Medical, Nursing & Healthcare Graduate Jobs overview
Although there are other employers, the vast majority of medical, nursing and healthcare graduates find employment in private or public hospitals.
Types of graduate job jobs/roles
Common medical, nursing and healthcare graduate roles include:
- Medical Intern
- Junior Medical Officer
- Registered Nurse
- Dentist
- Radiographer
- Pharmacist
- Speech Pathologist
- Pathologist
- Nutritionist
- Dietitian
- Paramedic
How to find work and apply
As the major employer of health care professionals, most state or territory health departments have graduate programs which run at least once a year for medical interns and nurses. Check one or more of the following providers for more information about due dates and application processes: QLD Health, Victoria Health, NSW Health, Tasmanian Health, SA Health, WA Health, ACT Health and NT Health.
Governments do employ other healthcare professionals, but not on the same scale. Although other healthcare graduates should check what is available through their state/territory government, it is likely that employment will be found in non-government organisations such as pharmacies, medical or dental centres, x-ray clinics and health food shops.
Competitiveness
This largely depends upon the type of position but, in general, the shortage of doctors and nurses means that the competition for entry-level jobs in these professions is fairly low. In contrast, for other healthcare jobs, such as dietitians and nutritionists where jobs are limited, the competition is very high.
Location
Graduate jobs will exist in most parts of Australia with the highest number in capital cities. Those able and willing to travel to regional areas are likely not only to find work more quickly but to potentially benefit from some excellent incentives.
Average graduate salaries
The medium starting salaries for graduates are:
- Medicine - $60k
- Dentistry - $75k
- Registered nurses - $48k
- Pharmacists - $52k
- Dietitians and nutritionists - $38k
- Radiographers - $52k
- Speech pathologists - $60k
- Paramedics - $50k