FIFO Nurse Salary Guide

FIFO nursing is a great opportunity to expand your experience and develop your skillset in rural and remote regions, delivering aged care services to communities living far from major population centres. It is not only a fantastic way to explore areas of Australia, but you can also earn an increased FIFO nurse salary to compensate for spending time away from home.

Within this FIFO nurse salary guide, alongside your earning potential you will find out what FIFO nursing is, additional benefits of the role and what skills make a great FIFO nurse.

What is FIFO nursing?

FIFO nurses work across a range of fields to deliver care in areas facing staff shortages. Often, FIFO nursing is required in regional, rural and remote locations, with nurses flying in and out from their home as required.  

A FIFO nurse will usually be contracted to cover roster gaps or alleviate staffing shortages. Assignments can be on a short to long term basis, typically ranging from four weeks to three months. These can be extended if the demand is still there and cannot be covered by a nurse living locally. FIFO nursing often includes additional benefits, allowances and incentives due to the growing gap between nurse supply and demand.  

FIFO nursing salary guide

A FIFO nursing role can be financially rewarding. While there’s no set salary, a full-time FIFO nurse can earn on average $165,409 per year.  

Your earnings can vary depending on several factors, with pay rates ranging between locations, agencies and aged care providers. Below is a general guide to help you understand your potential income:

 

Shift	Pay rate
Weekday (Monday – Friday)	Up to $94 p/h
Weekend (Saturday – Sunday)	Up to $143 p/h
Public Holiday	Up to $163 p/h

 

Factors that influence your FIFO nursing salary

With FIFO nursing, your salary can vary based on factors like your specialty, experience level, and the location of your assignment. It is important to understand these different elements, as they can impact your overall earnings: 

• Experience – as you advance in your nursing career, your base hourly rate will increase. 
• Location – areas can be classed as regional, rural or remote. The further you go away from main cities and towns, the higher your incentives are.
• Allowances – agencies and providers will offer a range of allowances at the company’s discretion as part of their attraction and retention strategy. 
• Qualifications – if you upskill with additional certifications, particularly in remote area nursing, you can increase your earning potential.
• Work patterns – with casual roles, your hourly rate will change depending on whether you work a morning, afternoon, night, weekend or public holiday shift.

The perks of FIFO nursing

FIFO nursing may seem like a big change at first, but it comes with real benefits and rewards. Alongside the financial rewards, other benefits include: 

• Broader clinical experience – working in remote and regional environments often means dealing with limited resources, diverse patient presentations and a wider scope of practice. This helps you build confidence, adaptability and clinical independence.
• Locations – ranging from beachy coastlines, the red rock of the outback and the green hills of regional towns, there is a setting for everyone. Having the freedom to choose where you work is one of the biggest perks of a FIFO role, giving you the chance to combine career growth with adventure.
• Travel and accommodation – most FIFO nursing assignments come with free travel (flights and/or fuel reimbursements) and covered accommodation. Depending on the role, this could be a private apartment, on-site housing, or shared facilities with other nurses. You may even be able to take your partner or pet with you! 

Why work as a FIFO nurse with Sanctuary?

We’re proud to provide FIFO nurses with high-quality opportunities that truly support their goals. With exclusive roles, fantastic pay rates and a range of locations on offer, we are confident we can find the role for you. 

At Sanctuary, our FIFO nurses also receive the following benefits: 

• Concierge service – our travel team will organise all travel and accommodation bookings. You don’t need to do a thing! 
• Quick onboarding – leveraging Zipline technology, you can easily upload documents and complete your registration in as little as 48 hours. 
• 24/7 support – through our consultants and after-hours agents, there is always someone on hand to help with any questions or queries you may have.
• Financial rewards – alongside our competitive pay rates and free travel and accommodation, we have a monthly recognition scheme for our exceptional healthcare heroes.
• Easy timesheet submission – using our rostering app, you can upload your timesheet to receive weekly pay.

Read more on nursing insights from our FIFO nurse community.

Discover our FIFO nursing roles today

As specialists in aged care recruitment, we’re here to make your FIFO journey simple and rewarding. Register with us today and view our available vacancies to start your adventure.