1. Get your compliance machinery right
AHPRA registration check, immunisation evidence, police check, NDIS Worker Screening where relevant. Slow compliance is a top reason nurses drop out of recruitment processes.
2. Decide permanent, contract or locum first
Different markets, different candidates. Permanent nurses want roster stability and progression. Locum nurses want rate and flexibility. Don't try to recruit one with the other's pitch.
3. Pay at award + market
Award is the floor, not the ceiling. Most metro hospitals in 2026 are paying above-award for hard-to-fill specialty roles. Underpay and your offers will sit unanswered.
4. Look after them after they start
Orientation, mentoring and a buddy system in the first 90 days dramatically reduces turnover — particularly for internationally trained nurses bridging into Australian practice.
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