Registered nurse
Provide nursing care for patients in hospital, community and aged-care settings under AHPRA registration.
Registration: AHPRA registration required
Salary
Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time weekly earnings | $2000 | Job Outlook (2025-06-01) |
| Graduate starting salary | $72,000 | QILT (2025-03-01) |
What a registered nurse actually does
Most registered nurses work in 8 or 12-hour shifts that rotate across mornings, afternoons and nights. A typical hospital ward shift opens with bedside handover from the off-going team, then a round of patient assessments, vital-signs checks and medication administration. Through the day you'll manage IV lines, wound dressings, discharge planning, family questions and the constant churn of documentation in an electronic medical record. RNs in community and aged care drive between client homes or move between consult rooms, with more autonomy and less peer support on hand. Most RNs work 38 hours a week on average, but rosters include weekend and public-holiday shifts and the work is physically demanding. Burnout and fatigue are real risks, especially during winter respiratory surges or staff shortages, so most senior nurses guard their rostered days off carefully.
Typical tasks
- Assess and plan patient care alongside doctors and allied health professionals.
- Administer medications and monitor patient responses.
- Coordinate handover, discharge and family communication.
- Maintain accurate clinical records and observe scope of practice.
Skills you'll use
- Clinical assessment and vital-signs interpretation
- Safe medication calculation and administration
- Aseptic wound care and IV cannulation
- Clear handover and bedside communication
- Reading and documenting in electronic medical records
- De-escalating distressed patients and families
- Working under pressure during codes and rapid responses
- Cultural safety with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 12 with English and a science subject (Biology, Chemistry or Human Biology helps but isn't compulsory at most universities)
- 2Complete a 3-year accredited Bachelor of Nursing at a university approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
- 3Pass the required clinical placement hours (about 800 hours across the degree) in hospitals, aged care and community settings
- 4Apply for AHPRA registration as a Registered Nurse in your final semester so you can start work the week after graduation
- 5Join a graduate nurse programme at a public or private hospital. These are 12-month rotational programmes that build core competencies
- 6Decide on a specialty after 2-3 years and consider a graduate certificate in critical care, emergency, mental health, paediatrics or another area
Where you can work
- Public hospitals run by state health departments
- Private hospitals and day-surgery centres
- Residential aged-care facilities
- Community health services and GP practices
- Mental-health units and forensic services
- Defence Force and correctional health services
- Remote and Indigenous primary-care clinics
- Schools, universities and occupational-health teams
Career progression
Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.
- New graduate0-1 yearsTypical roles: Graduate registered nurse, Ward nurse on rotationSalary band: $70,000 - $78,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
- Registered nurse1-5 yearsTypical roles: RN ward nurse, Community RN, Aged-care RNSalary band: $78,000 - $95,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
- Clinical nurse or senior RN5-10 yearsTypical roles: Clinical nurse specialist, Clinical nurse educator, Senior RNSalary band: $95,000 - $115,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
- Nurse unit manager or nurse practitioner10+ yearsTypical roles: Nurse unit manager, Nurse practitioner, Director of nursingSalary band: $120,000 - $160,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You can stay calm when someone is bleeding, vomiting or distressed
- You're happy working in a team and asking for help when out of depth
- You can hold respectful boundaries with difficult patients and families
- You don't mind shift work, weekends and public-holiday rosters
- You want a job where what you do today actually matters tonight
- You're physically fit enough to be on your feet for 10 hours
This might not suit you if
- You can't handle bodily fluids, smells or end-of-life care
- You want a strict 9-to-5 with no weekend or night shifts
- You don't cope well with sustained emotional intensity
- You want to avoid documentation and paperwork
- You're not willing to keep learning across a 30-year career
Three ways in
Uni, TAFE and trade routes for registered nurse. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
Apprenticeship trade
Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.
Not an apprenticeship trade.
Sources
- https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/explore-careers/occupation/registered-nurses
- https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.