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Nurse Unit Manager

A Nurse Unit Manager leads a nursing team, manages operations, solves problems, rosters staff, and communicates with staff, patients, and families.

How do I become a nurse unit manager

Get qualified to work as a nurse unit manager with a course recognised across Australia. Speak to a training provider to learn more.

Common questions

In Australia, a full time Nurse Unit Manager generally earns $2,500 per week ($130,000 annual salary) before tax. This is a median figure for full-time employees and should be considered a guide only. As you gain more experience you can expect a potentially higher salary than people who are new to the industry.

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There has been a moderate increase in worker numbers in this profession in recent years. There are currently 20,300 people employed as a Nurse Unit Manager in Australia and this number is expected to rise to 24,000 by 2025. Nurse Unit Managers may find work across all regions of Australia.

Source: Australian Government Labour Market Insights

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If you’re planning a career as a Nurse Unit Manager, consider enrolling in a Bachelor of Nursing. This course covers both nursing theory and clinical practice and explores topics such as human anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and therapeutics, the nursing workplace, health challenges, complex care, chronic care and clinical reasoning. A Bachelor of Science (Nursing) may also be suitable.

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Further reading

What can you do with a Diploma of Nursing?

2nd February 2021

A Complete Guide to Becoming a Clinical Facilitator

21st October 2024

How to start a career in Practice Management

11th January 2022

Nurse Unit Manager careers

A Nurse Unit Manager supervises a team of nursing staff in a healthcare setting. You might work at a hospital or be employed in another workplace such as an aged care facility or community health centre. Nurse Unit Managers ensure a health unit is working efficiently and deal with any problems that arise. You might attend to tasks such as rostering staff or liaising with other healthcare professionals.

Nurse Unit Managers should be organised and have strong leadership abilities. You’ll need to have good interpersonal skills and be able to communicate well with staff, patients and families. Nurse Unit Managers should have good problem solving skills and be able to handle multiple tasks at one time. You may have to work a range of shifts in this role.