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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Express your interest

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

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Prepare for work

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

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Being working with Sanctuary

Choose from 100's of roles that suit your needs, values and requirements.

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
Meet our Sanctuary Recruitment nursing team

First published: September 2024 Getting to know our nurses on a personal as well as clinical background is important to us. When you join the Sanctuary team, the sense of community that you get through building relationships with other nurses and your consultant provides a foundation of support and opportunity. Kingsley, a AIN based in…

Aged care careers

First published: April 2025 Aged care careers cover working in clinical and non-clinical roles across an array of environments including residential aged care, home care/independent living and retirement communities. There is a wealth of employment opportunities that will allow you to explore roles that fit your knowledge and skills, that you can make a long…

Touchdown for our PALM Scheme class of 2024!

First published: March 2025 On Tuesday 4th March our PALM Scheme Class of 2024 arrived in Melbourne, Victoria, marking the start of their four year journey in Australia, making a difference in residential aged care homes in Mildura and Port Macquarie for Regis Aged Care. Under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme, 40 participants…

Once in a generation aged care reform

First published: September 2024 On the 12th September 2024 the Albanese Government announced their plans to deliver historic aged care reforms, with $5.6 billion being invested into a package that will bring the greatest improvement to aged care in 30 years. It is projected that within the next 40 years, those aged 65 and over…

Fast tracked AHPRA conversion for overseas nurses

Published February 2025 From April 2025, internationally qualified nurses from six countries will be able to receive their AHPRA registration using a more effective, less timely process. Nurses from the United Kingdom, Ireland. the United States, Singapore, Spain and parts of Canada (British Columbia and Ontario) will be able to register as a healthcare practitioner…

A complete guide to aged care qualifications and certification requirements 

There are many different roles within aged care, some of which require a higher degree of education and training. Getting the right aged care qualifications and certificates can support you in establishing a long and rewarding career in the field. They ensure you understand the safety, legal and ethical protocols to effectively look after the…

A guide to the 8 Aged Care Quality Standards

First published: July 2024 The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission have formed eight Quality Standards that are set within the aged care industry for the purpose of ensuring services provided to the elderly population of Australia are: Safe High quality Meet the needs and preferences of the people under their care All government funded…

Aged care reform roadmap explained

First published: May 2024 The Department of Health and Aged Care have set a three-year roadmap to introduce aged care reforms to improve services delivered to the elderly population. These changes are being implemented with the aim to ensure all resources are of high quality, easily accessible and beneficial to the older people of Australia,…

How to become an aged care worker

First published: November 2023, revised April 2024 The aged care industry encompasses the services provided and delivered to care for the elderly population. The Department of Health and Aged Care governs the quality of these services and focuses on continuous improvement and development, with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in charge of government…

Transitioning into aged care

First published: November 2023 A non clinical perspective With the aged care industry being a part of the healthcare space, the common perception is that you need a nursing qualification to be eligible for a role in a residential aged care home. This is true for a large number of job positions, as clinical members…