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What will you earn

Queensland Health is a world-class health service that offers rewarding career opportunities for Nurses and Midwives.

Benefits

Note: A new wage agreement with improved benefits and conditions has been certified. Nurses (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB6) 2006 pdf.

Leave

Nurses working shift work receive six weeks annual leave to compensate for working weekends and public holidays. Leave can be taken at half pay for double the period of time. Leave can also be ‘purchased’ for up to six weeks per year with adjustments to proportionate salary.

Long service leave can be accessed after seven years and can be taken at half pay for double the period of time. One week of accrued long service leave can be taken at a time.

Maternity & Adoption Leave: QH nurses receive 12 weeks maternity and adoption leave.

Salary Sacrifice

Salary sacrifice for a number of items is available. Payments towards car and home repayments can be made pre-tax and up to 100% of earnings can be sacrificed to superannuation. This option is worth approximately $9,000 gross per annum

Rural and Remote Incentives

The daily challenges faced by registered Nurses in remote areas are well documented and can include professional isolation, an extended scope of practice and working and living in a different social and cultural setting.
Queensland Health has implemented a number of policies as part of a compensation package to assist recruitment and retention of nurses in Rural and Remote facilities.

Professional Development Package:

Registered Nurses working in permanent full and part-time positions are entitled to 3 days paid professional development leave and between $1500 and $2500 per annum towards the cost of professional development. Any funds not used towards professional development will be paid out at the end of 2 years. Leave is cumulative for 2 years and if not used in this time it is waived.

Salary / Remuneration

Salary

In the Queensland public sector, the yearly base rate for:

  • at the top end of the Queensland public sector nursing award a nurses annual salary can be over $130,000.
  • a registered nurse, Nursing Officer 1 (NO1) at graduate starting level is $46,628. If you work a roster that includes shift work, this figure could increase to over $50,000;
  • an enrolled nurse paypoint 1, before shift loading, is $36,812.  If you work a roster that includes shift work, this figure could increase to over $40,000!

Shift Allowances

If you work shift work, on top of your base rate of pay, you receive the following shift allowances:

  • 12.5 per cent for afternoon shifts
  • 20 per cent for night shifts
  • 50 per cent for Saturdays
  • 75 per cent for Sundays
  • 150 per cent for special Public Holidays - Easter Saturday, Labor Day and Show Day
  • 50 per cent for all other Public Holidays

Nurses working shift work receive six weeks annual leave to compensate for working weekends and public holidays.

Remuneration Packages

Queensland Health provides attractive remuneration packages for Nursing staff. The document below provides detail of packages available to registered nursing officers. It provides details of both the bottom and top of each pay scale for Nursing Officers Level 1 to 4. It is important to note that there are annual increment levels between the bottom and top levels in each pay scale (please see Schedule 1 Wages Rates of the Certified Agreement below).

Other important documents and links include:

The package offered to nursing officers employed by Queensland Health includes:

  • Competitive salary and conditions
  • Access to Salary Sacrificing arrangements
  • Additional incentives to work in rural and remote locations
  • 38 hour week with overtime provisions (variable)
  • 17.5% annual leave loading (27.5% annual leave loading for shift workers)
  • Up to 12.75% employer superannuation contribution
  • Twelve (12) weeks paid maternity leave (with half pay option) plus one weeks paid paternity leave
  • On call allowances (variable)
  • Shift allowances and penalty rates (variable)
  • Five (5) weeks (six (6) weeks for shift workers) paid annual leave with option to purchase up to six (6) weeks additional annual leave per year (subject to service delivery requirements)
  • Professional Development Allowance of between $1,500 to $2,500 per annum depending on location of employment
  • Professional Development leave accruable at 3 days per year
  • Qualifications allowance of between $1,939 and $3,047 per annum for relevant continuing education credentials

Other items provided by Queensland Health that vary with location are:

  • Relocation costs
  • Accommodation