Assistant in Nursing Jobs in Cairns

Sanctuary Recruitment is an aged care recruitment consultancy in Australia, with years of unwavering commitment to the aged care sector behind it. We work with some of the top aged care providers across the country and provide staff on temporary, contract and permanent assignments in regional, rural, metro and remote locations.

We are hiring assistant in nursing jobs in Cairns and across Queensland on a casual and contract basis. If you are looking for a new opportunity or would like a free resume assessment, submit your interest below

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.

Assistant in Nursing Jobs in Cairns FAQs

Assistant in nursing, otherwise known as personal care workers or simply care workers, are healthcare assistants that work across a variety of medical sectors. They help patients and residents with their daily care. This could be during meal rounds, showering and hygiene, toileting and grooming for example. 

This is an entry level role in the aged care industry, which can open the door to many other positions such as an enrolled nurse, registered nurse, aged care management and beyond.

Since inception, we have nurtured strong relationships with aged care homes across the country. Through Sanctuary, there is the option to work in areas that are metro, regional, rural and remote.

Queensland has fantastic areas to explore and work in which includes:

  • Bundaberg
  • Brisbane
  • Gold Coast
  • Hervey Bay
  • Sunshine Coast
  • Townsville
  • Whitsundays
  • Wide Bay

and more!

Pay rates are stipulated by the Aged Care Award. This will vary depending on your experience, job title and location of work. A personal care worker will receive casual pay of $29 - $71 per hour.

You can earn bonuses, as well as receive incentives and allowances for eligible certain contract placements. Aged care reforms have led to pay rises for aged care workers in recent years, with more developments to come.

As a rule of thumb, you need a minimum of six months Australian aged care experience to work through our agency. Once you have reached this level, which equates to 910 hours, get in contact with our team who can go through the onboarding process.

To be an assistant in nursing, you would need a relevant qualification. In Australia, this is a Certificate III/IV in Ageing Support/Individual Support/Health Services Assistance. This course is around 5 months long (full time) and can be studied through various educational institutions.

Once qualified as an assistant in nursing, you can choose to work on a temporary/casual and/or contract basis. Casual work, or shift filling, is usually done ad-hoc or last minute. Contract roles range in length and last 4 - 12 weeks in rural, regional and remote areas of the country.

We ensure all of our nursing pool are up to date with their knowledge and skills. 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.

Working on a casual basis allows you to:

  • Structure your work day/week to your schedule
  • Explore areas of the country whilst getting paid for it, with free travel and accommodation included for certain placements
  • Set your own level for 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
A guide to the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) and AN-ACC

For those receiving aged care services in residential aged care homes, the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) was used by the Australian Government to allocate subsidy amounts of residential aged care providers. Payments were based on the ongoing needs of residents and included a variety of factors such as activities of daily living, behaviour and…

Enhancing Aged Care: Pulse Staffing and Sanctuary Recruitment to Deliver PALM Aged Care Expansion Program

First published: July 2024 Quality aged care is vital for ensuring that elderly people live fulfilling, healthy lives with dignity and respect. Aligned with our purpose to improve people’s lives, Pulse Staffing and Sanctuary Recruitment, both part of Acacium Group, have partnered to support the delivery of the 2024 PALM Aged Care Expansion Program. The…

Creating a Heartwarming Holiday Season in Aged Care

First published: December 2023 The festive season in Residential Aged Care is a time to bring the residents and their families together to celebrate the Christmas period. It may be a new experience for those observing this occasion away from the comfort of their family home, so making sure that everyone feels included in 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…

How to Become an Approved Aged Care Provider

To become an approved aged care provider, which is an organisation that has been approved by the Department of Health and Aged Care to provide aged care services to the elderly population, a successful application must be submitted to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Aged care services can be delivered in the form of:…

The Resilience of the Aged Care Industry

First published: October 2023 How to overcome aged care hidden hurdles “The staff were the most vital asset in this situation, the power of the team really shone through during this time” Being part of the world of aged care usually means your general workday is fast-paced and constantly changing, but we often know what…

Federal Budget 2025-26: What it Means for Aged Care

The Federal Budget 2025-26 was announced on the 25th March 2025 which included economic forecasts and what areas would be allocated funding and financial backing this coming year. Covering areas such as the cost of living, housing prices, education, healthcare and student debt, it offers a projection of what each sector is going to receive…

The Tier One Relationship Between Arcare and Sanctuary

First published: August 2024 We are proud to have served the aged care industry for nine years, placing aged care professionals across the country on temporary, contract and permanent assignments. Our established base of nursing professionals, working on every level from assistant in nursing to management, are familiar with our clients and have developed a…

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…

An Interview with our Nursing Team

First written: August 2024 The second in our ‘Meet the team’ series, we spoke to Rhys, one of our wonderful Sydney based AINs. He has been part of the Sanctuary team for the past three years, working on a casual basis in homes across Western and Northern Sydney, NSW. He has worked in a variety…