Registered nurse jobs in Melbourne

We are recruiting registered nurses in Melbourne metro/CBD, and surrounding areas of Victoria. Sanctuary Recruitment is an aged care recruitment consultancy that has many longstanding relationships with aged care homes across Australia, placing registered nurses in roles on a permanent, temporary, and contract basis.

Our large network of homes in Melbourne are hiring now, so we can assist you in finding your perfect registered nurse job. If you are a registered nurse residing in Melbourne, or looking to move interstate/overseas, get in contact with us today.

Register with Sanctuary

register with sanctuary

Express your interest

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

register with sanctuary

Prepare for work

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

register with sanctuary

Being working with Sanctuary

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

Regsitered nurse jobs in Melbourne FAQs

Registered nurses in aged care homes are responsible for providing high quality care to residents on a physical, emotional and holistic level. To enter into the industry, the first clinical step is a personal care worker/assistant in nursing, and through upskilling you can step into the higher clinical role of a registered nurse.

We have longstanding relationships with over 400 aged care homes across Australia, in metro, regional, rural and remote areas of the country.

In Victoria, we have registered nurse positions in Melbourne and:

  • Albury
  • Belmont
  • Brunswick
  • Chirnside Park
  • Ringwood
  • Wodonga

There are a lot of variances when it comes to pay rates, as aged care casual rates depend on your position, experience level and shift times that you work. The average registered nurse casual pay rates are in-between $50 - $120 per hour

Incentives, allowances and bonuses are applicable for certain contract placements and locations. Reforms in aged care have led to pay rises for aged care workers in recent years, with more developments to come.

As a rule of thumb, you need 1 year of Australian aged care experience to work on our casual registered nurse pool. If you have under this, get in contact as we do have opportunity for new/recent graduates to work in a few of our homes

For registered nurses, you would need a Bachelor of Nursing which is a three year university degree. This is made up of theoretical and practical assessments. If you are a qualified overseas nurse, you can get your qualification converted in line with AHPRA regulations, and obtain a sponsorship if you meet the eligibility requirements.

We are recruiting registered nurses for temporary/casual and contract assignments. Casual work, or shift filling, is done on an ad-hoc or block booking basis. Contract roles range from 4 weeks - 3 months in rural, regional and remote areas of the country.

Yes, 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.

Through working on a short term or ad-hoc basis, you can:

  • Structure your work day/week to your schedule
  • Through our contract roles, you can explore areas of the country whilst getting paid for it, with free travel and accommodation included.
  • Set your own work/life balance
  • Receive 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
Journeying through care: insights from a travel nurse exploring Western Australia

First published: February 2025 In the ever-evolving world of healthcare, travel nursing offers a unique opportunity for nursing professionals to expand their horizons while making a significant impact on patient and resident care across different regions of the country. Our contract team oversees short and long-term assignments in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia,…

How to become a registered nurse in Australia from overseas

Revised: May 2025 Nursing in Australia is a rewarding career path to choose. There is a wealth of opportunities available in the dynamic and diverse healthcare settings. Within this comprehensive guide, we’ve outlined how to become a registered nurse in Australia from overseas. We’ll walk you through the steps to take and provide you with…

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…

Your guide to getting involved in aged care volunteering

First published: May 2025 Aged care volunteering is an opportunity to give back to the community whilst providing companionship and support to older people whilst both living in aged care homes or receiving home care. Aged care volunteering options that are available include assisting with daily living activities to make day to day tasks easier,…

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,…

Ideas for engaging aged care activities

First published: September 2024 An important part of an aged care resident’s health and wellbeing includes lifestyle and leisure activities that call to their needs, interests and desires. The 13th recommendation in the Royal Commission into Quality and Safety report was ‘Embedding high quality aged care’, which includes supporting the resident to engage in recreational…

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…

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…

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…

Aged care worker salary earnings in Australia in 2025

Revised January 2025 An aged care worker salary in Australia is increasing with the demand. It was reported that there is a need for at least 110,000 direct aged care workers across the country in the next decade. The aged care industry is made up of many different roles, both clinical and non-clinical, with a variety…