Moving Interstate as a Theatre Nurse: What Live Pay Ranges Show and What to Ask

Nov 2

4 min read

Moving interstate as a theatre nurse is easier to plan when you can compare real numbers. Here are three live Scrub Scout Nurse roles we are recruiting for this week, one in each of three states.

Western Australia advertises $45 to $50 an hour. New South Wales advertises $42 to $52 an hour. South Australia advertises $38 to $51 an hour.

Work out how wide each range is. Western Australia: $50 minus $45 is $5 an hour. New South Wales: $52 minus $42 is $10 an hour. South Australia: $51 minus $38 is $13 an hour.

That is not a ranking of the states. The roles differ in specialty, list type, hours and employer, and the South Australian role is part time. The three figures are not like for like. What they show is that the advertised rate is only the start of the conversation.

The situation: a good role in another state

You find a role in another state that suits your specialty. The pay range looks fair. The question is whether the whole move works, not just the hourly rate.

Most of the real decisions sit outside the advert. When can you start? What is your current notice period? How is orientation run? Does the specialty list match what you do now?

What a recruiter sees from the other side

A pay range is the space an employer has set for the role. It does not tell you what you will be offered.

Where you land in a range usually depends on your experience, the list and the hours. That is why the same title can carry a wide range, as we showed in How to Read a Theatre Nurse Job Description.

A move adds one more thing to weigh. You are changing state as well as employer. It helps to treat these as two separate decisions. First, is this the right role? Second, is this the right place to live and work?

Check the list, not just the title

Specialty lists ask different things of a Scrub Scout Nurse. Orthopaedics, ophthalmology and general surgery differ in instrument sets, pace and case mix. If you are moving specialty as well as state, ask what support there is while you learn the new lists.

If the role is part time, work out what the fraction does to your week and your pay. Our guide to part-time theatre nurse jobs and FTE shows the working.

Three steps before you decide

Step one. Compare like with like. Put the specialty, the hours and the pay basis side by side. If one role is hourly and another is annual, convert them first. Our guide to theatre nurse hourly rate or annual salary explains how.

Step two. Ask what sits around the rate. Which award or enterprise agreement applies? What allowances and on-call arrangements apply? Is superannuation on top? Is salary packaging available? Our guide to theatre nurse on-call covers the on-call questions.

Step three. Plan the move itself. Ask about the start date, how orientation is run and whether the employer offers any help with relocation. Ask rather than assume. If help is available, it will appear in the offer, not the advert.

A worked example

Here is an illustration, not a specific vacancy. A full-time equivalent at 38 hours a week for 52 weeks is a common way to compare base pay. It leaves out superannuation, allowances and penalty rates.

Western Australia: $45 x 38 x 52 = $88,920 and $50 x 38 x 52 = $98,800. New South Wales: $42 x 38 x 52 = $82,992 and $52 x 38 x 52 = $102,752.

The gap between the bottom and top of the New South Wales range is $19,760 a year ($102,752 minus $82,992). Knowing where you sit in a range is worth that conversation.

The exact words to use

If you are working with a recruiter, you can say: Before I decide, where in this range does the role sit for someone with my experience?

Then ask: Is the pay hourly or annual, and is superannuation on top? Is there any flexibility on the start date? What does orientation look like in the first two weeks?

If you are speaking to the hiring manager directly, the same questions work. They are ordinary questions for someone planning a move.

A note on registration and contracts

This post does not cover registration. Check your registration with Ahpra and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia before you move, because your own situation may differ.

Notice periods and entitlements depend on your contract and employment law. Check your contract and the Fair Work Ombudsman website. This is general information, not legal advice.

Where this leaves you

A pay range is a starting point, not an offer. The best moves tend to be the ones where the role, the list and the place all fit, not just the rate.

For a wider view of where rates sit, see our Theatre Nurse Salary Guide. You can also browse live roles on our theatre nursing jobs page. If you are weighing where a role could lead, our look at four career tracks from Scrub Scout to Director of Nursing is a good next read.

Which state would you consider moving to for the right role, and what would you check first?