Assistant in nursing jobs in Melbourne

Sanctuary Recruitment is actively hiring assistant in nursing/personal care worker positions in aged care across Melbourne and further into regional Victoria. We are Australia's leading aged care recruitment consultancy, and due to our close relationships with aged care providers across the country we can provide placements for workers looking on a temporary, contract and permanent basis.

We are currently recruiting in Melbourne, into Victoria and interstate for assistant in nursing/personal care worker roles. If you are looking for a new opportunity or would like a chat around the aged care industry, please get in contact with us, or view our jobs board.

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Assistant in nursing jobs in Melbourne FAQs

Assistant in nursing, otherwise known as personal care workers or simply care workers, are healthcare assistants that work across a variety of medical sectors. They help patients and residents with their daily care. Examples could be during meal rounds, showering and hygiene, toileting and grooming.

This is an entry level role in the aged care industry, which can open the door to many other positions such as an enrolled nurse, registered nurse, aged care management and beyond.

Since inception, we have nurtured strong relationships with aged care homes across the country. Through Sanctuary, there is the option to work in areas that are metro, regional, rural and remote.

In Melbourne, we cover each area as well as regional Victoria:

  • Ballarat
  • Bendigo
  • Geelong
  • Mildura
  • Ringwood
  • Wodonga

to name a few!

The Aged Care Award will stipulate the pay brackets. This will vary depending on your experience, job title and location of work. The average personal care worker casual pay rates are in-between $29 - $71 per hour.

You can earn bonuses, as well as receive incentives and allowances for eligible certain contract placements. Aged care reforms have led to pay rises for aged care workers in recent years, with more developments to come.

As a rule of thumb, you need a minimum of six months Australian aged care experience to work through our agency. Once you have this experience, which equates to 910 hours, get in contact with our team who can go through the onboarding process.

To be an assistant in nursing, you would need a relevant qualification. In Australia, this is a Certificate III/IV in Ageing Support/Individual Support/Health Services Assistance. This course is around 5 months long (full time) and can be studied through various educational institutions.

Once qualified as an assistant in nursing, you can choose to work on a temporary/casual and/or contract basis. Casual work, or shift filling, is usually done ad-hoc or last minute. Contract roles range in length and last 4 weeks - 3 months in rural, regional and remote areas of the country.

We ensure all of our nurses are up to date with their knowledge and skills so they can provide high quality care to residents. We offer continuous online training via our Learning Management System (LMS) at no cost to you. This is regularly updated to reflect new legislation and practices.

A casual employee can enjoy perks such as:

  • Structuring your work day/week to your schedule
  • Exploring areas of the country whilst getting paid for it, with free travel and accommodation included for certain placements
  • Setting your own level for work/life balance
  • Receiving a higher hourly rate than if you were a permanent employee

Rewards and benefits

market leading pay rates

Market leading pay rates

bonuses and incentives

Bonuses and incentives

industry expert consultants

Industry expert consultants

discount programs

Discount programs

Free online education modules

Free online education modules

Referral scheme

Referral scheme

Aged care blog
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How to become an aged care worker

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What skills does an aged care worker need?

First published: November 2024 Aged care workers are essential healthcare professionals that provide daily high-quality care to residents in aged care homes. To become an aged care worker, having the right skills and traits is just as important as obtaining the correct aged care certifications. Mastering both will lead you on the path to success. To…

What is a home care package?

First published: March 2025 Home care packages are provided under the Home Care Package Program, which is partially subsidised by the government, aiming to care for those needing assistance to remain in their own homes for longer. It was found that 68% of Australians wish to age within their own homes, meaning the demand for…

How to become a registered nurse in Australia from overseas

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Care minutes in residential aged care

First published: November 2024 As part of the aged care reform roadmap, the Department of Health and Aged Care are making changes to the number of direct care minutes a resident in residential aged care receives each day from a clinical aged care worker. As of 2023, it sat at 200 minutes per day with…