why do I get offered a clinical nurse where my salary states a registered nurse? Will this affect my application as a clinical nurse in my future career?

Kinda confused on this.

Thanks in advance.

:confused:

Congratulations in the job! Where are you from if you don't mind me asking?

I was a clinical nurse at the royal Brisbane hospital for 5 years. Clinical Nurse is nurse grade 06 on the grading system. and you will be at pay point 1 because this is a new clinical nurse job for you (it goes up to pay point 3).

A clinical nurse position is not something you automatically progress to once you work a certain number of years. You apply for the position when you feel you have enough experience in a certain specialty. I applied and got the job after 2 years of working in my clinical area.

If you wanna change jobs, you will lose your clinical nurse position (because it is specialty-specific) unless you are successful in obtaining another CN position. Otherwise, you will be 'downgraded" (for lack of a better term) to nurse grade 5 (which is the ordinary registered nurse grade). For example, if I was a Radiology CN and wanted an ICU CN job, I'd have to wait for one to be advertised and apply for it, be interviewed, land the job, and be paid my current CN rate. If no ICU CN job was available, I can apply for an ICU RN position if it is available, attend an interview, land the job, and be paid an RN rate not the CN rate. I guess the downside is, if you change jobs and don't land another CN job, there will be a bit of a pay downgrade.

The position is a registered nurse position but you will be in a senior, specialised position (don't let the RN/CN terminology confuse you). A CN is always an RN, but an RN isn't always a CN but can be.

It will have no negative impact on your future job applications, in fact it will be very positive to see that on your resume.

Does that make any sense to you?

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU.
Congratulations in the job! Where are you from if you don't mind me asking?

I was a clinical nurse at the royal Brisbane hospital for 5 years. Clinical Nurse is nurse grade 06 on the grading system. and you will be at pay point 1 because this is a new clinical nurse job for you (it goes up to pay point 3).

A clinical nurse position is not something you automatically progress to once you work a certain number of years. You apply for the position when you feel you have enough experience in a certain specialty. I applied and got the job after 2 years of working in my clinical area.

If you wanna change jobs, you will lose your clinical nurse position (because it is specialty-specific) unless you are successful in obtaining another CN position. Otherwise, you will be 'downgraded" (for lack of a better term) to nurse grade 5 (which is the ordinary registered nurse grade). For example, if I was a Radiology CN and wanted an ICU CN job, I'd have to wait for one to be advertised and apply for it, be interviewed, land the job, and be paid my current CN rate. If no ICU CN job was available, I can apply for an ICU RN position if it is available, attend an interview, land the job, and be paid an RN rate not the CN rate. I guess the downside is, if you change jobs and don't land another CN job, there will be a bit of a pay downgrade.

The position is a registered nurse position but you will be in a senior, specialised position (don't let the RN/CN terminology confuse you). A CN is always an RN, but an RN isn't always a CN but can be.

It will have no negative impact on your future job applications, in fact it will be very positive to see that on your resume.

Does that make any sense to you?

Yeah! Thanks a lot, a bit clearer there when it comes to job position. I'm from the Philippines, although I have been a nurse here in UAE for about 7 yrs now and in one field, cardiothoracic rn. I guess that's why I was offered this position. It's not the same as my present job (cardiothoracic icu, iabps, crrts, ecmo, etc.), so I may lose those skills. Sigh

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Specializes in Telemetry, Emergency, Cardiology, Respiratory.
Yeah! Thanks a lot, a bit clearer there when it comes to job position. I'm from the Philippines, although I have been a nurse here in UAE for about 7 yrs now and in one field, cardiothoracic rn. I guess that's why I was offered this position. It's not the same as my present job (cardiothoracic icu, iabps, crrts, ecmo, etc.), so I may lose those skills. Sigh

I'm Filipino too.

Have you looked at Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane? They do cardiothoracic surgeries there. Also Gold Coast University Hospital has been recruiting ICU nurses for months now. If you don't get any of those jobs and settle for the CN job, at least you've got your foot in the door and can try applying again when the opportunity comes up.

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU.
I'm Filipino too.

Have you looked at Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane? They do cardiothoracic surgeries there. Also Gold Coast University Hospital has been recruiting ICU nurses for months now. If you don't get any of those jobs and settle for the CN job, at least you've got your foot in the door and can try applying again when the opportunity comes up.

Yeah, Im just afraid that the new CN position will shadow my previous ICU experience. I'm pretty sure also that if I ever go back on being an RN in an ICU, I'll have to downgrade my salary as well.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Emergency, Cardiology, Respiratory.
Yeah, Im just afraid that the new CN position will shadow my previous ICU experience. I'm pretty sure also that if I ever go back on being an RN in an ICU, I'll have to downgrade my salary as well.

There's really not much of a difference in your case. You'll be paid the highest pay point as an RN coz of your experience and between that and the first CN paypoint is about $1.20 difference per hour.

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