Enrolled nursing jobs in Cairns

Sanctuary Recruitment is Australia's leading aged care recruitment agency that specialises in placing enrolled nurses and aged care professionals in roles across the country on a temporary, permanent and contract basis. We have strong relationships with private and non-for-profit providers and are able to find you a position, or staff that meet your requirements and needs.

If you are an enrolled nurse and are looking for a new position in Cairns, or would like to travel the country with us, send in your resume and view our available jobs today.

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Send in your resume or register your interest and our industry expert consultants will be in contact.

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Complete the onboarding process and become fully compliant. Our compliance team can help you through this step by step.

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Enrolled Nurse Jobs in Cairns FAQs

Enrolled nurses are AHPRA registered healthcare professionals who provide direct patient/resident care in an array of medical settings. The difference between an enrolled nurse and a registered nurse is their scope of practice - registered nurses have more responsibilities and duties than an enrolled nurse.

Enrolled nurses in aged care often enter the industry either through an entry level role such as an Assistant in nursing/personal care worker and then upskilling. or by studying the relevant course and entering at in this role.

Our enrolled nursing roles cover Australia wide areas. We have a large network of homes in metro, regional, rural and remote areas of the country.

Reach out today if you are looking for a role in Cairns or across Queensland, in areas such as:

  • Bribie Island
  • Brisbane
  • Gold Coast
  • Sunshine Coast
  • Toowoomba
  • Townsville
  • Wide Bay

Pay rates for enrolled nurses are broken down in the Aged Care and Nurses Award. There are various pay points that are dependent on your experience, location, job title and setting. The average enrolled nurse casual pay rates are in-between $31 - $76 per hour

For short term contract placements across the country, we offer allowances, incentives and bonuses depending on the placement. The aged care industry is evolving, with the aged care reform roadmap leading to a pay rise for the aged care sector in recent years, with changes to come.

For our enrolled nurses, we generally require a minimum of 6 months Australian aged care experience for our metro and casual nursing pool. Get in touch today if your experience doesn't reach this, as some of our clients accept newer grads.

Enrolled nurses are required to have completed a 2 year Diploma of Nursing course. This is  completed at an educational institution, made up of both practical and theoretical assessments. Eligible students can receive fee-free courses through TAFE.

You can work as an enrolled nurse on a temporary/casual and contract basis. Temporary work allows you to fill ad-hoc shifts when you like, whether it is last minute cancellations or block bookings. Contract assignments are often full time placements starting from 4 weeks in regional and remote areas of the country.

We have a Learning Management System (LMS) that allows for our nurses to educate and refresh their knowledge so they are ready for work. This is regularly updated to reflect legislation and is role specific, at no cost to you.

Through working on a casual/temporary basis, you can:

  • Decide when and where you work
  • Explore areas of the country whilst getting paid for it, with free travel and accommodation included.
  • Judge the work/life balance you want to implement
  • Receive casual loading hourly pay rates

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
An interview with our nursing team

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A complete guide to aged care qualifications and certification requirements 

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A guide to the 8 Aged Care Quality Standards

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Shining a spotlight on female leadership in aged care

First published: March 2024 A background to women in leadership The aged care industry is dominated by female workers, with 86% of the RAC workforce (direct care workers) identifying as female. Despite this overwhelming percentage, female leadership positions are still low in comparison to men, with women CEOs making up 19% across all industries. Females…

Standard 6: why food and nutrition matter more than ever in aged care

By Rhiannon Dhoot, Client Relationship Manager at Sanctuary Recruitment I’m Rhiannon, Client Relationship Manager at Sanctuary Recruitment. Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with aged care providers across Australia, visit a range of homes and learn more about the challenges and priorities shaping the sector today. One topic that has…

The Australia Federal Budget 2024 – 25: what it means for aged care

First published: July 2024 Last month, the Federal Budget for 2024 – 25 was released. It is broken down into five main initiatives: Easing cost-of-living pressures Building more homes for Australians Investing in a Future Made in Australia Strengthening Medicare and the care economy Broadening opportunity and advancing equality All of these initiatives are underpinned…

What is the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS)?

The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) is a government initiative and subsequent reporting system implemented to reduce abuse and neglect of older people receiving aged care services. SIRS is a mandatory requirement for approved aged care providers, including residential aged care homes and home care services (encompassing Home Care Packages, the Commonwealth Home Support Programme…

The 5 most common workforce compliance gaps in aged care

Published: December 2025 In the aged care sector, workforce compliance is more than a box-ticking exercise; it’s directly tied to resident safety, quality of care and your organisation’s ability to meet regulatory standards. As the sector continues to face workforce shortages, increased demand and ongoing legislative change, maintaining a compliant workforce has become both more critical and more challenging.  Below are the five most common workforce…