Are you passionate about serving people and making a difference in people’s lives? Luckily for you, Nursing is one of those professions that allows you to do that while also making a lucrative career.
And if you are considering studying Nursing in Australia, it might be the right choice. Pondering why? Tag along as we focus on this critical matter that thousands of international students are curious about.
Australian Universities offer a variety of nursing programs ranging from Diploma in Nursing, Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Nursing. All of these nursing programs in Australia have global recognition, which means that you will acquire approved skills and can work anywhere in the world after completing your studies.
Nursing in Australia is also regarded as one of the high paid jobs. Post-graduation, if you work full-time in Australia, you will earn roughly 80,000 AUD per year, which is pretty high compared to other jobs. The higher the experience and specialization, the range varies and increases.
Top Nursing Institutions in Australia
Australia undoubtedly is an excellent place for higher education. A lot of universities and colleges in Australia offer nursing courses.
Australia has some of the world’s top-ranked universities offering world-class education in different fields such as IT, Engineering, Nursing, Management, etc.
Aligned with the need and demands of healthcare workers in Australia, Australian top nursing universities have been offering the best nursing programs to national and international students.
Australia has 10 of 50 top institutions offering the best nursing programs globally, as ranked by the QS World University Rankings 2023.
|
Global Rank |
University |
Location |
|
13 |
The University of Sydney |
Sydney |
|
15 |
Monash University |
Melbourne |
|
=17 |
The University of Melbourne |
Parkville |
|
20 |
University of Technology Sydney |
Haymarket |
|
23 |
Griffith University |
Nathan |
|
30 |
Queensland University of Technology |
Brisbane |
|
32 |
Deakin University |
Geelong |
|
=33 |
The University of Queensland |
Brisbane |
|
43 |
Australian Catholic University |
Melbourne |
|
=47 |
Western Sydney University |
Milperra |
Bachelor of Nursing Vs Master of Nursing in Australia
A nursing degree can lead to many compassionate and lucrative careers in Australia. Depending on the level of nursing degree, you can earn from AUD 48,000 to AUD 100,000 per year and more.
Australia is particularly famous for its Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Nursing. Most universities in Australia offering Bachelor of Nursing courses are accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council. They are approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
So, upon completing the Bachelor of Nursing from these universities, graduates can apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. One of the reasons behind this is during a Bachelor's degree, you will earn clinical training to pursue a nursing career.
Ultimately, they can work in these areas like tertiary hospitals, aged care, rural and community health care etc.
Because of this, the Bachelor of Nursing in Australia is popular amongst international students.
If you are pursuing a Master's degree in Australia, you will be eligible for high-paying nursing professions like nurse educator, nurse supervisor, etc. Students need to know that unlike with a Bachelor's degree in Nursing, students are not eligible to apply for nursing registration after completing a master's degree in nursing from Australia.
This is because most universities offer leadership and management programme in nursing. As a result, to register as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, you must meet specific requirements and conditions.
Nursing as a Career in Australia
While considering nursing in Australia, you might also ask yourself- is Nursing a promising career in Australia? or is Nursing in demand in Australia? The answer to both of these questions is a YES!
Healthcare in Australia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing employment sectors with the highest funding in the country. Australia faces a shortage of health workers, so Nursing in Australia remains the most sought-after and rewarding profession.
The Australian Government’s 2014 Australia’s Future Health Workforce report noted that Australia will need at least an extra 123,000 nurses around the country by 2030. It simply denotes that Australia needs nurses, many of them!
Predictions also outline that Australia’s proportion of people aged over 65 years will grow substantially over the next few decades. To enhance the quality of life and provide higher standards of care to the ageing population in Australia, the demand for healthcare services and the need for skilled nurses will continue to increase.
In this context, with a nursing degree in Australia, you could pursue your career in various nursing fields at hospitals, community health, elderly care centres, neonatal care centres, education centres, etc.
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Talk to an ExpertScholarships to Study Nursing in Australia
Going through the fee structures and calculating the cost of studying nursing in Australia might be disheartening. The brighter side is that many scholarships for nursing programs are available for international students each year.
These scholarships are funded by the university/college along with different private organizations and professional associations.
You may get a full scholarship, tuition fee exemptions, term bursaries and scholarships, health insurance, relocation allowance, and many more based on the eligibility criteria. Generally, leading universities in Australia offer international students 10 to 30% of scholarships.
