How to become a registered nurse in Australia
Registered Nurses provide nursing care to patients in hospitals, aged care and other health care facilities, and in the community.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the registered nurses group are projected to grow 26.1% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care for patients according to accepted nursing practice and standards
- Working in consultation with other health professionals and members of health teams, and coordinating the care of patients
- Providing interventions, treatments and therapies such as medications, and monitoring responses to treatment and care plan
- Promoting health and assisting in preventing ill health by participating in health education and other health promotion activities
- Answering questions and providing information to patients and families about treatment and care
- Supervising and coordinating the work of enrolled nurses and other health care workers
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the registered nurses group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 84% a degree or higher, 9% a diploma, 3% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria53 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Nursing - Scholars Program · Monash, Clayton90.00 Nursing (Clinical Leadership) · Deakin, Melbourne Burwood77.00 Nursing First Year Entry · Monash, Clayton76.85 Nursing · RMIT, Bundoora75.15 Nursing (1st Year Entry) (Degree) · VU, St Albans72.60 Nursing - First Year Entry Only · ACU, Melbourne71.55 Nursing · La Trobe, Melbourne70.15 Nursing · Deakin, Melbourne Burwood70.05Showing 8 of 53 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT54 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Nursing · Charles Sturt94.65 Bachelor of Nursing (Advanced Studies) · Sydney84.00 Bachelor of Science and Master of Nursing · Sydney81.00 Bachelor of Nursing · ACU80.55 Bachelor of Arts and Master of Nursing · Sydney80.25 Bachelor of Science (Health) and Master of Nursing · Sydney80.20 Bachelor of Nursing · La Trobe78.40 Bachelor of Nursing · CQUniversity77.75Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 9 of 54 matches. Search every course.
Queensland46 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Nursing · UQ, St Lucia83.10 Bachelor of Nursing · QUT, Kelvin Grove74.00 Bachelor of Nursing · Griffith, Brisbane South (Nathan)72.05 Bachelor of Nursing · CQUniversity, Rockhampton70.05 Bachelor of Nursing · Southern Cross, Coffs Harbour70.00 Bachelor of Nursing Science · UniSC, Moreton Bay67.15 Bachelor of Nursing Science - Pre-Registration · JCU, Cairns66.50 Bachelor of Nursing · UNE, Armidale65.05Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 10 of 46 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia15 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Nursing - Non School Leaver (Mandurah) · Murdoch, Mandurah65.95 Bachelor of Nursing - School Leavers (Mandurah) · Murdoch, Mandurah65.95 Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) · UWA, Perth64.40 Bachelor of Science (Advanced Nursing) · Curtin, Perth61.35 Bachelor of Nursing - Non School Leaver · Murdoch, Perth60.45 Bachelor of Nursing - School Leavers · Murdoch, Perth60.45 Bachelor of Science (Nursing) - Registered Nursing · ECU, South West (Bunbury)60.10Showing 8 of 15 matches. Search every course.
Matched on course names, 168 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Social, Conventional, Investigative.
From O*NET ratings for "Registered Nurses", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.