‘Need a pay rise’: Aussies shocked by nurse’s salary

Australians have been left stunned after a young nurse revealed how much money she earns a year while working up to 16 hours a day.

A young nurse, who works up to 16 hours a day, has shocked social media users after revealing how much she gets paid.

She was recently stopped on the streets of Brisbane for an interview by jobs app, Getahead, where she revealed she earns $78,000 a year working as an enrolled nurse.

The worker is on the verge of finishing her registered nursing degree and plans to either continue working in her current hospital or become an army medic.

During the interview, she revealed that she works between 8 to 16 hour shifts as a cardiovascular respiratory nurse, which she described as “quite an intense job”.

“I am a carer for my grandfather. He had a heart attack a couple of years ago, [which] kind of got me into the specialty,” she said, adding that she had also cared for her grandmother when she was diagnosed with cancer.

“I just love the aspect of giving back to everyone, looking after people when they can’t look after themselves is a massive thing.”

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When asked if she thought hospitals and the government were doing enough to “look after” nurses, the young Aussie said she didn’t think so.

“We have to fight so much for our pay increases and for our rights,” she said.

“I don’t think a lot of people see how much we struggle and how emotionally exhausted we are sometimes.”

The nurse said she and other people in the industry could “definitely” do with more help and benefits.

Since being shared two days ago the video has gained tens of thousands of views, with commenters sharing their shock at how much nurses really earn.

“Nurses all deserve better pay! Governments always say their nurses are valued and important but never pay them properly,” one person said.

Another claimed that rate was “too low”, while another said all nurses “need a good pay rise”.

One person wrote: “Definitely one of the most accurate interviews I’ve seen for nursing. Love this conversation! As a nurse I 100% agree, it’s a constant battle for pay increases and for better working rights. Nurses don’t get enough recognition.”

According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statics, the average salary for a registered nurse in Queensland ranges from $79,058 to $106,144.

An enrolled nurse salary in Queensland ranges from $71,234 to $82,599.

Hundreds of doctors, nurses, midwives and medical staff pictured outside St George Hospital in Kogarah to protest the NSW government's working conditions. Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

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Meanwhile, the average salary for a nurse in NSW ranges from $69,810 to $98,014.

Victorian nurses have capped salaries at just below $130,000, making them among the highest paid in the country.

In NSW the top classification for a registered nurse caps out at just under 100,000 in Queensland it peaks at $106,144

This is not the first time people have been left horrified after finding out how poorly some of our nurses are being paid.

Earlier this year in another Getahead interview a nurse working at a private Brisbane hospital revealed that she earns around $33 an hour.

“I also work in a kitchen at the same hospital,” she added.

Her admission sparked multiple stunned responses from social media users, with one person claiming there was “no way” Australia was “paying their nurses this low”.

“It’s a joke here,” another said, with one adding: “I make more as a barista, what?”

Even though there was shock online around the woman’s earnings, she claimed the “pay” was one of the parts she loved most when it came to the job, along with “going home to sleep”.

Despite her joking response, the young worker said nurse was something she could see herself doing “forever” and said more nurses are “definitely needed” in Australia.

Originally published as ‘Need a pay rise’: Aussies shocked by nurse’s salary