Most nursing scholarships are provided for those wanting to study Bachelor of Nursing and a Master of Nursing in Australia. Some of the popular nursing scholarships for international students in Australia are:
|
University |
Scholarship |
|
RMIT University |
Australia Awards Scholarships |
|
RMIT Funded Scholarships |
|
|
External Scholarships |
|
|
University of Melbourne |
Richard Lovell Travelling Scholarship |
|
Hannah Barry Memorial Award |
|
|
Graduate Research Scholarship: Up to 100% tuition fee waiver |
|
|
Gowrie Scholarship |
|
|
Melbourne Welcome Grant |
|
|
Melbourne International Undergraduate Scholarship |
|
|
University of Technology, Sydney |
UTS Grant for Masters by Coursework Students: AUD 3,000 towards your first session tuition fees |
|
UTS Postgraduate Academic Excellence International Scholarship: 25 to 35% waiver on tuition fees |
|
|
Vice-Chancellor’s International Postgraduate Coursework Scholarship: Full tuition scholarship for the standard course duration. |
|
|
UTS Onshore Postgraduate International Scholarship: 25% tuition fee scholarship for the standard course duration. |
|
|
University of Sydney |
The Johnson Nursing Scholarship: AUD 5000 |
|
Australia Awards Scholarships |
|
|
The Women’s College Scholarships |
|
|
Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarships Scheme: Up to AUD 40,000 |
Nursing Jobs in Australia
To be able to work as a nurse in Australia, you may choose to complete any of the degree levels- Bachelor, Master or postgraduate after which you will be able to start your registration to become a registered nurse in Australia.
The registration is applied at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), including the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), where you must adhere to the certification requirements.
As mentioned above, to work as a nurse in Australia, you must register with the NMBA, meet the registration standards and complete a skills assessment test.
Once you are a registered nurse in Australia, you can find employment opportunities in
- Public and private healthcare systems
- Acute care hospitals
- Children's hospitals
- Trauma and emergency care
- Aged care
- Community Nursing
- Palliative care
- Home care nursing
- Drug and alcohol centres
- Operating rooms and other surgical settings
- Rural and remote nursing
- Pharmaceutical industry
- Clinical research trials
- Other health and education-related fields
Another benefit as a nurse is that you have flexible working arrangements-days, nights, evenings, weekends, full-time or part-time. You can even adapt your hours from 4 to 12 hours per shift.
Considering the state policies, a registered nurse in Australia earns around 80,000 AUD annually. With experience and promotions, salary and benefits always increase.
You can see the average salary of nurses working in different positions in the table below.
|
Nursing positions |
Salary in AUD |
|
Nursing Assistant |
40,000 – 60,000 |
|
Enrolled Nurse |
50,000 – 70,000 |
|
Registered Nurse |
55,000 – 95,000 |
|
Clinical Nurse |
65,000 – 110,000 |
|
Nurse Manager |
95,000 – 130,000 |
|
Nurse Practitioner |
100,000 – 130,000 |
|
Director of Nursing |
140,000 – 200,000 |
Several Options for Specialisations
Besides offering an undaunted career scope and opportunities, Nursing in Australia also lets you identify your interest and options to specialise yourself.
Some of the most common options available for specialization in Nursing in Australia are-
- Advanced Nursing Practice
- Infection Prevention and Control
- Primary Maternity Care
- Mental Health
- Clinical Education
- Leadership and Management in Health
- Intensive Care Nursing
- Emergency Nursing
- Cancer and Haematology Nursing
- Midwifery
- Paediatric Nursing
You can go for paediatric or maternity and even become a travel nurse, school nurse, camp, military or public health nurse. All you have to do is know what you want.
Pathway to PR
If you successfully become a registered nurse in Australia, you will be eligible to obtain a skilled visa with a pathway to Australian PR.
Various Nursing professions have made it to Australia’s Skilled Occupation List.
|
Enrolled Nurse |
Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) |
|
Mothercraft Nurse |
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) ROL |
|
Nurse Educator |
Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) |
|
Nurse Manager |
Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) |
|
Nurse Practitioner |
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) |
|
Nurse Researcher |
Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) |
|
Registered Nurse (Aged Care) |
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) |
|
Registered Nurse (Child and Family Health) |
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) |
|
Registered Nurse (Community Health) |
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) |
|
Registered Nurse (Critical care and Emergency) |
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) |
|
Registered Nurse (Developmental Disability) |
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) |
|
Registered Nurse (Disability and Rehabilitation) |
Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) |
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